I use to drive an old 1977 Datsun B-210, it was a fun car to drive, and super easy to work on. It had originally black metal louvers on the back and back windows, it was nice and even one time someone offered me 100 dollars for them, I kindly said not for sale. This was back in the early eighties when I was able to get gas for 0.69 cents a gallon; man, to think even back then I complained when it went up to 0.79 cents – now look at us at $4.99 a gallon. Anyhow, so we had bought a car and of course, we took real good care of it, and now my son drives it. The thing is it is due for a Tune-Up, and I checked around; at the dealership, they want $843.99, a company that sends a mechanic to your home called Repair Smith, was estimating $560.48, but it was a rough estimate because it all depended on the amount of work needed, so you know where that would go. I then went ahead and checked for videos on doing the tune-up myself, there are quite a few videos out there. I did not have this growing up, usually, it was purchasing a car manual for your vehicle, and hopefully one of your friends knew something about cars. Now after watching a few videos, I thought to myself that I could do it, except for one piece that had me worry and that was a hose that went to the air-intake, which in all the videos the mechanics clearly state that if it is not put back correctly you would have air leaks.
The funny thing is my son wants a Fast and Furious car he can work on, he has been talking about getting an old car he can work on, but he has no clue on how to work on cars. I use to work on cars before getting married – well my own, but these new cars nowadays, look a little scary under that hood. I told him you need the tools, and something requires specials tools, which could get expensive, the next thing you need is a place to keep them, and a place to work on your car, well maybe our garage, but I think the neighbors would not like it. I told him he needs to first make it through college and then we can talk about a car he could work on.
The thing is as you can see from the quotes I received, a tune-up is seriously expensive, and taking just anywhere is a disaster waiting to happen, so at this point, I am not sure what to do. It is hard to find a trustworthy mechanic, at least in my area. I am trying to see what to do. Now my wife says she could take it down south and get the same tune-up for a fraction of the cost, but she said it with a tone like she was upset. I think she did not like that my son bummed around this summer, and he expects us to pay for everything, without even trying to pitch in some money. I am sure she wouldn’t expect him to pay the 800 dollars, but if he attempted, I think she would be happier – maybe. I am just blown away by how costly any kind of repair is to a car. These engines are filled up with wires, tubes, and crap, I mean I have seen videos where mechanics complain about the design of an engine, you know trying to reach a bolt. I understand that these engines now have a lot of technology, but I think the design of these engines could be more driver/owner friendly. Have you looked under the hood of your car lately, it is like they tried to stuff everything they created into one area, which I am sure all have a purpose but come on really?
I appreciate you stopping by to read as this was a short venting post, but I do want to leave you with this thought, “Just when it looks like there is no solution, the answer will come when you need it most – stay positive”.