1st World Problem.... still sucks

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Build a relationship with an auto shop. If you’ve been a customer for a decade with two vehicles, you should get treated better.

I once read that reading to your kid for 15 minutes each night and changing your oil every 5,000 miles are two incredible pieces of advice for any young parent.
 
Build a relationship with an auto shop. If you’ve been a customer for a decade with two vehicles, you should get treated better.

This is true. I have a tire shop I can rely on -- they torque lugs to spec. It's not that hard.

Tbat said, the shop is incredibly popular. I have to make an appointment two weeks in advance to get my snow tires swapped out. But it's worth it.
 
I’m fairly adept a changing a tire, but I’ve had to call for help in situations where commercially installed lugnuts were too tight and the available tools weren’t up to the task of removing them.

For the love of all things sane, try to make sure that whoever works on your vehicle doesn't tighten your lugnuts with an air wrench. Dumb ... not only could it strip the threads on your vehicle, but it also can make it near-impossible to change a tire on the side of the road should that unfortunate circumstance rear its ugly head.

Helped a colleague one time ... in order to get the lugnut to loosen, I had to put the lug wrench on the nut, put both hands on the fender and jump up and down on the wrench to loosen the nut. That's just a little too tight. Young technicians need to learn quickly that air wrenches are not toys.
 
For the love of all things sane, try to make sure that whoever works on your vehicle doesn't tighten your lugnuts with an air wrench. Dumb ... not only could it strip the threads on your vehicle, but it also can make it near-impossible to change a tire on the side of the road should that unfortunate circumstance rear its ugly head.

Helped a colleague one time ... in order to get the lugnut to loosen, I had to put the lug wrench on the nut, put both hands on the fender and jump up and down on the wrench to loosen the nut. That's just a little too tight. Young technicians need to learn quickly that air wrenches are not toys.

Why are you trying to stop them from getting pit crew scholarships?

One thing I've learned is that the emergency jacks they put in cars now are absolute ****e. They really up the degree of difficulty for a roadside change in the dark.
 
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I got a new lawnmower last year. The first time I tried to take the blades off to sharpen them, it took a power handle and a 6-foot piece of pipe to break them loose.
 
I've gotten to the point to where I just take the loose wheel to the tire shop for replacement and put it on myself after I get home. These hot-shot kids with impact wrenches have stripped a few lug studs too many for my convenience.

Apparently Discount Tire is notorious for that. They even have a form already made out where you fill in your information and take it to this place they contract to fix the problem. I walked in last March, paper in hand, the first thing they said was, "Broken lug nut stud?"
 
Often a problem. I found out the best way to do with that is to initially loosen the lug nuts before you put the car up on the jack. That way you can actually stand on the lug nut wrench and that will loosen even ones overtightened with the gun

I have a broken fan stand in the back of my car for just such an occasion. It's three-and-a-half to four feet long and made loosening lug nuts really easy.
 
I consider Triple-A roadside service to be one of the most useful things available, and I would never be without it.

Use it once in a year, and it pays for itself. And I've found that it's invariably needed at least once most years -- occasionally even right in your driveway, where they're also happy to come. (This has actually happened twice to different family members because of dead batteries).
 
Every tire shop in my town closes at noon on Saturday, if they're open that day at all. That seems incredibly dumb to me -- especially since, whenever I do get a flat, it's inevitably at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Last time it happened I finally had to remember the one time 30 years ago when my dad taught me how to change a tire. I had limped the car home, and I'd have felt like less of a man to call AAA to come to my driveway for a flat tire.
Took me about 45 minutes to change it, half of which was figuring out how to assemble the spare tire jack and another 10 of which was working off a tight lugnut. I learned that day to always keep a pair of work gloves in my car for emergencies. When it was done I felt like I'd really accomplished something in life.
 
I consider Triple-A roadside service to be one of the most useful things available, and I would never be without it.

Use it once in a year, and it pays for itself. And I've found that it's invariably needed at least once most years -- occasionally even right in your driveway, where they're also happy to come. (This has actually happened twice to different family members because of dead batteries).

1000 percent. I've had AAA membership for two decades and it's a God-send.
 
I’ve taken to buying an extra full-sized tire and wheel and putting it in the trunk so that after I change it, I have a full-sized tire on it. Nothing worse than struggling to put a donut on and then realizing you have to do it all over again once you get hone.
 
Spent the last 3 days at my dad's in Beverly Hills. On the way back I took the 10 to the 405 to the 710. There's something about driving the 405 at night from L.A. down to the beaches. Not much traffic and plenty of flow and it's so easy to get lost in thought till one of the warning sounds jerks you back to reality. Was terrified it was going to say check engine or check transmission ... but luckily it was just check fuel cap. When I got home and checked the cap had apparently popped open. Screwed it back in and that was that. Other than that it was such a soothing fantastic drive.
 
Spent the last 3 days at my dad's in Beverly Hills. On the way back I took the 10 to the 405 to the 710. There's something about driving the 405 at night from L.A. down to the beaches. Not much traffic and plenty of flow and it's so easy to get lost in thought till one of the warning sounds jerks you back to reality. Was terrified it was going to say check engine or check transmission ... but luckily it was just check fuel cap. When I got home and checked the cap had apparently popped open. Screwed it back in and that was that. Other than that it was such a soothing fantastic drive.

Could have been much worse

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