Sigh... tire changers!

'Twas but a drop in the ocean of comic opera that occurred around that time.

First, my OEM Firestone exploded whilst passing an 18- wheeler on the interstate. Tripped the "inertia switch" (which failed to trip 2 yrs previous when some guy rear-ended me, doing $5k in body etc damage), shut fuel pump/motor down. Somehow managed to wrestle thru i-state traffic sans power steering and miraculously lived to tell ...

So I get new BFG'S at NTB, garage car. Next morn 1 is flat, took a goddamn pop-rivet. Guy at NTB plugs possibly the tiniest puncture in the newest tire in the universe, I drive home to garage. Next morn, flat again. NTB takes maybe 3 days to get a new tire to spec. The tech just slings a floor jack under the 'boid, bends flange on frame. NTB Dist. Mngr. is nice guy, stops by house, we put band-aid on bent flange, spray some gook for rust-proof, he gives me $50 to cover damage.

NTB "made good" for all the sillinesses, but it wasted lotsa time on both sides the fence. For the better part of 2 years I was afraid to take my car over there. Got a load-test on battery there a couple weeks ago: there's maybe 1 (uno) writer there that I'd trust to do somethin' logical (if the moon is in the right position).

Place was a floggin' zoo. Probably still is.

What do they pay the techs? $8/hr ? $10 ??

Prost, Puddin'

The older I get, the better my vision, at least when it comes to car service places. It is amazing how well I can see the age and general degree of happiness on these folks nowadays! I found the place with older employees who seem happy to be there and glad to see you usually do better work (I know, profiling...) The places with a crew that seems like it would rather be anywhere else doing anything else... lookout!

PoD

(Just another ol' coots opinion)