Because men fix cars? That didn't seem right. The other day, I told in comments, how I scored a free toilet, sink and faucet for the bathroom. It's used but something that replaced old stuff in the photography studio next door to the shop where I work. We're moving to a new old building because ours have been sold. The new owners are gutting everything and they told us we could take anything we want. I asked for the neighbor shop's bathroom fixtures. It's newer stuff and on the pricey side. I would have taken ours, but, well, we suck and theirs are cleaner and newer. It will save me hundreds of dollars and they're white, clean and perfectly good. When Lissa asked me who would take them out, I said, I will. I'll just wait until the water's shut off and go disconnect them. The kid asked me, 'Don't we need some guys, you know, like plumbers?' I said, hell no. If men can do it, so can we. It's not that complicated. I'm familiar with plumbing. It stopped baffling me long ago when I lived in the middle of nowhere and it took months to get one to find my house. So, if men fix cars...how hard can it be?
The kid was right, she made her point. But, goddammit to hell, I hate cars. They intimidate the hell out of me. The shop I used to take my car to is closed and I don't even know if we have a car repair place in town. We do have the Internet though. I went to You Tube and typed in 'power steering problems'. I'll be dammed if dozens of videos popped up. With detailed instructions. I could even type in my car and year and get specifics. Using You Tube I managed to flush and change my power steering fluid and I didn't even get dirty. The car no longer makes that nasty sound when I turn and the wheel is fluid again. How about that!? With new found confidence I typed in 'changing windshield wiper blades'. I thought after power steering, this would be a breeze. I was wrong.
No matter what I typed in, there was nothing that matched the weird shit I had holding the blades in on my car. I finally figured out that you have to locate the lock mechanism and pull it in the exact opposite direction that anyone with a brain would think to pull it because men design these things. Then while holding the crazy latch, you pull the blade in exactly the opposite direction that anyone with a brain would pull because..again...men design these things. What is wrong with you men? Are you really so set on having us depend on you that you would sabotage us with these ridiculous mechanics?? It seems so. Anyway, I finally got one off and I took the broken one to the store as a measurement. I got the new one back on too. Pleased with my progress, I moved to the passenger side only to discover the blade there was two inches shorter than the blade on the drivers side. Are you fucking kidding me?? Men. I gave up.
The next day I returned the blade I had just bought for another blade two inches shorter. By that time I had forgotten how the weird blade lock worked and it took me longer than I am prepared to tell you to change the fucker. I fucking hate cars. If there's some man reading this, let me put it to you this way. I want YOU to go get a Singer sewing machine. Thread it. Thread the bobbin too. Then I want you to make me a simple ruffled apron with an invisible hem and two darts in the chest area. Make the darts symmetrical. I'll bet you dollars to donuts you quit before you get the bobbin threaded.
I just don't understand why things with cars are so hard. Why would it be more difficult to change windshield wiper blades than to flush out and replace power steering fluid?? Because men design them. That's why. I'm really happy that I did these things myself, it's something I never really thought about doing alone. I guess I thought I couldn't. I'm glad to know I can and I saved myself some money. But, it's not fun at all. I hate it. I like plumbing a lot better. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go check my oil and put in some windshield cleaner. I have to go to You Tube. And I'm not even embarrassed about it.
20 comments:
I'm impressed. I think I could change a tire, but have only tried once and the lug nuts were on so tight, there was no way I was getting them off.
What did we ever do before Google and YouTube? I love that I can have any question answered within seconds of thinking of it. Which comes in handy, since I forget the question pretty fast.
Angie, out of necessity I figured lug nuts out. What you do is, start with ones on the side. You put the crow bar or lug nut bar or whatever the fuck that thing is called, on it, then you jump on it, using all your weight. It will come off. You can be a real contortionist with the rest, laying down and pushing with your feet. Or, as a last resort, you can jack it off the ground just a little and turn the tire and let it back down, so you can jump on the next one. Hey, man, when it's 3 am and you live on a dirt road, aint no one coming along, so you do what you have to. You make it work.
Joe Man-Jello can sew! He sewed his own thongs in Magic Mike! It shows him doing it. Maybe he can sew for Sophia?
I hate windshield wipers too. So, the place, NAPA that I bought them will come out and in a minute they change them for me, for free. The power steering fluid trick was fantastic! I could not do that. You are brave. I do need to get my oil changed tho. But I have my husband back home and hes doing so much better, he said he would do it. Be proud of yourself and good luck with all that plumbing and moving that stuff out. You will need a some big dudes to move a tub tho. And toilets come apart in pieces, so even tho they are heavy, you can probably do that. They are awkward tho. Don't risk hurting yoursel, just ask for help to carry things in and remember stuff has to be level. Something my husband didn't do with our tub. *Peace be the journey*
Rox
Necessity is the mother of invention.
That would be a GREAT YouTube video, you know...a small lady jumping on a tire iron, laying in the dirt, kicking it with both feet, all the while, screaming "LOOSEN UP, YOU FUCKING WHORE". Then, when it doesn't come loose, you start hammering on the tire with the tire iron, it bounces back and hits you in the shin. More obscenities.
You'd have thousands of hits for sure.
I am impressed, too. I would have thought that changing the power steering fluid would be complicated, and potentially dangerous. Awesome that you figured it out and did it! The windshield wiper blades I would have no clue,either.
My husband does all that stuff, but maybe it would be good to learn. I'm kidding myself. I once enrolled in a powder-puff mechanics course in college, and quit going when I got fearful about the car battery. Something the instructor said scared me, and I never went back.
Christina
Oh WOW! Good on you. There is nothing on this planet more empowering than DIY. I love it. Plumbing? Yes I've done that. But fixing the car? I'm impressed!
The most disempowering thing that ever happened to me was when I was car less, Liam was a toddler, I was broke, and my fridge broke down. I decided to live without one but that proved to be beyond my abilities. But I didn't have transport to move the old fridge out of the house or to move a new one in. Anyway, after a great deal of angst I finally got a new second hand fridge wheeled into my kitchen and the old one removed. You won't believe how happy and relieved I was. Then I opened the fridge door and the fucking thing fell off! Arrrggghhh!!! In sheer desperation I fixed the broken hinges with super glue and it worked! I had that fridge for at least 15 years after that. That has to be the best DIY outcome ever. :-)
I don't like cars. I don't have one anymore. And I'm glad.
Rox, I'll do an online refresher course before I install it all. I have to buy the shower, unless I score one. I'll probably have a plumber for that, because I want it in a diff place. That means drains to move. But, the small stuff, like potty and sink, I can do. I wish I has balls enough to tackle electric work, but, hey, that stuff scares me. The power steering job was a breeze, it really was.
Angie, I might actually make one. I can never get lug nuts off without using all my weight. And now I only weigh 120 or so. Most of the time, they're rusted on too.
Christina, I will never pay for that again. It was so simple, I didn't even have to get under the car. I ran the emptying hose to a can I just held under the unhooked hose. All I had to do was wash my hands.
Lia, it did make me want to learn more about cars. Men don't laugh at you on You Tube (hell, you're in your own driveway). I liked your fridge story. You have to teach me how to tile, or send me to the right vid. I need tile!!
Melvin, you're such a girl.
DD..my advise to you is to buy a dolly. When things are to heavy or awkward to lift and there's no one around to help, you can do it yourself. It will help you immensely while you work on your new house.
and if you keep all the fluids and filters clean as needed, your car should last much longer. mine is almost 15 years old, I bought it new and the last several years I've been doing fluids and filters as needed and I think it's going to get me through another year or two. It does run slightly rough but I don't want to spend $ on the diagnostics - which apparently wouldn't help unless there was a warning light on, anyway.
going to drive 3500 miles on it - going to californy - and keeping my fingers crossed it does as well as it did on that trip this spring
I hate wiper changes too, but I get someone to show me after I've bought them - i forget between changes what I did last the time
Tiling isn't hard. You're just laying a nice new surface. You need it level and smooth, so you build up any dents underneath, and chip away any bumps (beforehand, of course). There are lots of vids showing how to do it. The grout will help smooth it all out. If you neglect to lay enough adhesive evenly, that tile will sound hollow when the job is done - not such a problem, except possibly if it's a floor tile that will get substantial weight.
Don't try to get too much done at once. More important to keep a clean, well-laid job.
Make sure you plan it out before you start - where you want the cut tiles, etc. It's kinda arty.
The best part is, that if you do a decent job, it will look good. I made a major mistake on the last job I did and it can't be helped now. My hubs, who taught me years ago, was disappointed, which made me realize how awful it was - the gaps were too big for the tiles and it looks wayyyy too rustic.
But generally, even uneven gaps look imperceptible once grouted.
If you get a chance to practice on an old piece of plywood, with any old tiles, you'll gain some confidence. good luck
Angie, you are so funny. I don't usually have the computer on, so by the time it powers itself up I always forget what I wanted to know. That's one of the things that are most infuriating, so much so that I don't even try anymore. I guess my curiosity isn't that bad if I can't even remember the damned question.
Good for you! You are so self-reliant that I'm surprised you haven't been doing that stuff for ages. If you can do plumbing, then you can definitely do electrical & tiling. If I can do those, anyone can. You're so artistic that tiling should be a natural for you. For electrical, I'm assuming that you just want to replace or add light fixtures/ ceiling fans. Do it before you start repairing/painting walls. Just make sure that your main power is off. They also have little testers that can prove it to you. My ex and my current husband would do the actual work (obviously I'm a woman & incapable) but I'm the one who would look up the directions & tell them exactly what to hook up and how to run lines so that my ceiling fan/light would work from separate switches. It's just a matter of being careful & following directions. You sound like someone who can do both. My father wouldn't listen to me so he eventually got his done but managed to shock himself by forgetting to shut off the main. Good luck, I'm sure you will do a fantastic job.
Jo, I have one. I can't lift heavy things anymore. That's one area I have to have help with for sure.
Anon good luck on your trip to Cali! Good energy.
Tiling person..it sounds hard. When you talk about level surfaces, I get nervous. I guess I couldn't lose much except time by trying. I dunno.
Border, you just made me LOL for real.
Sylvia, I've been shocked and electric work scares the pee outta me. I was looking at a fan light I found in the garage though and wondering how hard it would be? I'd probably turn off the power to the entire neighborhood first. Sheesh.
That sewing analogy is perfect. I can sew the crap out of anything, I can figure out how to alter anything and it will look store-bought. I'll be damned if I can maintain anything on our vehicles, though. But I know how to use all of our power tools, and I can fix just about anything in our house! Except for anything to do with the natural gas...that stuff scares me, actually.
Pat I think you'll find it easier and enjoy tiling more if you smash the tiles and do a mosaic. That way it doesn't have to be perfect, smooth and straight. Cutting tiles is a major headfuck if you don't have the right expensive tools while for mosaic the only tool necessary is a hammer and you can use old plates and cups as well as tiles. All you have to do is glue them on with tile adhesive (I put a mosaic over tiles I hated) and then grout.
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