[edawg]

In a sign of how good (yet sad) life is for a gearhead, my wife and I actually plan service visits. Each time, we book a Saturday morning appointment and make a morning of it by driving both cars and going to Waffle House while the basic service is done. Sometimes the kids come and just laugh at us (when we can get the teenagers out of bed in time to go). The result is happy wife, but even better, flawless performance from our cars the last 10 years or so... So, I gotta wonder, do any of you guys have your favorite rituals around servicing your "4 wheeled children"...

 

[cmill1154]

So, I gotta wonder, do any of you guys have your favorite rituals around servicing your "4 wheeled children"...

I do. Despite the fact that I did my own engine swap along with all the other work; brakes, suspension, audio, etc, every 3500 miles I have to drag myself to Subaru and pay for someone else to change my oil to maintain the new engine warranty. So I get to sit in the lobby for an HOUR while someone else does the most basic of car maintenance for me. This is usually followed by me cleaning up the carelessly spilled oil in an obviously spotless engine bay, rechecking levels, and fixing the mileage on the service sticker.

Maybe I should strike up a conversation with the other gearheads in the lobby? Just kidding, your gearhead ritual just sounds off to me.

 

[mopartodd]

In a sign of how good (yet sad) life is for a gearhead, my wife and I actually plan service visits. Each time, we book a Saturday morning appointment and make a morning of it by driving both cars and going to Waffle House while the basic service is done. Sometimes the kids come and just laugh at us (when we can get the teenagers out of bed in time to go). The result is happy wife, but even better, flawless performance from our cars the last 10 years or so... So, I gotta wonder, do any of you guys have your favorite rituals around servicing your "4 wheeled children"...

That's cool. I do routine maintenance myself, but I do have one mechanic, 50 miles away, that I trust enough to work on my car. So it's usually a half-day trip minimum to have some work done to my cars.

 

[vr4Legacy]

My local service department is only open M-F 9-5, so my ritual usually involves dropping the car off after hours, leaving the keys, figuring out how we are going to get around for a day with only one car, then figuring out how to pick it up after hours when the work is done.

Luckily I usually work 1-2 saturdays each month, giving me a weekday off, so we usually just drop it off the night before I am off, and I take my wife to work, then swing by the dealer before close to get the keys and get my wife from work then swap cars again...

For the above reasons, my car seldom sees a dealer. Recalls and warranty work only.

 

[tibug]

Ha I have no rituals. I haven't brought either of my Subarus to the shop for anything besides alignments and new tires. However, I do so much of my own work on my cars that my dad thought it was a good idea to buy me a big portable fluorescent light to hang on my hood when I'm working in the dark. And it WAS a good idea. I end up working on my car at night more than I'd care to.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

if it includes the DIY work, lately I bring the dog to the front yard and chain him to a stake i have. Has quite a bit of movement but can't run off. He loves it. Give him a rawhide chew and an icecube once in a while.

I usually make sure I have some iced tea available. (I know, it SHOULD be beer right?)

I usually have the radio on or put a CD in. We upgraded our alarm radios and I put one of the old ones in the garage and it has a CD player. So, I might listen to music, then a talk radio show or broadcast music while working on the car.

I knew a guy once that ALWAYS scraped his fingernails across a bar of soap before working on his car. loads the area under the fingernails with something that blocks grease, yet washes out easily. Unfortunately, i have a bad habit and my nails are too short to benefit from that little trick.

 

[upflying]

I'm a gearhead and consider the garage a man cave which is generally off limits to the ball and chain. When I need time to bond with my mechanical children, I retreat to the garage and meditate with my tools.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

I'm a gearhead and consider the garage a man cave which is generally off limits to the ball and chain. When I need time to bond with my mechanical children, I retreat to the garage and meditate with my tools.

I've found that if I cuss a lot, whether I hurt myself or found a problem or not, it keeps the wife away.

 

[edawg]

Heh, heh... That's a great tip... Rant a little to enjoy some me-time.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

"Kids, y'all come inside now, Daddy's workin' on the truck!"