Also need to change the brake fluid. I take it those are diesel? All of those items sound in line with the mileage except for the suspension bushing. That's weird.

I got a flat in my VW Beetle ages ago. I was jumping on the damn lug wrench trying to get the bolts loose. I finally called a tow truck and this big guy (I only weighed maybe 130 back then) couldn't get them loose either! He had to tow it back to the shop so they could use an impact. That said, I recently mounted my own motorcycle tires.


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X5. Oh, it is a rip-off! I'll be doing it myself using parts purchased from our HOST! I'll take the wheels off this weekend and look at everything. I'm just incensed that this "mechanic" was trying to take advantage of my wife. The shop was very good with our 2000 X5. I think the ownership changed between 2011 and now.

Around here Autozone and O'Riley will dump your oil for free.

I fear changing a tire is becoming a lost art what with more manufactures going with run flat tires and other work arounds to cut corners.

Wife claims there is no spare in her Mazda and calls AAA to tow her to the nearest tire shop... one of these days I am going to peak in the trunk. ;)

Ahem... Checked the online owners manual PDF and what do I see :rolleyes:

same supplier I use................ awesome service!!!!!!!SmileWavy:D;)

I came very close to meeting my death on the side of the highway last year.
Had a flat on the rear on my TT and pulled to side almost 2 car widths from the traffic. Some asshat in a tow truck saw the car and decided to pull off at speed and pull in front of me. By the the time he saw me crouched at the rear wheel, there was traffic beside him and had no choice than to rip by 2 ft away from me as he couldn't slow down. I admit I thought about it for a long time after.

Does this count?

Few years ago, my 23 yr old (at the time) step-son called, crying that his Toyota Camry was on fire! He couldn't see any flames, but there was a LOT of "smoke" coming from that "big, square-like thing at the front of the engine...the thing with all the vents all over it...!"

It went downhill from there...

Randy

Can't resist:

Yes I worked down the street from Norwalk hospital, but no that didn't really happen to me. Good story tho .......

When I first started dating my now wife of 34 years for xmas I got her a couple of road flares and a 3 or 4 D cell Maglight, and mace for her car, she thought it was weird, until I told her I cared about her.

When my daughter turned 16 I bought her a 1 year old Toyota Echo and did the same thing, I also made here learn how to change a tire, she thought I was being a stupid Dad, until she needed to change a tire about a year later, she had triple A, but where she got the flat, no cell service.

Edit: a friend of mine's adult daughter seized the engine on her 10 y/o mercedes something or other. Her Dad talked to her about if any warning lights had come on, and she said "Yeah the one that looks like a gravy boat came on a few months ago".....

your only saving grace is he wern't blood kin. Man is that pitiful. pajama boi?

That is precious.

Got a call from Betty today. 72 year old retiree from Goodyear Aerospace. She brings sandwiches and casseroles to my shop because I fix her car cheap.

On topic, Betty says, I got like 9 dash lights on, I'm in Raleigh, NC heading to Akron and I looked at the owners manual and I think my brake fluid is low.

I am on the phone while she opens hood and finds the MC reservoir. "It's like an inch down from low. It says DOT 3 or 4 is ok"

I say, God damn Betty, you are the boss. She is cruising home right now with no trouble lights after topping off.

Brake dust builds up around the rocking square seal..
Attracts moisture and pitting in caliper bore..
Which damages seal when pads wear, and piston extends, and seal travels over pits..
???

The only tires I have ever changed where bicycle tires.

I've never changed a tire on any of my cars. I've put different wheel/tire sets on and off, but never removed a tire from the wheel and replaced with a different tire.

I figure the nice balancing machines involved in the process when I take my wheels/tires to a shop, especially the new road force ones, will get a much better result than if I change the tire myself.

My wife did the same thing in her 997. I hardly ever drove it (Tiptronic :(). One Saturday I noticed it was filthy so I took it down to get it washed for her. I got in and the oil light was on. I warmed it up and checked the oil and it was critically low, like three quarts down. I went back in angrily and asked how long the oil lights been on. She calmly said "I don't know. Isn't it just a warning light anyway. I figured it would tell me if I needed to add oil". Clueless.

My daughter is starting to learn to drive now. I have promised her that she will know how to change a tire, check and maintain all the fluids and replace burnt lights BEFORE she ever gets her license. Having AAA is fine and good but you have to take some responsibility.

I use a 5gal square container made for restaurant oil I think. Similar to a milk jug but thicker.
It has a large mouth cap with a top handle just in case.
Placed in cardboard box to soak up drips. Inside a milk crate everything fits tight.
Easy to carry and pour. Doesn't tip over. Relatively sanitary.

Here in Arizona it's gotten so bad the state troopers have service trucks and drive around helping (mostly) clueless motorists. It's probably saved several lives by now.

Personally, I find it far easier and faster to do most work myself. I'm pretty sure I have free spare tire installation through my insurance but waiting for the guy to show up or waiting for a 2 hour oil change really isn't that appealing.

A few years ago my son had a friend up to our place in Montana for a month or so. While out on a camping trip, I taught them both how to change the tire on my F150. They weren't very interested, but I'm hoping that some of it sunk in. Or, at least gave them the confidence to know that its possible.

I have a nephew that is a transvestite. I doubt he could even start a lawn mower and I know that he wouldn't even know what a spare tire is.

My steam locomotive has steel tires. You have to heat them up to slip them onto the wheels. :p ;)
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1496969920.jpg

A few years ago, I owned a MB CLK500. It was a winter that had snow/ice on the road when I hit a pot hole and my rear passenger tire went flat. I pulled over and pondered to either call for help or change the tire myself. I decided to fix it myself. The road was miserable: ice and snow. I opened the trunk and found a full size spare, a scissor jack and a lug wrench. The scissor jack looked like 1/2 of what I normal scissor looked like and the lug wrench had a handle probably no longer that 12 inches. I struggled to break loose the lug nuts - I wished I had a breaker bar or a pipe to gain more leverage. Once that was done, I placed the jack under the car. I couldn't get the jack level on the ground because of the ice and snow, it slipped a few times. I finally got it stable or so I thought when it slipped and cracked the roll pan under the door. I'm at a point to either stop or continue. I proceeded to change the tire. Now I'm frustrated and upset because not only do I have a flat but body damage to the car.

I'm put everything back into the trunk when a VW hits the same pot hole and flattens a tire. The car pulls behind me and the driver opens his trunk to get his spare, jack and lug wrench. Offering to help, I look at his jack and it looks like mine. German cars I thought - POS jack. He is deciding to call for help or change it - the same decision I faced. Looking at his jack and knowing what I went thru, he decides to call for help. Probably money ahead I thought to myself. He waited for help and I moved on. I went back home, changed my pants and changed my shoes, I couldn't help but think how much this flat tire did actually cost me.

Next time - I call.

OT but it definitely applies to this thread....

About 3 years ago my BIL Bob's furnace pilot light goes out on him on a Sunday evening in the middle of January. So, what does he do?.....in a panic he calls his 78 year old mother! She offers to call (and pay for :rolleyes:!) for a service call from an LNG technician (probably about $250 as it's after hours). Luckily my other now former BIL Scott, who was living with her at the time (it's a long story...) grabs the phone and tells Bob that the instructions to re -light the pilot light are pretty simple and should be clearly indicated on a sticker on the side of the furnace. Bob confirms with him that there is such a sticker.... BUT he just can't do it himself as he's "just totally stressed out!!":rolleyes::rolleyes:

So Scott drives over to Bob's place at now 10 pm and lights the pilot light for him.....took him all of 30 seconds!:p

The M12 reverse-gender torx bolt to get the caliper off is the thing that will ruin your day. Don't do it with the wrong tool.

My dealer had new ones in stock, with an idiot surcharge.

Last time I got a flat was 2012. I changed it in the supermarket parking lot. Maybe 5 minutes. No way do I see a service truck getting there in 5 minutes. I hate waiting. The Porsche has no spare but I carry this.
https://cdn3.volusion.com/mwyus.wwts...jpg?1421426650

My 15yr/old changes the snows on both DD's every spring and fall, he's done that since he was 12.
Likely one of the very few kids to take a 911 case to school as part of an auto shop project.

Daughter had to make a how to video for class, she did "How to Change your Oil and Filter".

Couple years back I came across a 20-something girl, flat tire, dead cell, way out on a deserted gravel back road without a clue. No F'in way are my kids going to be in that situation.

It was easier to change tires when most imports only had 13 or 14 inch wheels and the wheel weighed about 10 pounds .

Usually took me 10 minutes tops to change a flat on my old 78 Honda Accord or 77 Rabbit.

Those of us that do any towing make preparations for changing a trailer tire.
Just inside my trailer door, a charged electric impact gun and a torque wrench.

Oh wow, never seen that before. Have you used it? Probably good for a passenger car tire. Does it say the ply rating on it?

Last flat I changed was for a girl driving a Google Street View camera car; I just wanted to see how it worked. The whole back of the car was foam slots filled with removable hard drives.

No, I have not used it. If you go to their site, the have kits for all sorts of tires, including motorcycles. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/suppo...s/beerchug.gif

It shouldn't matter what country he is from - he should know how to change a tire.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/suppo...s/beerchug.gif Funny chit.

Funny but at the same time almost tragic. How do guys like this function in their daily lives? Man Up!!

I can understand why those who have the means and are good communicators wanting to pay for basic services. I could afford them easily and it would save me some time. But I enjoy challenging myself by learning and doing.

There is nothing wrong with calling a tow truck when you have a flat tire.

The concept here is that is you can't change your tire, even if you have a spare, then there is something wrong with you.

It's similar to not being able to back up a boat trailer, or not being able to carve a Thanksgiving turkey, or not being able to put up a Christmas tree. If you can't do those things either, then there is something wrong with you. Oh, and if you always wear flip flops when doing man stuff, then there is definitely something wrong with you.

Don't even get me started on men who wear flip flops . That deserves its own thread

Double bonus demerits if they also have a man bun or a murse.
The only thing worse would be wearing ragged out black and white checked Vans, no socks, and posting pictures of themselves all the time. ;)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hLpE1Pa8vvI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

:D Hilarious, Joe!!!

:confused:

I wear flip flops all the time......but not while working. Then again I live on a barrier island.....:cool:

:D Ha....good one, Steve!

I actually took a pic of the last time I used my repair kit - the one for tubeless tires. It was in front of a client's house and I borrowed his floor jack instead of using the one in my truck. It was a screw that I could pull out with my channel locks. Didn't even have to remove the wheel. My helper couldn't believe it. He's one generation behind.... ;)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1497128627.JPG

Among the pussies, it is ok to be a pussy, and there are plenty of "explanations" offered.

Just know that real me are laughing at you............. and expect you will have a miserable day.