So I talked to a muffler shop owner yesterday while my car was on the lift

I thought it was minimally witty, but not really that funny.


It takes all kinds.

woosh

I'll tell you the quickest way to get ripped off my a mechanic.

Look down your nose at him.

Generally speaking mechanics and mechanically inclined people are well above average intelligence and do what they do because they enjoy doing it.

There are hundreds of thousands of people who do it just for the fun of it in this country.


Despite what you might think, people can instantly sense when you are patronizing them or pretending to respect them.

If you act like you suspect him of being dishonest, he's going to be dishonest with you. Every fuckin time, and you'll never feel the shaft going in.

Most muffler and brake specialty shops are clip joints, especially the chain named after a Greek King. The last time I set foot in one was 25 years ago, to get a quote on having them replace all four rotors and pads on my daily driver sedan with disc brakes. Keep in mind this is 1996 when I tell you the quoted price was $1,400. I managed to keep my poker face when I asked for it in writing. Even though I was working 60 to 80 hours per week back then, I made the time to buy the parts and do it myself. Two hours later I completed the job in my driveway for $150 in parts. I kept that quote in my auto repair file at home for nearly 20 years, as a reminder to never let myself be screwed by the "Greek King."

The Midas touch is when they molest your bank account and shove your own driveshaft up your ass..



Biggest ripoff artists in the business.

You probably didn't even really need all four rotors, it is very unusual for rear brake rotors to wear out. Ive seen cars with 300,000 miles on them and the rear rotors were in spec.

Its not about the work... mostly.

It's the fact that our way of life has been completely destroyed, all fun has been canceled, oh, but hey, you still need to go to work. Ef- that!

And the future is looking even darker.

Other than the rat race of food and shelter, what good is money anymore anyway?

My mentality is that I am living like i only got one more year on this stupid planet, so I am making the most of it. You can bet I am not planning on getting a full time job, or preparing to enter a new profession.

Plus, since I am unvaxed, why on earth would I want to work really hard for society that is making every move possible to make me a second class citizen? All the people I know who got vaxxed are in support of my rights beings violated because I will not- so you know, you vaxxed peeps can do all the work.

Dude it's all in your own mind.

Just like freedom.

You can only be free if you are free in your own mind.

And you can only be enslaved if you allow yourself to be.

There are people in a 6 by 10 cell freer than Joe Biden or Baron Rothschild, because their spirits are free.

I always look at the bright side of things.

Half of these fuckers dying off and killing each other, and the global economy collapsing are not all bad, you know.

So you installed some $25 brake rotors? and 25$ pads on the car? I bet they were high quality.

everywhere I go get a job, there's some guy who sits on his ass all day who wants us to work 10 hours standing on our feet

Flat rate would be about 2 hours for new rotors and pads all the way around. Even at 100$ an hour and some napa gold brake parts that should have cost about 550$

It was brilliant, actually.

...well, I guess that WOULD help one sleep better at night, sooo....keep up the good work....

...well, I guess that WOULD help one sleep better at night, sooo....keep up the good work....

Did you ever remove broken exhaust manifold bolts from the heads of Ford FE engines? 352,360,390 v/8s from the 60s and 70s

Last Edited by rccola on 05/05/2021 02:55 PM

good rotors will cost you 80 a pair for a medium sized car that has a high production number, and these will be manufactured by a respectable company with a one year - lifetime warranty. You're getting ripped off if you pay more than 25-35 for a set of pads. The 90 dollar ones wear out just as fast as the 30 dollar ones and most people dont need brakes rated for formula one racing

As opposed to a sleazy liberal who voted for Biden?

The rear rotors were just barely in spec, so I took the "better safe than sorry" approach.

The secret there is two things really, heat them to red hot with a torch before trying to remove them and use a socket especially designed for removing rounded or rusted nuts. You should also give it a liberal dose of penetrating oil AFTER it cools off and let it sit overnight. BE PATIENT.

What this does is causes the bolt (or stud) to expand enough to break the rust free from the cast iron head , and it gives the penetrating oil a gap to go into in by something called capillary action. The bitch can be when you break off a stud in the head by trying to remove a rusted on nut (and they are always rusted on), but if you get them red hot and let them cool before you try to get them out they will come off pretty easy. studs can be removed by the same technique once you get the manifold off, if you need to replace them. You'll need a GOOD set of vice grips for this "procedure".

there has been a deficit in skilled trades for a long time. Bring back vo-tec

I didnt waste my gas or my time voting for either one of them fuckers.Why would I want to blame myself for what they do?
(and you know its going to be bad)

Keep in mind this was 1996 pricing for those parts, and I got them at cost from a friend's automotive supply business.

Land has to be zoned for commercial automotive use.

You dont know much do you?

MSO intel is the BEST intel.

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Brilliant!



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Where I live in East Texas you can build a fuckin moat with crocodiles and poisonous snakes in it around your house if you want to. I wouldn't live in a place where you have to operate in some "zone".

Basically if you're not within the boundaries of an incorporated municipality you can put any business you want to, anywhere you want to.

And if you have any problems you can always loosen up their thinking by hiring a combination lawyer/hit man.

Yes, I've used that method quite frequently. I've also used the difference in melting point in tight areas near the steering gear box. With the proper torch tip and flame adjustment I have melted the broken bolt out of the hole. It requires a lot of protection to be sure that no slag (sparks) get on any flammable items, glass or paint.

Once the steel bolt starts to liquify hit the air bar on the torch to blow out the steel from the threaded cast iron head. The after it cools, carefully chase the threads with a taper tap using penetrating oil and finesse