You're Fired...

I have fired my mechanic – well not actually a specific mechanic, but the entire garage that has been doing work on my vehicles for a few years now. Why would I do such a thing? Well, to put it mildly they are idiots and so is my husband for not listening to me.

At the beginning of April, I had my snow tires removed from my car and my “all-seasons” put back on. Don’t get me started on why they are called “all-seasons” when they are obviously not good for the winter months in Canada.

Anyhow, shortly after my tires were changed, I started to notice a thumping noise in my front end. I informed my husband about this noise and mentioned the timing of its arrival happens to coincide to my tires being changed and his response was “the noise has nothing to do with your tires, you probably need brakes”.

A couple of weeks go by and the thumping is getting slightly louder. My husband’s response is still the same “the noise has nothing to do with your tires, you probably need brakes”. Let me just say he’s a Jackass. I certainly love him, but you would think that if I actually needed a safety feature such as brakes, he’d be doing something about it.

Finally on the weekend, my loving husband and I were out for date night and while driving down the highway, my car began to make the thumping noise. It wasn’t a gentle thumping noise like it had originally been, but and all out THUMP, THUMP, THUMP and it would not let up. The best part – I wasn’t even applying the brakes! Now all of a sudden, my husband is VERY concerned for our safety! Could it be because we are careening down the highway at 70 mph and it sounds like the front end is going to fall off my car at any second? Seriously – now he’s worried?

Long story – my car was taken into the dealership (not the usual garage) because I am convinced it’s a warranty issue (not the brakes). It is soon discovered that the mechanic that changed my tires at the beginning of April “forgot” to tighten the nuts down on my tires. Hence - the thumping noise was caused from my tires wobbling uncontrollably against the loose nuts. It was a miracle that my tires did not simply fall off and become bounding projectiles while my car slams into the ditch on my morning drive to work.

Now, I understand mistakes can happen, but this is the third (and most severe) incident I’ve had with this garage in a two year period, so needless to say – we have parted ways.

If I've learned anything for this fiasco, it's to trust my own instincts and to simply look after my own vehicle and don't rely on my spouse to assist me. Oh, I've also learned that right now, I can tell my husband he's an idiot and get away with it. Sometimes saying "I told you so" feels sooo good.