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Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/20/2011 9:27:55 PM   
AlwaysLisa


Posts: 1088
Joined: 10/6/2006
From: Washington State
Status: offline 		Times like these, I really wish I was a male.

I dislike being taken advantage of, and I don't know enough about cars, so they see me coming, no matter how knowledgeable I try to sound.  (The other thread about car repair hit home today, and I didn't want to hijack).

My husband is not able to travel much, so that leaves me responsible for taking the cars in for repairs.   Oil changes and routine things don't bother me, but recently our A/C started acting up and it could be something as simple as a fuse, or a very costly major repair.   I am at their mercy, no matter how many times they show me the old pieces, all I can do is nod and pretend I understand.   Reading on the internet, just makes it worse, like self diagnosing, all the things that "could" be wrong sound similar....I have them all!

So, tommorrow I get to visit with the "specialist", and pray that he is an honest man.  

Lisa


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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/20/2011 9:40:24 PM   
Kirata


Posts: 15477
Joined: 2/11/2006
From: USA
Status: offline
Have you asked around? I've always found that if I ask around enough, I'll find somebody who knows a good honest mechanic, plumber, electrician, contractor, etc., someone that they trust because he has done jobs for them, done them right, and charged a fair price.

If the people you happen to know directly can't help, ask them to ask around. Because chances are, they'd like to find one too now that you brought it up. And when you contact the fellow, be sure to say that you're so-and-so's daughter, mother, or friend, and that they spoke highly of his work and fair prices. It greases the relationship.

At any rate, that's what I've always done, and it's never failed me.

K.

(in reply to AlwaysLisa)
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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/20/2011 9:43:48 PM   
snappykappy


Posts: 616
Joined: 3/5/2005
Status: offline 		what might help is find out on the site here who live close to you if they know of someone who does certain things and go from there

also are you familiar with bartering you might try that and see if it works

basically google what you want to have done

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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/20/2011 9:51:22 PM   
shorty21


Posts: 126
Joined: 11/30/2006
From: Des Moines
Status: offline 		i have a mechanic buddy in spokane.... Where are you and i can have him ask about....

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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/20/2011 9:52:09 PM   
littlewonder


Posts: 15659
Status: offline 		I have this problem with absolutely everything....contractors, realtors, any male lead business basically. They think because I'm a woman I don't know anything and feel they need to talk down to me or treat me like some little girl who should stay home and be the good lil wifey. It's frustrating and annoying having to work twice as hard as males for absolutely everything.

I've learned to do my homework, lots of research before going anywhere for anything and know exactly what I'm talking about, what the cost will be, what needs to be done, etc...

Even this doesn't always work though because it ends one of two ways.....knowing more than the guy wanting to "help" me, leaving him stammering and being absolutely useless or they try to tell me I'm wrong and if I don't go with their way then I'll end up having to pay more, blah blah blah.

Sigh...I can so agree with you though. During those times I sooo wish I was a man.



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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/20/2011 10:27:32 PM   
Arpig


Posts: 9930
Joined: 1/3/2006
From: Increasingly further from reality
Status: offline
quote:

Have you asked around? I've always found that if I ask around enough, I'll find somebody who knows a good honest mechanic, plumber, electrician, contractor, etc., someone that they trust because he has done jobs for them, done them right, and charged a fair price.

If the people you happen to know directly can't help, ask them to ask around. Because chances are, they'd like to find one too now that you brought it up. And when you contact the fellow, be sure to say that you're so-and-so's daughter, mother, or friend, and that they spoke highly of his work and fair prices. It greases the relationship.

At any rate, that's what I've always done, and it's never failed me.
Exactly!!! Just in my immediate circle of friends I know a licensed mechanic, an apprentice electrician, a highly skilled stone mason, a guy who sells firewood, an auto body guy, two general contractor types, and a couple of other guys who make and install stone counter tops and things. And they know me and I'm a decent computer tech.  And, they all know people....

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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/21/2011 1:54:33 AM   
mefisto69


Posts: 370
Joined: 1/19/2007
Status: offline 		too bad this is such short notice. there is a radio program that broadcasts on Saturday mornings: the Car Doctors.... these guys are hilarious and diagnose auto programs from callers. Their rate of success is 98%. This program is produced by NPR and may be presented at different times in different parts of the country.

LOL - I have the opposite problem. I live in a small beach/tourist town. Obviously, I have the financial where withal to afford to live here.
However, my family migrated to the states 100 years ago from Spain.Despite the fact that I speak accent free English, I'm highly educated and - believe it or not am an accomplished professional: local contractors refuse to work for me because my skin color is a little darker than theirs.
I am forced to do all the work myself or - flash my green american dollars in their face and tell them i'll spend my money with 'outsiders'.

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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/21/2011 2:37:15 AM   
areallivehuman


Posts: 277
Joined: 1/16/2010
Status: offline 		Professional auto mechanic 30+ years. I am willing to give any advice or answer any questions you may have. What is the year.make and model of your car?

(in reply to mefisto69)
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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/21/2011 3:16:00 AM   
LadyConstanze


Posts: 9722
Joined: 2/18/2005
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: mefisto69



LOL - I have the opposite problem. I live in a small beach/tourist town. Obviously, I have the financial where withal to afford to live here.
However, my family migrated to the states 100 years ago from Spain.Despite the fact that I speak accent free English, I'm highly educated and - believe it or not am an accomplished professional: local contractors refuse to work for me because my skin color is a little darker than theirs.
I am forced to do all the work myself or - flash my green american dollars in their face and tell them i'll spend my money with 'outsiders'.


Ha, but I bet you do speak with an American accent ;-)

This whole skin colour thing floors me a bit, people spending fortunes on spray tans, turn their skin into badly tanned leather and themselves into lizards by exposing themselves to the sun, or even sunbeds (not to mention courting skin cancer) but then there are still idiots who look down on somebody who got naturally what they try to achieve by spending tons of money and ruining their skin in the process. Just doesn't make much sense to me!

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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/21/2011 3:20:00 AM   
SuzeCheri


Posts: 483
Joined: 7/19/2011
From: Outside looking in
Status: offline
quote:

Times like these, I really wish I was a male.
I think the procedure you need is called a sewadictomy.

(in reply to AlwaysLisa)
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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/21/2011 6:23:38 AM   
kdsub


Posts: 12180
Joined: 8/16/2007
Status: offline 		Rather than asking around I would look up your local Better Business Bureau and check out the service ratings. Although they have higher upfront fees I find a reputable dealer of the make you own will do a better job with better guarantees repairing your vehicle.

Butch

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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/21/2011 6:35:40 AM   
ChatteParfaitt


Posts: 6562
Joined: 3/22/2011
From: The t'aint of the Midwest -- Indiana
Status: offline 		I have a great mechanic who I found through word of mouth. If he wasn't qualified to work on my AC (and not all of them are), he could recommend someone who could.

The most common issue with car AC units is they come on, but no longer cool. Why? A tiny pinhole in the tubing caused you to lose coolant. You can top up the coolant, but unless you repair the pinhole, you will keep losing it. Repairing the hole doesn't take much, finding it is a bitch. Most mechanics won't try, it just takes too long. If it takes them 3 hours to find the hole, are you willing to pay for their labor? Most people are not.

If the AC unit does not always come on (you don't hear it or feel the fan blowing) it can be something as simple as a fuse or a button no longer functioning, or as tricky as an electrical issue.

You need a mechanic you can trust who understands what your budget is for getting your AC back.








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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/21/2011 7:30:15 AM   
Termyn8or


Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
Status: offline 		Most likely it's low on freon. All of them leak.

There is a kit you can buy to recharge it, but if you do that READ THE WHOLE THING because if you do it wrong bad things can happen. At worst the canister can blow up.

A decent shop usually will not just refill it for you. They will evacuate the system, put dye in it and check for leaks. They have no idea whether it's been seeping for years, or if there's an actual leak in the system.

I mean other than the normal leaks. These things are not welded/soldered together like a house unit that lasts 30 years or more, there are fittings with seals, which are exposed to temperature extremes and vibration all the time. That' doesn't even count the compressor shaft seals.

If you can call around and find a place that will just check/charge it correctly and put the dye in, that would be nice. If it goes soon you have a "new" leak. Then they should be able to find it because of the dye. If they'll deal with you fair and square like that, they might be a good choice to repair the leak. On the other hand, if it lasts the rest of the year, it's probably just getting old.

Unfortunately this is not a good DIY project for most people of either gender, way too much can go wrong. And nothing is cheap. I'm pretty sure it's illegal for them to just put freon in it without attempting to find the leak.

Hope for an electrical problem. Maybe find out how much they charge to diagnose the problem. Oh, and girl or no girl, tell them that you want a WRITTEN estimate.

T^T

(in reply to AlwaysLisa)
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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/21/2011 8:24:34 AM   
AlwaysLisa


Posts: 1088
Joined: 10/6/2006
From: Washington State
Status: offline 		Thank you everyone for the helpful suggestions!   As soon as the local auto supply store opens, I am calling them for a recommendation.   We live in a tiny town, no fast food establishments, but we do have a hardware store and two places that sell auto supplies...I am hopeful someone will know of a reliable mechanic.  It has to be better then picking an unknown from the yellow pages.  




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Just an old flower child, trying to survive in today's chaos and confusion.

(in reply to AlwaysLisa)
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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/21/2011 8:35:08 AM   
DesFIP


Posts: 25191
Joined: 11/25/2007
From: Apple County NY
Status: offline 		Get a Haynes manual at the auto parts store and read up on it. If it just needs recharging then it will work but not that well. In that case, buy the recharge kit and follow the directions. If it doesn't, pray.

And if the fan doesn't come on, then it isn't a case of needing recharging.

The Man does most of our car repairs and he's having trouble figuring out why the clutch plate won't run when  the condenser unit comes on. He took the relay panel apart in the dealer's lot yesterday to make sure the part they sold us matched the one in the car. The one the computer said we should have, we don't. Later today he's hoping to trace wires and determine if the A C Retardation Relay really is the culprit or not. I'd vote for plugging it in to see but if you do that, they won't take it back.

In general the kids at the auto parts store are amazingly helpful and knowledgeable. And they will know which garage is well run and which has dishonest mechanics. So ask them for a recommendation of where they take their cars when things go wrong.

< Message edited by DesFIP -- 7/21/2011 8:37:47 AM >

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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/21/2011 8:39:06 AM   
DomLasVegas


Posts: 11
Joined: 1/8/2005
Status: offline 		If you have an Advanced Autoparts store or PEP boys near you. Take it there first. They can do a FREE diagnostic on the car and tell you what is wrong, A/C pump, fuse, whatever. If it's not something simple like a fuse. Then you know you need to take in in someplace and have it repaired. Also, when you take it in you will know exactly what needs to be done.

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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/21/2011 3:14:44 PM   
areallivehuman


Posts: 277
Joined: 1/16/2010
Status: offline 		Term is right on the money. All AC systems leak  Joints, schrader valves, shaft seals all seep a bit. Spec used to be 1/4 pound per year. Cars hold about 1 1/2 pounds. It is dispensed into your car with special equipment. It can be done under a shade tree, but you damn well better know what you're doing. Should run about $100-150. That would include add fluorescent  leak trace dye, fill system, check for proper operation, check for leaks. Leaks can be very difficult to find. Some components are buried beneath the dash board. If you fill it for 100 bucks and it lasts the season, all good.  If it's gone in 2 or three weeks, well fuck the ozone, and get ready to spend some money..
    

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RE: Rarely do I make this request.... - 7/21/2011 3:32:59 PM   
DomKen


Posts: 19457
Joined: 7/4/2004
From: Chicago, IL
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: AlwaysLisa

Times like these, I really wish I was a male.

I dislike being taken advantage of, and I don't know enough about cars, so they see me coming, no matter how knowledgeable I try to sound.  (The other thread about car repair hit home today, and I didn't want to hijack).

My husband is not able to travel much, so that leaves me responsible for taking the cars in for repairs.   Oil changes and routine things don't bother me, but recently our A/C started acting up and it could be something as simple as a fuse, or a very costly major repair.   I am at their mercy, no matter how many times they show me the old pieces, all I can do is nod and pretend I understand.   Reading on the internet, just makes it worse, like self diagnosing, all the things that "could" be wrong sound similar....I have them all!

So, tommorrow I get to visit with the "specialist", and pray that he is an honest man.  

Lisa


I recommend you take a friend's recommendation as suggested above but if that isn't an option you can try Angie's List. I've used it to find plumbers and the like and been pleased with the outcome.
http://www.angieslist.com/

(in reply to AlwaysLisa)
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