Thanks for all the kind words.
Here's another story for you to read, if you're interested. God knows y'all don't have anything better to do anyway.
So while Debbie was away, I was supposed to do a brake job on her car. Well it pretty much rained the whole time she was gone. So I didn't get anything done. I did go air up her left front tire that looked really low, and I started on the brake job this past Thursday.
Had all the parts and tools I thought I needed. I haven't done one in eons, and I'm
no auto mechanic, but Debbie got the job quoted at $350, so that was motivation enough for me.
Everyone I talked to said it's, at the most, 30 minutes a wheel. If everything goes right, I would agree.
I go out to work on it, and the remote is not opening the door. So I screw around with that for about 20 minutes, only to realize the battery on the car is dead.
So I use the key to open it and I go to work.
This Mustang has what is called a floating rotor. When you take the wheel, the caliper and the caliper bracket off, it's supposed to just fall off in your hand. This thing won't even budge. So I get on the internet and try to find out why this rotor won't come off the hub. There were maybe two people that had posted in different forums about it, and evidently the rotor just kind of rusts itself to the hub, so the advice was to beat the shit out of it. So I get my regular 16oz hammer and go out there and wake the dead beating on this thing. They have an ear piercing ring to them when hit with a hammer.
But it won't budge. So I try the other side with the same result.
It starts raining, so I have to quit until the next day. And let me say, I haven't sweat that much in a decade.
So Friday, I figured a large gear puller would get it off of there. So I call Debbie and ask her if she's going by an Autozone, because they'll rent tools. I told her what I needed and when she finally got home, none of it was what I wanted. So I take all that shit back, and they tell me some bullshit about that rotor having emergency brake shoes that are between the hub and the rotor, and to make sure the emergency brake is released.
I came home, and saw that it was already released. I watched a Youtube video of a guy doing a brake job on one, and there was no such thing. So I go to Pep Boys, because it says they also rent tools. I talked to the guy and he said they do those cars all the time. He said they just hit it with about a 4 pound sledge hammer and it comes right off. So I don't rent the gear puller and I head to Walmart, where I know I've seen sledges like that. They had a 2 pound one, so I got that. Took it home and tapped it a couple of times, and off it came.
About an hour later, both wheels are done.
I cross threaded one of the lug nuts, so I found one at Autozone. It's not an exact match, but at this point, I just want the tires to stay on.
So I put the lug nut on and jump start the car and have Debbie follow me to the gas station because the computer says 0 miles to empty.
I make it fine, put gas in it and head to Walmart, where I thought we had just bought a new battery for that car. Nope, it was MY car. Anyway the guy says the batter needs to be replaced, but they don't carry it.
Debbie had followed me there and told me the right brake light is out.
I knew I had one, so I decided to wait until I got home to fix that.
It seems to be starting ok now, so I head to Discount Tire to see why the left front is losing air, and there wasn't a parking place to be had, it was a mob scene. So I go to Pep Boys. They pull the car in, and the mechanic comes in and said they need the key to the locking lug nut. I said it's in the trunk, and went out there to find it. It's not there. Then I realized that when I put the last wheel on after the brake job, I had left that key on the lug nut, and it's gone. God knows where. Pep Boys wanted $50.00 to remove it, and I declined. I figured if those slobs can do it, so can I.
I come home and realize I don't have my key to get in. Somehow both sets wound up in Debbie's purse. I live in an apartment, so I went to the office and they gave me a key to get in. So I called the dealership and the man asked me if I had the plastic envelope they lug nut key came in and if so, there's a number to call to get it replaced. I got all of that taken care of, but it's going to be a week before it gets here. So I go outside and replace the brake light.
I told Debbie I would just drive her car back and forth to work, making sure it's got air in the tire every day. She didn't like that. And when I went back outside, the tire was completely flat. So I got on the internet and searched for how to remove one of those locking lug nuts on my own. One suggestion was to use a socket that is just barely too small, and drive it onto that lug nut with a hammer and use a socket wrench to remove it. After about a half hour, it worked. 19mm socket, if anyone ever needs to do that.
So now I need another lug nut.
I put the one from the right rear that I got at Autozone on the problem wheel (left front), and put the one with the socket driven onto it on the right rear and back to Pep Boys I go. It's some time late Saturday at this point. Pep Boys said the tire has a cut in the sidewall and has to be replaced. So I go by Discount Tire, where we had bought the tire just over a year ago, and they're closed, and won't be open until today(Monday). So I have Sunday off to do whatever I want, and pretty much did.
This morning I got up and headed to Discount Tire, and they replaced the tire for $28.75, because we had the road hazard coverage.
That was the best news I had heard in a while. I then headed to the dealership to get 2 lug nuts that match the rest. Almost $13.00 for 2 fucking lug nuts.
I then set out to find a place that has a decent price on her battery. Wound up buying it at Pep Boys for $104.00. EVERYTHING for this car is outrageous. I come home and put on the lug nuts, and put in the battery, return the other one, and am now at home sipping on sweet tea and relaxing, waiting on Debbie to get home, so I can get all of her house cleaning shit out of my car and put back in hers. And I'll be freakin' DONE!
I have to say, it's been one hell of a couple of weeks.
My wife had been to the Bahamas before and just had a great, great time. She said it was like all the cool, helpful, friendly, layed back people that were there before have now been replaced by rude swindlers. And that's too bad.
