and THE BIBLE says...
Yesterday, we went to Sudbury to get the tires changed and balanced for the summer months.
Yes, we do actually get summer weather in Northern Ontario...
Anyway, the deal was $10 a tire. Not too shabby. And we get to go eat Chinese food and go to Chapters, too.
So, they put the van up on the hoist and start wobbling the tires to see if any tie rods are broken. Nope. They were fine. Then they wobbled them the other way to see how the ball joints were doing. And the front passenger side wobbled a bit too much. The ball joint was just about to fail.
So, we had to get it fixed.
And that's when I learned about THE BIBLE!
No, not that bible.. The mechanic's bible. Basically, for every make and model of car, and for every part that makes up that car, there's a number. Example: the front ball joint on a 1993 Plymouth Voyager is a 1.8. What that means is that the mechanic cannot charge you more labour than the number that's printed in that book. Even if it takes the mechanic 5 hours to do the job, they cannot charge more than 1.8 hours for time. This is good to know.
So, while working on the front ball joint, they discover that the brake pads are almost worn down. And the front rotors, too. The mechanic says he'll replace them and charge only the parts and include them in the 1.8 hours of work time. That's not too bad.
But then, he did the unexpected. He didn't charge us for the tire change. That's really not bad.
When you find a doctor you're comfortable with, you stick with him or her.
When you find a grocery store that has what you want, you stick with it.
When you find a mechanic who doesn't rip you off, you definitely stick with them.
So, if you're in the Sudbury area and need mechanical work, go to GCR over at Lorne and Victoria. Yes, I'm giving them free advertising. They earned it.
Yes, we do actually get summer weather in Northern Ontario...
Anyway, the deal was $10 a tire. Not too shabby. And we get to go eat Chinese food and go to Chapters, too.
So, they put the van up on the hoist and start wobbling the tires to see if any tie rods are broken. Nope. They were fine. Then they wobbled them the other way to see how the ball joints were doing. And the front passenger side wobbled a bit too much. The ball joint was just about to fail.
So, we had to get it fixed.
And that's when I learned about THE BIBLE!
No, not that bible.. The mechanic's bible. Basically, for every make and model of car, and for every part that makes up that car, there's a number. Example: the front ball joint on a 1993 Plymouth Voyager is a 1.8. What that means is that the mechanic cannot charge you more labour than the number that's printed in that book. Even if it takes the mechanic 5 hours to do the job, they cannot charge more than 1.8 hours for time. This is good to know.
So, while working on the front ball joint, they discover that the brake pads are almost worn down. And the front rotors, too. The mechanic says he'll replace them and charge only the parts and include them in the 1.8 hours of work time. That's not too bad.
But then, he did the unexpected. He didn't charge us for the tire change. That's really not bad.
When you find a doctor you're comfortable with, you stick with him or her.
When you find a grocery store that has what you want, you stick with it.
When you find a mechanic who doesn't rip you off, you definitely stick with them.
So, if you're in the Sudbury area and need mechanical work, go to GCR over at Lorne and Victoria. Yes, I'm giving them free advertising. They earned it.
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