🥳🎉28!🎉🥳
🙃
Hello, my lovelies! Happy February 17th!
Hope y’all enjoyed your day today. It’s been a… busy one over here for me.
I’ve had a little more on my mind today than usual–a bit pensive.
But it’s been a crazy with day with a million phone calls and lots going… sideways.
It’s funny, I’ve been getting to early and staying out late, and fielding a gazillion calls, but the days keep going sideways, workwise.
That’s fine, though. 🙃
I’m tired.
Let’s see… 15th… Three cars. Up and out really early, but only three cars done. 🙃 First when was a 2005 Chevy Cobalt that she said needed a camshaft position sensor. She said she bought one and wanted me to put it in, but when I got there and started looking at everything, I realized that her car doesn’t even have a camshaft position sensor. What she had purchased was a crankshaft position sensor, which was just a guess for the issue that she had.
She didn’t need a crank sensor. Nor could I replicate her issue, but I believe the computer in her car is starting to fail. I gave her some instructions for how to get that taken care of, and then I headed out.
I don’t remember what all went sideways that day. Just that I only did three cars on a day where I was out from dawn until well after dark.
Second car was a 2008 Ford focus that the lady wanted me to put a power steering pump on that she had purchased. So I put on the new pump, but she had a massive leak in her power steering pressure line. Honestly, it looked like somebody had taken a grinder to the line, or dragged it along the freeway for a hundred miles, except the part that was damaged was way up in the top of the engine and completely out of the way of any potential damage. The only thing I can think is that the squirrel had been sharpening its teeth on the metal line.
🤷♂️
Third car was a 2015 Ford C-Max hybrid that needed a 12 volt battery installed. So I got that taken care of, stopped by Miguel’s shop on the way home just to say hi, and then went home.
The 16th I did four cars, another early morning to late at night day without much seemingly getting done. Much better than the day before, but still not much done at all.
The first car was a 2005 Honda Accord that wouldn’t start. It had a bad starter, one that had actually been replaced by another Mobile Mechanic just a couple months before. The other mobile mechanic apparently lost one of the bolts, didn’t properly tighten down the starter, and… I don’t know what else.
The lady didn’t have a lot of money, so I did a little more than half the work, but charged less than half the labor. I still have to go back and finish the job, but I’m trying to get the warranty figured out on the starter that she had the other mechanic put in. She hasn’t been very communicative, so it’s been slow going trying to get anything done.
Second car was a 2015 Ford focus that wouldn’t start. Gratefully, it turned out to only need a battery. 🥳
Third car was a 2013 Hyundai Elantra that needed front brake pads and rotors. So I went and got those taken care of, drove to another Honda accord, this in a 2007. It also needed to start her, so I put the starter in that one. When I got done, I got a call from the Hyundai Elantra people saying that the front brakes were even worse than before, and frustrated with me because I didn’t test drive the vehicle after fixing it.
Well, I didn’t need to test drive the vehicle after fixing it because I knew I’d already fixed it properly. That said, I went back to the car in order to take care of the customer. What I found was that the customer had left the emergency brake on, and that was the cause of her thinking that I had messed something up with the brakes.
So after wasting an hour driving all the way back to the customer’s house, they were a little embarrassed, but their car was totally fine. 🙃
I’m forgetting so many things that are happening, but I’m tired and I just don’t remember.
Today was another day where I had a completely loaded schedule, but so many things went sideways…
I went out to a 1998 Chevy Corvette that’s been on the schedule for a while. Parts finally came in, but when I went out there, I found that the customer had told me the wrong part, so I spend a little while there just verifying exactly what was needed, so it wouldn’t happen again that I went out there and wasn’t prepared with what was needed.
After that, I went to a vehicle that I couldn’t figure out because my scan tool bit the dust. Did I mention that? Yeah, my $3,000 plus scan tool completely bit the dust, so I ended up buying another scanner that should be here on wednesday. In the meantime, what that means is that I’m rather handicapped in my ability to get jobs done. I probably could have figured out my second job with my scan tool, but I didn’t have it, so I couldn’t verify the issues. And not being able to verify the issues, I wasn’t going to charge my customer for guessing, even if my guess was probably right.
So the actual second car that I went to and actually got paid for was a 2006 Mercedes that needed batteries. They needed both the main battery and the auxiliary battery. That’s another one that’s been on the schedule for days now, with both batteries kicking around my van. It was nice to finally get that one done.
Today was nutty. I had so many calls today, about 30, but nearly everyone was in such a hurry they wanted everything done immediately.
So, despite a gazillion calls, because I couldn’t get people in right away, I lost out on a whole crap ton of jobs. That’s fine, of course, but I would really like to have other mechanics that I’ve hired be able to go out and do those jobs. I’ll post my ad again tomorrow for hiring people.
Third job was a 2015 Chevy Cruze that needed a belt. I had gone to the day before and not charge anything for the diagnosis, and then today I didn’t realize that he had shorted me $50 in the payment until I had gotten home and counted. I should have counted right there.
Ugh.
Last job of the day was a 2003 Toyota Tacoma that wouldn’t start. They thought it needed a starter, but it was just a bad connection at the starter. It was a bit confusing because the voltages kept bouncing around, but then after I pulled the power wire off and wire brushed off the connection, it was solid and started every time.
I’ve been home since I want to say maybe 8:30 or 9:00, and I’ve mostly been looking for land to buy… Preferably with the house already on it.
We’ll see.
My hands are itching, and I’m worried that whatever was going on with my feet is now happening with my hands.
Despite so many things going sideways, and despite the pole to be weighed down and negative, I’m doing decently well.
Gratitude:
- I’m grateful that my joints has been hurting less lately. It’s been a few days since I’ve had one of those days where they hurt badly enough that it’s a mental and emotional drain all day.
- I’m grateful for the good relationships that I have built with my parts suppliers. Back in october, they let my nephew buy some parts on my account. He ended up not needing them, and he returned them, but in another state. For whatever reason, the supplier and the other state tried to force the return back to my company credit card instead of to the credit card that the parts were originally purchased with. It showed that they had been returned on the receipt, and it showed that they had been returned to my business credit card, but I never received the refund. Fortunately, the parts supplier in Rogers didn’t question anything. I showed them the original receipt and then the next receipt and then my credit card statements, and they went ahead and refunded everything for me and just change the quantity on hand in their store. 😊
- I’m grateful that my toes have stopped itching and have mostly cleared up. My big toe that was the start of everything has flared back up again, so that’s kind of weird, but hopefully that’ll clear up soon as well.
- I’m grateful that despite lots of challenges in my work days these last few work days, I’m able to be positive right now. 😊
- I’m grateful that I’ve been able to sleep somewhat in my recliner in my efforts to not aggravate my stomach issues.
Do you think we can actually change our natures? Or do we just change our behaviors but stay the same?
Time for bed.
Oh! This morning I looked at my Facebook Messenger messages and read a new one from one of the friends that I made in new zealand. I had told her about where I got to swim with dolphins, and she went over there and spend a few days there and got to swim with dolphins as well, one of her biggest desires for her life. She thanked me for telling her about that spot, saying that she probably never would have gone there had I not told her about it. It’s fun to hear things like that, to know that I’m having a positive impact on someone’s life, even if just in the little things. 🥰
Love and hugs. 😊
Lift the World
~ stephen
Lift the World 