A good mechanic!

I finally gave in to the realization that although I could be good at tinkering around with my car, there were large and hairy problems associated with that tinkering. The ugliest  problems were the fact that I don't have any tools, or any way to get and store them, or any good place to even use them.

So, rather than just living in with the knowledge of being unable to fix my car, I took in to the mechanic yesterday, to have the squeaky belt adjusted (so it will live longer and not bother me) and have the break pads checked (because i'm paranoid from having seen so many problems in the past) more specifically, although i didn't suspect there was anything really wrong with the breaks, they would occasionally decide to sing opera arias when used. I wanted to know if this was a problem, maybe the signal that the pads needed to be replaced, or that something called 'glazing' had happened, where the brake pad stops being rubbery and starts being smooth and slippery (like a glazed pot maybe?) I don't know where the term came from. I just wanted to find out if it had happened to me.

After about 4 hours at the mechanic, the car was ready, and my peace of mind was restored. But moreover, he gave me strait, honest answers and charged me a very fair price.

This brings me great joy, because I've always expected mechanics to be exploitative. After all, when you need it fixed, you need it fixed. and chances are you don't know exactly what is wrong. Hence, I've always worried that mechanics take advantage of the situation by charging 'desperation premiums' and inventing expensive parts that are broken. I used to expect that going to the mechanic meant getting charged for a broken transmogrifier thingy, only to discover weeks later that such things didn't exist.

So my faith in humanity is strengthened once again. Oh, good mechanics of the world, how I love thee!