The Princess, the pill and the painful

[fireheart]

How the hell ELSE can someone get work done? A worksite is a worksite is a worksite. And as someone else said: if your decor is important, dropcloths are cheap.

Hell, you don't even need to buy a proper dropcloth. We use sheets at work! (fitted and flat-fitted sheets work wonders when you're doing any activity involving beads-just flip up the ends and catch all the mess)

[Seshat]

It depends on whether we're talking about dry or wet mess.

[JustShootMe]

I had a woman shout at me for tinkering under the hood of my car out in front of the dorm one time. Told me I didn't know what I was doing and I'd better get a man to do it for me before I ruined something. I was like "Bitch, number one, IT'S MY CAR NOT YOURS, number two, I'm checking the fluids, not performing neurosurgery, and three...piss off." I didn't really want to stand there and argue. I was busy checking fluids, like I said. Because I was going on a major road trip in less than two weeks.

LMAO!! I have a downstairs neighbor who freaks when I change my oil or top the fluids. She asked me why I don't get my boyfriend to do it "instead of messing up your hands." (Excuse me. My eyes just rolled out of my head)
Yo, Lady...two things...
1. My boyfriend is unable to CHECK, much less change his oil. I have to check it for him.
2. I'm not prissy about my hands. I try to wear latex gloves to keep from getting filthy but they get I the way & I end up ripping them off my hands. That's why God made GoJo.

Welcome to the 21st Century.

[Aethian]

I can check two of my fluids but the third needs a hose loosend and moved to the side so you can get a accurate check. So every six weeks I just have the guys who do my oil changes do a check on the fluids. At least it's not me having to reach at a odd angle for that stupid hose.

[Seshat]

I can check two of my fluids but the third needs a hose loosend and moved to the side so you can get a accurate check.

Well that's crap design.

[EricKei]

Probably an intentional bad design -- after all, if it's a hassle for customers to do it themselves, they will ...in theory... come in to the dealership and have the mechanics take care of it instead.

[manybellsdown]

I'm checking the fluids, not performing neurosurgery, and three...piss off." I didn't really want to stand there and argue. I was busy checking fluids, like I said. Because I was going on a major road trip in less than two weeks.

I pulled the dipstick to check the oil in a used car I was thinking of buying, and the salesman said in a fake-hearty voice "Well I've never seen a girl do THAT before!"

I still bought the car. HUGE mistake.

[eltf177]

Probably an intentional bad design -- after all, if it's a hassle for customers to do it themselves, they will ...in theory... come in to the dealership and have the mechanics take care of it instead.

Tell me about it... My mother's car was a nightmare, requiring major surgery just to change the battery!

[mathnerd]

Probably an intentional bad design -- after all, if it's a hassle for customers to do it themselves, they will ...in theory... come in to the dealership and have the mechanics take care of it instead.

I'm having a similar issue with my car. I need to change the clutch. It's not slipping badly, but it's days are numbered. It's also less that it's a bad design and more that it's a small car and everything under the hood is all squished together. Every time I think about doing it I start to drink.

[Aethian]

To change my battery you have to remove the air filter and it's cover. So yea it's crap design but after watching someone else change the battery I think I could if I have to.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Tell me about it... My mother's car was a nightmare, requiring major surgery just to change the battery!

Speaking of major auto surgery, my stepmom's current car (2011 Chrysler 200) had a headlight to burn out early last week. She and Dad were heading up to Richmond to see Mud (middle sis) and her family for the day on Christmas Eve, so they called and got an appointment at a nearby Chrysler dealership to get the headlight replaced (after Dad looked around and couldn't figure out how to get the cover off the light.)

They spent over 2 1/2 hours there at the shop and it turned out that with the particular design of the vehicle, they had to take off the ENTIRE front bumper just to change a headlight!!!! Bill was around $250 for that alone (not near as bad as having to spend roughly $1000 on a sensor for the catalytic converter on her old 2005 Grand Marquis) but still to take off the entire front bumper just to get to the headlights to change them????

Talk about taking something simple and FUBARing it to Hell and back if you ask me. Just makes no sense at all.

[mhkohne]

Speaking of major auto surgery, my stepmom's current car (2011 Chrysler 200) had a headlight to burn out early last week. She and Dad were heading up to Richmond to see Mud (middle sis) and her family for the day on Christmas Eve, so they called and got an appointment at a nearby Chrysler dealership to get the headlight replaced (after Dad looked around and couldn't figure out how to get the cover off the light.)

They spent over 2 1/2 hours there at the shop and it turned out that with the particular design of the vehicle, they had to take off the ENTIRE front bumper just to change a headlight!!!! Bill was around $250 for that alone (not near as bad as having to spend roughly $1000 on a sensor for the catalytic converter on her old 2005 Grand Marquis) but still to take off the entire front bumper just to get to the headlights to change them????

Talk about taking something simple and FUBARing it to Hell and back if you ask me. Just makes no sense at all.

Next time, google around first - on my wife's prius the official procedure is to drop the bumper, but it turns out that if you have small hands, you can actually get to it without doing that. I do not have small hands, but the local NTB has a guy who does, and did it for $70 or so total.

[Ophbalance]

Next time, google around first - on my wife's prius the official procedure is to drop the bumper, but it turns out that if you have small hands, you can actually get to it without doing that. I do not have small hands, but the local NTB has a guy who does, and did it for $70 or so total.

It's not that bad to drop though. Still, I'm glad I have the HIDs in mine. 8 years and they're still going strong.

[raudf]

Moron next to us decides to pipe up and go on and on about how there's no way I'd be the one to fix it because, you know, girls can't work on cars.

My mom dotted both a guy's eyes for that comment followed up by, "And why aren't you in the kitchen where you belong?" Depending on which of my parents tell the story, Dad either moved Mom aside and told the guy to bring it after she dotted the guy's eyes or Dad kept Mom from insuring there were no future generations of asshats with the guy's bloodline.

The repair center had a fair share of it's assholes. The ones that didn't wanna speak to the "little lady," because she's not supposed to know what's wrong with a tractor or what part is needed. (Half the time, asshat wouldn't know what the part was called anyways.) Most didn't realize my dad was the lawn and garden tech and that my uncle was appliances. You kinda pick things up when you live around it!

[Dentarthurdent]

Tell me about it... My mother's car was a nightmare, requiring major surgery just to change the battery!

I had a Lumina like that. Big bolted-on metal bars obstructing the battery. It was a PIA just to jump it, let alone to replace the damned thing.