Ever have a mechanic lie to you?  I just found out that I did, and I'm not going back.  I took our van in to get an inspection last week, and he tells me that I need another $1000 of work done.  Not all of it is needed for inspection, but the rear brakes will still soon need replacing.  The other stuff was required.

He went into detail about the rocker arms and ball joint needing replacing, which I kinda knew, because at my last inspection, my honest mechanic said it would need work, but wasn't necessary to pass last year. 

This year, I decided to take it to the guy who fixed our tranny for alot less than I thought it would cost.  I figured if he could save me some money and time (being about 5 miles south of us, rather than 2 towns away, like my honest mechanic from last year).  So I take it in and wait for it.  Emissions passed with no problem, but the mechanical would fail if I didn't replace the above items as well as the front brake pads AND the warped rotors.  And the back brake shoes are worn, but would barely pass. 

I knew we needed the van back, so I asked if I could bring it back to have the work done.  He said it would be okay, as long as I take it easy on the front suspension until he can repair it. 

Being a cheapie, I figured I could do the back brakes (since they didn't have to be done for inspection), so I picked up the parts on my way home.  A friend of mine advised doing the front, too, since I do the labor for free, and probably save money on the parts as well.  I thought it might mess up a good relationship with my mechanic, and he might charge me to reinspect it to verify my work was correct.  But the more I thought about it (and seeing the rear brakes were about half what the mechanic was charging, I figured I'd still be ahead even if he charged me twice for an inspection.

Yesterday morning, I pulled the passenger's rear wheel and saw that my new brake shoes were a hair thicker than my existing brakes.  Hmmm.  I figured that the driver's side must have worn unevenly.   So I bought all the stuff for the front brakes this morning (2 rotors, pads, seals), and pulled the other back wheel off.  Same thing.   They were practically unworn.

Now suspicious, I checked the front brakes.  The passenger's side was nearly new, and the driver's side was only a bit more worn.  But the existing pads were still 3/4 the thickness of the new pads.

So I called my old mechanic to have HIM do the suspension and inspection. 

Should I call the other one to cancel?   Or should I just walk away?

Re-reading a favorite historical novel, and forgot just how delicious it is . . .

Here's a few quotes from the book that I've savored:

     ". . . Will you join me in that (adventure), Battell?" 
     "Aye," I said, and in that single short word I spoke away twenty years of my life.

(on differences between the Portuguese and the English) 
     "English have yellow hair and hate the Pope. Those are the chiefest differences."

(on having an affair)
Which is why, I hazard, we should not stray from our own beds to those of strange women, lest we discover things we are better not knowing.

(on picking up foreign language by hearing it spoken, and on flattery)
     "... Will you have more?"
     "In some while, perhaps.  This richness of food surfeits me, after so lengthy a captivity."
     "I see.  But it improves your Portuguese.  Do you comprehend that this sauce has sharpened your inflection, and made you eloquent?"
     "Not the sauce, I think, but only listening to your words," I said.
     "Are you a flatterer, then?"
     "Nay, I mean no flattery.  It is only that I have a good ear, and in following your way of speech, I improve my own."
     "Ah.  Well said.  You are clever, and learn things quickly."
     To this I made no reply.

  Had to drive into Maryland today for an electrical inspection.  This time it was right thru Camp Springs and also down into Clinton.  Both were old haunts of mine (and Katia's, too).  I remember moving from Maryland a few years after getting married, and how I specifically thought to myself, "Self (I thought), you are not going to miss living in Maryland." 

And I was right.  Maryland is so . . . bossy.  When you sell a car, you have to either transfer the plates or return them.  They CANNOT end up in your shed.  When you get new auto insurance, you have a specific form to submit with your new insurer, including the date the new insurance started, or they will fine you for every day with no proof of insurance.  Argh.

So today's little photo is to show how particular they are when you have marijuana when riding on your motorcycle.