Vehicle Maintenance

For the past two years I have had my brakes inspected since my truck is 8 years old. Two years ago, the servicemen said, "Still good."

Last year they said, "Time for new front brakes, the back are good for another year."

A week ago, those rear brakes started to let me know they were there, so today I took it to the shop. It was time for an oil change and the windshield wipers needed replaced. I wasn't going to mention the wipers, but the mechanic did and I decided I might just as well go for that repair while I was there.

I retired to the waiting room to work on an afghan I am making or read my book or just sit - I wasn't quite sure what. I got out the bag of yarn, hook and project and started to work. The door opened and another mechanic came in holding the air filter. "Do you want to replace the air filter?" He asked.

"Does it need it?" I returned.

"Well, it is getting pretty dirty."

"And how much for that?" I asked. When he told me how much I said, "Go ahead." Hoping it might help the slight hesitation I was beginning to notice.

I turned my attention back to my project. The fellow behind the counter spoke up next. "Your truck is gonna need a transmission flush soon, the oil is getting a bit dirty. And both the front and rear differential need serviced."

I got up and walked over to the service window. "What are we talkin here?" I asked. He got out his book and sarted looking up figures.

"Depends on what kind of fluid they put in to begin with. Uh oh."

"What?"

"They put the most expensive in yours. Now lets see how much its gonna need."

Turned out that transmission and differential service would add another two to three hundred to my bill which was already at five. "Can it wait?" I asked.

"I don't know. I did not look at it."

"Well look at it as if it were your vehicle and be honest with me." I said.

He left and returned in a few moments. "If you are looking at a long trip, I'd say do it. But if you're not planning on anything, it can hold off two to three months. It's not really bad. The color is just beginning to change." He went on to explain what that meant and together we decided that it would wait a month.

I like a mechanic and a shop that is willing to talk to me, explain and work with me.

I had a Ford Tempo before I got the truck. One winter, the heater quit working. I was working for a taxi company at the time and the shop mechanic looked at it. "Let's see if it is the motor or the switch." He said. He wired around the switch and the heater motor came to life. As soon as I got a chance I called the Ford dealership and made an appointment to get the car in.

"What's the problem?" The service tech asked when I arrived. I explained that the heater didn't work because the switch was bad.

"It's the motor." He said and began looking up the cost.

"It is not the motor." I replied.

"How do you know?" He asked.

"Because I had a mechanic friend check it out. He wired around the sitch and the motor works."

"It's probably the motor." He went on.

"I am not a mechanic, but if the motor works when you bypass the switch with power, then the motor is still good and the problem is in the switch. Am I right?"

"I don't know. I am not a mechanic. We'll have to pull it in and have a mechanic look at it."

My car was dutifully pulled in and a mechanic came over. "Need a new heater motor?" He asked.

I walked back to the car with him. "No. The motor works. Right now power to it is provided around the sitch and it works just fine. But if you reconnect the switch, the heater doesn't work."

"You need a new heater motor." He replied. "I really don't think it is the switch. But if it turns out to be, it is a major repair."

"What do you mean a major repair?"

"Well, the steering wheel has to come off and the whole dash has to be taken out to get at the switch. We'll have the car a few days."

"To replace the heater switch?" I asked.

"Yes. The whole dash has to be taken out and it takes time to disconnect all the wires and make sure they are connected right again." He explained. I went with him to check with the service tech to see what this would cost. I found out that the bill would be close to a thousand dollars mostly in shop time to replace a piece that cost just a few dollars.

I opted out of the deal and drove away deciding to call another friend whose son had a shop. "Bring it up and let's take a look." He said.

I drove the car into his shop and told him the story. He sat behind the wheel and looked closely at the dash set up. "This panel looks like it is set up just like the radio. I bet I can get it out with the same tools as I would to take that out. Let me see." He left and a few minutes later came back with small tools and in less time than it took to tell me, he had the panel off and the switch in his hand.

"We'll have to call Ford for a new switch." He said as he dialed their number.

"Is that a white Ford Tempo?" The dealership serviceman asked.

"Yup." My mechanic replied.

"She was just here less than half an hour ago. How do you know the switch is bad?"

"Because I am holding it in my hand."

"You need to take the dash out to get at that switch! You can't be holding it."

"Want to come over and I'll show you how this is done?" My young mechanic returned. "That switch panel comes out just like the radio and with the same tool. I can show you and your mechanics how to do it."

An hour later, I paid thirty five dollars for a job that took about ten mintues total for panel removal, new switch slipped in as easily as a fuse and panel replaced.