Repairs
October 4th, 2007
Someone managed to take out the driver’s side mirror on my car. They didn’t get the whole mount, just the glass of the mirror itself. I was stupid enough to think that this would not cost much to repair. It turns out that replacing the glass means replacing the entire mount. So, it’s a four hundred dollar repair all of a sudden, for a small piece of glass.
Why does the car have to be designed so that replacing the glass of the mirror mean replacing the whole mount? Shouldn’t this just be something we pop into place? I could even see the spot where it would pop into place with two clips. I wondered if I could have just popped out a mirror at the junk yard and fitted it.
Upon getting home with my repaired car I decided to hop onto my bike and go to the grocery store. When I took the first turn I realized that a screw had come loose, and my baskets were floating half free. If the other one came loose it would drop onto my tire and I’d be walking it home. Total cost of repair? 16¢ And I could do it myself. Actually 9¢ because I already had a locking nut of the right size. In so many ways biking seems like a better option. I’m down to under 40 miles a week in my car. The rest is done on the bike.
Of course winter will come soon, and I’m not that hardcore yet.
October 5th, 2007 at 6:21 am
Sorry to hear about your car troubles. Do yourself a favor and buy a Chilton’s manual for your car – it’ll tell you how to fix _everything_. It’ll also tell you that certain procedures require thousands of dollars worth of very specialized equipment, and could, if you’re not careful, kill you. It’s a good guide to fixing what you can and deciding what you can’t.
October 5th, 2007 at 11:22 am
You know what would make you that hardcore?
A fixed gear.
You know you want to.
October 5th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
I agree with that Josh fellow above me. I was actually going to recommend a Chilton’s. This is a prime example. Standard minvan battery @ WalMart. 40 dollars. Cost to have a shop replace the battery… 140. Best of luck and I hope the boneyards in Chicago are in good shape
October 5th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
…..no idea why i typed chicago.. i’m eating pizza *shrug*
October 7th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
No worries Ben, I’ll chock that up to “boneyards in Chicago” sounding cool, while “boneyards in the Twin Cities” does not. Hell, two years from now, Boneyards of Chicago might be a Tom Waits song.
October 8th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
and not just a title in the bargain bin at the local “toy” story
October 14th, 2007 at 8:08 am
are you serious about the mirror? jeez. saves me the trip when I get back. screw getting a real replacement; i’m just going to find a mirror roughly the same size and super glue it myself.
that’s the advantage to having a crappy looking car in the first place: there is no incentive or reason to make cosmetic improvements or replacements.