How do you talk to a car mechanic…

[Daleandee]

I did. My math accounted for my car being down for weeks while I dork around with a project and buy tools and parts I didn't know I needed, instead of driving to the places I needed to drive to

I like to do my own projects and save money but there are times that doing that isn't productive.

Years ago I spent most of a weekend replacing a water heater. Usually it's a pretty quick piece of work but some funky wiring and strange plumbing made the job require extra trips for parts and tools that should not have been needed.

Afterward I wondered if I shouldn't have just spent the money to have someone else deal with the headache while I went flying for a couple of days ...

 

[Half Fast]

Afterward I wondered if I shouldn't have just spent the money to have someone else deal with the headache while I went flying for a couple of days ...

As I get older, I find I'm more selective about how I spend my time and I've become more inclined to pay others to do jobs I don't particularly enjoy. I will never EVER do housepainting, interior or exterior, again.

As far as automotive stuff, racing forced me to learn to do many things on my own. I couldn't haul the car into any mechanic shop; it had specialized parts and things that weren't legal for street use. Plus I had to be able to fix things at the track. I paid to have specialists do some things, like build a rollcage or overhaul a tranny, but I did all the basic stuff myself.

But for our street cars, I'd rather not waste my time dealing with most jobs.