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Here’s the way it usually goes with me:
- Help family member
- They are happy
- They are back the next day and everyday thereafter for every little thing that is “not quite right.”
- Family members talk shit because you won’t jump at their command
- I have to drink beer first thing in the morning
I love the feeling of helping others, I cut grass in the summer and every time i finish a lawn its not the $40 its the smile and thank you I get. I don’t know why but I think its more rewarding than the money. I’m 17 now but 4 years ago I was buying a snow blower off of craigslist from a guy in a higher up neighborhood, and he wanted like $375 for the thing and I was willing to pay that, and when I gave him the money he handed me $175 back and I was like wow, you’re a complete stranger and that’s probably one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. now that I do all the work on my vehicles if someone wants something done to their car I’ll do it, I always end up with people bringing me 5 quarts of oil and I change their oil for free, but I really like helping others. one time I was coming home from school and my neighbor flagged me down and he had been trying to start his rototiller all day and I got it running in 5 minutes, but I think its great when you help someone out because chances are that you will need help someday. 🙂
I love helping people out too, which is part of the reason why I am entering the auto technician profession… HOWEVER, it’s always been a pet peeve of mine when people do not acknowledge a good deed that you’ve performed. I’m not talking about being thanked when I work in a shop cause I know the customer is not going to come into the bay and thank me, but when I help out friends and family, it’s nice to be thanked for taking time out of your day to help them out.
I helped out a “friend” with his car once changing the oil and spark plugs and when I was finished he said cool and that he had to go. No thank you or anything, and when I said “yeah you’re welcome…” he just figured that since I’m going to school for auto mechanics that I should be happy that i’m receiving this kind of experience…. it’s people like this that give the people that ask us for help a bad name. Sure I like to help people out, but I don’t want to feel used by my friends.
I know the feeling of being used, In the past year I’ve built my dads 12×22 deck for him, laid tile in the first floor of his house, changed the engine in his 94 buick, and god knows what else, im 17 and he complains everyday about how he has been paying for my car insurance for the past 2 months because I cant afford it right now because the 05 durango he gave me, I guess it was supposed to pay for all the work I did for him, needed an engine and I basically had to dump the money I had saved up for winter into it. He isn’t a bad dad, but he doesn’t respect any of the things I do for him.
I always like to try and help others with their (simple) car issues. Typically it is in the parking lot of an O’Reilly’s or Autozone. I only try to assist if I have the time available. I never try to assist in the rain. LOL One night I was waiting for the traffic from the recent snow to clear, so I helped this guy replace his light bulbs. He had let the first one burn out some time ago, and on this night the second one went out, so he had no lights. Hmmm…
I generally start by assessing what the problem is with the owner’s help and loaning a few tools which they don’t have. Then we start the repair. I always want the owner to be helping along. After we finished the first light on his Jetta, I asked him if he was going to do the second one too. He said “Why not…” Stupid me. LOL So we got both his headlights in and then off into the weather he drove, never to be seen again. I think he was pretty happy. I was warmer than I otherwise would have been, still waiting for the traffic to clear. From my perspective that was a Win-Win.
On another really bad snow day I saw this very pretty married woman trying to place chains on her Rover. Her hands were bright red from the cold, I suppose because she did not have gloves. She did not ask for help or play the “poor little me card.” I liked that and returned my books at the nearby library. If she was still there when I returned I promised myself I would help her. I have this time expired rule – if it takes you too long to perform a simple repair then I know you don’t what you are doing or need help.
She was still freezing and was on her knees trying to get the dang things on, when I returned. So I walked over and asked her how she was getting along. She explained the NAPA store person sold her the chains telling her even “his wife could put chains on.” So I helped her out, all of 5 minutes, and got her chains on. She was really appreciative and I have to admit that made my day. She was a trooper. She was going to get those stupid things on no matter how cold or red her hands were turning. But I felt sorry for NAPA. She was ten feet from their front door and no shopper was in the store. They should have helped her. I bet she won’t shop there again.
While the topic is up…
I owe Eric a massive thanks all the way from Australia for the confidence to repair my car recently when the clutch pressure plate failed on the way to work one morning.I’m a bit of a car nut or gear head as known in the US, but have always had the luxury of warranty repairs until the warranty ended on my car not 3 months before the clutch failed. I have never really done much major to a car, usually wheels, suspension, audio. I always left the big stuff to a mechanic to do.
We are currently saving for our first house and just by being a regular watcher gave me enough confidence to tackle the 7hr job to replace it which would have otherwise cost us over a weeks worth of savings on top of the parts.
I drive a 2006 Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart, just like this one:
http://oi49.tinypic.com/2d969te.jpgIt’s got a little bit done to it including an ecu reflash, which I am trying to teach myself how, they are a great amount of fun to drive and so cheap on fuel for a turbo car.
A while back I watched the entire Ford focus clutch repair video from start to stop, which was brilliant to get an idea of how involved a clutch job really is.
After watching it, I was left with the confidence to have a go at it myself, with the help of my father in-law to physically get the gearbox out and in again.
Now I just have to fit the replacement rotors I needed to pass registration and roadworthy and I’m all set again.
For all of that – Thank you Eric!
I have helped so many people I have lost count. I do believe in Karma, or whatever it may be called. That your deeds, good or bad will eventually catch up to you and effect your life in some way….. I don’t do what I do for a karmic positive score, I do it because I was taught it was the right thing to do.
I remember being taught that showing gratitude and respect cost nothing, but gain you everything. I also remember that people may not be having a good day when you see them… I try to take all that into account…
However, when I do a good deed/random act of kindness and over the course of time; said recipient cannot even muster a “thank you” or “I appreciate what you did” or even say anything, I do form an opinion. That opinion is that this is a person I do not want to know or associate with. The good deed is done, and I hope never to have contact with them again.
In the course of over 40 years, I have been fortunate enough only to remember two particularly smug people (Who also have no thank you-itis) who I have helped who have looked down their noses at me because “I knew how to work with my hands”… One was the wife of a friend who I repaired their toilet because it was stopped up while he was deployed. This woman basically looked at me as hired help and not as a favor…. I fixed the toilet and had nothing to do with her again. The other was a guy I replaced an engine for…. I only charged him $500 for the job because he was down on his luck and money and had a family…. He never said a word of thanks or anything remotely close to it… I did the job way under any rate… And when his engine blew just 30 plus days after I installed it, he called me and wanted it replaced for free (junkyard engine was under warantee)… I told him the “no-thank you” price to replace it again was $1000…. (I wonder if Karma is a reason for his bad luck…hmmmm….)
sorry to rant, but you should always remember those who help you, and let them know it…
just my 2 cents
Karl!
I do believe in the karmic what goes around comes around too. You do good things for good people, they will invariably help you out at some point or just show appreciation. Usually the gratitude is enough.
Some people though, ARRGGGHHH, like my Sister, expects you to fix everything for them, and the reward is not getting yelled at. no show of apprication or Gratitude what so ever.
Back when I was about 18 I started working at a full service gas station, closing shift 3 to 11 pm. My main duty was covering the pumps and cleaning the garage. I also got to do minor service work like oil changes, hoses, belts, or tire repairs. I even got paid 10 percent of the labor I brought in.
One cold Friday night this 45ish guy walked up asking for help with his broken down Ford Maverick. He was at the fast food place next door. It was a no crank no start. Someone had tried to jump start it for him, with no success. He was in a bad way because he had very little money. no credit card, no way home, And needed the car for his job Monday.
It was slow at the pumps, so I locked up for a few minutes. We pushed his car over with the tow truck that had a giant rubber bumper just for this purpose. The battery tested good, and I figured it needed a starter.
I told him he could leave it and someone would get to it Monday. He called the bus station and found out he could get a ride back to the city if he hurried. He filled out a work order and walked off to grab his bus.
I thought about that poor guy all night and figured I would give it another look the next day. It turned out all it needed was a ground cable. I called him and told him his car was running. The relief in his voice was obvious. He said he could get a ride with his daughter to pick it up in about two hours. When they showed up, they brought me a dinner plate still warm. Fried chicken, greens, mashed potatoes, and a biscuit. It was terrific home cooked food. He couldn’t thank me enough. I felt great pride in being able to return this guys car to running condition. Even though it was a 12 year old junky car, it was his only transportation and very important to him.
That was the beginning for me. Working that shift I met all sorts of people. Some I still know today. The lady that cuts my family’s hair is one of those long past late night customers.My story-I have 100 customers-99 of them think I walk on water (exaggerated), 1-thinks I’m an idiot.
That 1 is who I allow to rent the most space in my head. What it does for me is it drives me to be a continual help to others. At the end of the day what I take away from all of it is the experience, education, joy of success, pain of defeat, shame of failure and the true knowing that all those things can’t be taken away from me, that they are mine to share, use and give as I see fit regardless of how the customer feels about me.Money could never buy the experiences I had cruising the PA Turnpike with an approved road service vendor and the relief on the faces of the motorists that you could get down the road from where they sat with a belt, a hose, a battery, a fuse or whatever else they needed that we carried on the truck. To me, it is a gift that I’ve been given by my creator to be able to help folks with the skills and mind that I was born with. Books could be written-but I don’t think they would sell! Besides you are more entertaining than reading an inanimate book!
I’ve only been working on freind’s and family’s cars for the last 6 months or so. So far it has been an enjoyable experience, and I think that a lot of that has to do with knowing my limitations and not taking on a job that I’m not confident that I can repair…
There have been some jobs that I’ve got halfway through and realized that I had bit off more than I could chew so I put everything back together and suggested they bring it to a licensed shop. I do not have a problem admitting that I can’t fix something, and I have found that when I tell someone that this is the case there is an initial disappointment but in the end they are thankful that I was honest.
I like being the ‘Go To’ guy but I will not jeopardize my integrity or my friend’s well being by taking on a task that I cannot complete to insure a safe car after I am done.
That being said… I have had a blast working on other’s cars. Plus every once in a while I get to buy a new tool to get the job done properly so I am building up my experience and tool box at the same time. I like helping people save money, plus when I need help in other areas I have an open door to ask for help with some expectancy of receiving said help because I’ve helped them in the past. It’s a win win!!
A friend of mine asked for help with her car. She said her a/c wasn’t working right. I looked it up and found out that it was her blower motor. I said I could put one in for her. Got done and everything was working o.k. A couple of days later she said that it was pumping enough cold air into her car so she took it to a shop. Come to find out I plugged the motor in backwards. The shop charged her 20 dollars to fix it. I offered to pay because I’m the one who messed it up. She said no It was o.k. I had taken my time to help her out and she appreciated that.
Back around 1970 or so I figured out how to set the choke on a Rochester 2 barrel carburetor, a carburetor found on many GM vehicles . There was a trick to it I had discovered that no one else seemed to know, including the writers of service manuals. So, for an owner who had spent considerable money trying to get their car to start reliably, having me fix it in an instant at no charge made me the magic man. I gotta admit, that was fun.
[quote=”barneyb” post=86757]Back around 1970 or so I figured out how to set the choke on a Rochester 2 barrel carburetor, a carburetor found on many GM vehicles . There was a trick to it I had discovered that no one else seemed to know, including the writers of service manuals. So, for an owner who had spent considerable money trying to get their car to start reliably, having me fix it in an instant at no charge made me the magic man. I gotta admit, that was fun.[/quote]
Funny, setting up chokes is one of my favorite things to do. Thanks for sharing your story.
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