05-02-2009, 02:45 PM

wha? i meant just the time and caution it takes to get into a steering wheel now that there are usually airbag lurking beneath. if it had been an old school 70's steering wheel, i'd have ripped it apart myself.

05-02-2009, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by eric

wha? i meant just the time and caution it takes to get into a steering wheel now that there are usually airbag lurking beneath. if it had been an old school 70's steering wheel, i'd have ripped it apart myself.

I thought they raised labor costs on you.

05-02-2009, 04:17 PM

not the rate, but it was 166 bucks for labor alone.
disconnect battery
remove airbag
remove steering wheel and clockspring mounting bolts.
then reinstall.

these guys have always been good to me, when they think they can get away with using refurbished parts, they let me know, and they've given me brakes on things from time to time. it's good feeling to know i have a mechanic i can trust.

05-02-2009, 04:48 PM

Originally Posted by eric

not the rate, but it was 166 bucks for labor alone.
disconnect battery
remove airbag
remove steering wheel and clockspring mounting bolts.
then reinstall.

these guys have always been good to me, when they think they can get away with using refurbished parts, they let me know, and they've given me brakes on things from time to time. it's good feeling to know i have a mechanic i can trust.

I know the feeling. It just sucks when everything starts to break on ya at the same time.

05-02-2009, 05:04 PM

yep. at least the rear main seal was solid.

now it's just the wearing front struts, some slight rust starting to appear, intermittantly leaking sunroof, and a weird intermittant overheating issue that i can't replicate on cue and only seems to happen in the winter.

05-02-2009, 05:30 PM

Originally Posted by eric

yep. at least the rear main seal was solid.

Hey, I didn't take any jabs at your import soccer mom wagon.

Oh, just did there.

05-02-2009, 05:38 PM

nah, it's my family sized, detuned WRX.

05-02-2009, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by eric

nah, it's my family sized, detuned WRX.

My pickup is family sized. Just gotta drive slow so they don't go falling out of the bed.

05-05-2009, 10:37 PM

Anyone else ever find that you can't do any kind of DIY project without making 10 trips to the Home Depot?

My wife and I got tired of the dark green vanity top in one of our bathrooms. I bought another and set out to replace it. That was trip #1.

Got home and realized that the new countertop was predrilled with an 8" offset. The old faucet was 4". So, had to go on trip #2 for a new faucet.

Pulled the old countertop out and wound up making a mess of the walls surrounding it (caulk tends to pull at the drywall paper/paint). Went for my trusty bucket of spackle, and much to my surprise, it was hard as a rock. That was trip #3.

Dry-fitted the new countertop to the vanity and discovered that whomever built my house had no idea that the vanity needs to be offset from the wall when mounted in a corner. As such, the new countertop didn't rest properly on the vanity. Since the new countertop only has about an inch-wide base around the bottom of it, I needed some kind of shim to widen the base on which it will rest. That was trip #4.

So, now that shim is being siliconed to the bottom of the countertop. After I get done repairing the walls, I will once again dry-fit it (have to wait for the spackle to dry). Meanwhile, I'm reading the installation instructions for the faucet. Come to find out, I will need some way to interface the supply lines with the faucet. Why Kohler wouldn't provide an adapter with the kit, is anyone's guess. I suppose I'll be making another trip. That will be #5... and hopefully the last.

Cross your fingers for me

05-05-2009, 11:26 PM

Originally Posted by cwa107

aauurrh aauurrh aauurrh!

manly.

05-05-2009, 11:26 PM

To build on that, it's amazing how many times I'll be in a store and know I have to get something only to forget what it is. As soon as I get home, I remember. It always seems to happen just as I step in the door too.

05-06-2009, 08:09 AM

Originally Posted by eric

manly.

Are you putting words in my mouth?

LOL....

05-06-2009, 10:27 PM

Well, after much trial and error, the counter top is now in. What an ordeal.

Repairing the damaged wall went well, it's sanded and smooth. Installing the faucet was a cake walk too. Siliconed the counter top in place and the fit was darned-near perfect (aside from a bit of a gap on the wall here and there, but no house has perfectly flat drywall anyway).

Then I got to the drain.... what a mess. The 1 1/2" sewer pipe protruded from the wall so far that it was practically touching the tail pipe from the drain. I have no clue how the old sink fit there given the circumstances (it must have been set farther back from the wall). I ended up having to cut the pipe three times with a reciprocating saw just doing test fits. Then yet ANOTHER trip to Home Depot for PVC cement (my old can was practically solid) and a fitting to go to the P-trap.

I started right after dinner (about 6:45) and am just now sitting down for the first time (10:25). But hey, I have a nifty new counter top and I look forward to being able to shave and brush my teeth in my own bathroom tomorrow

Now I guess tomorrow night I'm going to caulk and finally finish up the paint touch-up over the weekend (fingers crossed that I have usable paint somewhere!).

05-06-2009, 10:58 PM

And my wife always wanted to know why I didn't want to do that stuff after I got home from doing it at work all day long.

You're on the down side now though.

05-06-2009, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by bobtomay

And my wife always wanted to know why I didn't want to do that stuff after I got home from doing it at work all day long.

You're on the down side now though.

I don't mind doing DIY stuff - in fact, I usually enjoy it. But every once in awhile, you run into the odd project that you think will take 2 hours and it turns into 2 days