Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Piss, Moan and Complain


 

Getting old sucks! My two vehicles need some very minor work that, in my younger days, I would do without even sweating.

Now this 76 year old obese body just won’t twist and scoot. Oh, let us not discuss bending knees or getting up without something to pull against!

Not that my fine motor skills were ever that good, today I spend more time picking up things I’ve dropped or that have slipped out of my grasp, then turning wrenches.

The soonest the one mechanic I trust can work on the Buick is 6/7! He is that booked up.

The Mighty Max spare tire hoist is jammed. Without jacking it up, I can’t get under far enough to see the jamb. I don’t want to crawl under it without it being up on secure jack stands (which are in a storage shed).  I can do the work at the storage lot but prefer to have someone around when I crawl under a vehicle.

I loathe asking anyone for help and have always been that way. Like any life decisions, it comes with a cost. Upside? Hones your survival skills.

Most likely, the PMC isn’t warranted. I’m ambulatory, breathing air, taking nourishment, and have beaten the actuary tables.

15 comments:

drjim said...

Bring the Mighty Max over here, and we'll fix it right up. Got jacks, stands, Break Free, and lots of tools!

Well Seasoned Fool said...

drjim
I appreciate that but will probably have one of my sister's renters do it. I usually give him a twenty and he needs the money.

drjim said...

Well, keep it in mind if you ever need a decent place to work on one of your cars.

Working on your car in the parking lot gets old fast!

Well Seasoned Fool said...

drjim
Thank you. Hope to see you and yours Sunday.

Old NFO said...

Yep, sadly we're at the 'pay the man' age... Sigh

Well Seasoned Fool said...

OldNFO
Correct! Just grateful I have the means to pay.

Ritchie said...

I've found big sheets of cardboard to be a great help for sliding around under things. And catching slight spills.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

R
In my younger years that is what I would do. Thanks for the tip.

LSP said...

Off topic but have you seen what they're charging for vehicles? Whoa. Thanks, commies.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

LSP
Supply and demand. Thousands of new vehicles that can't be sold because of the chip shortage. Two things. The dealers will wring out every cent of profit on what inventory they can score. Second, fewer new raises the demand for used.

Keep yours running. Shortly after the dam bursts. prices will go down.

The way it works with new is the dealer gets it in inventory for free, or minimal cost. Every thirty days there is a progressive "curtailment", or payment, the dealer makes to the factory. So, first month the dealer is in a few hundred on that $80,000 pickup. By 90 days, the dealer is in it for thousands and counting. By 180 days he is in it 100% (depending on the manufacturer).

Savvy buyers look for faded window stickers knowing the dealer will be highly motivated to move that money sled.

drjim said...

Ah, yes....the dealer's "Floor Plan" as we used to call it. It think that's why they worked with us on the truck we bought last year....it had been sitting down in Colo Springs for about three months.

Ed Bonderenka said...

Helping my buddy with his brakes last night.
Both on workman's comp.
Him his back and hip, me my busted knee.
We worked around it.
Shades of things to come....

Well Seasoned Fool said...

drjim
Salespeople who survive know the angles. Many dealers will gleefully take the salespersons money.

Ed
Takes the fun out of it, doesn't it?

LSP said...

thx for the tip, WSF.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

LSP
Your are welcome.