Tallulah likes Car Talk so much that we listen to the podcast on the way to school in the morning. I know their jokes are bad and repetitive, but I think they do to. If their jokes were bad or repetitive they would not be funny, but because they are bad, in the same way, all the time, they are funny. Plus I do believe I have learned a thing or two about cars, car repair, and the answer to this week’s puzzler.
Which is maybe why I should have known that “tuk-tuk” sound that my Tuk Tuk was making need more attention than I was giving it. I thought the sound indicated low oil, which perhaps it did but the oil was probably low because it was leaking out around the loose spark plugs. See, the location of spark plugs on the Tuk Tuk makes them a pain in the Tuk Tuk to work on. It’s likely that whoever worked on the car last did not bother to really tighten down those spark plugs like they ought to be. The last person to work on the car would be the people I bought it from who claimed to have done the timing belt, the main seal, blah blah blah.
Anyway, a spark plug blew out, making an awful noise and screwing its resting place. I did not know what had blown at the time, but I did not think it was related to the work done by the people I bought it from. The tow truck guy and I took it over to Mike Byer, where they whisked it right into a “your car is f*cked” repair bay. After a brief inspection, they confirmed their suspicion and took me down to show me just what the problem was and just why it was going to be a pain in the ass to fix.
They suggested I call the seller to see if he would remedy the situation. And, now, you understand that he was willing to talk about it but he couldn’t do anything without the car there at his place. Mike Byer talked to him a little bit as well (which could have meant Mike losing the repair job if the guy agreed to do the work.) The seller thought maybe they could replace one part, which I knew to be bullshit because I had been listening to Car Talk.
Mike proposed some more extensive work, and I asked them to look at the rest of the car to make sure it was worth it. They confirmed that the rest of the car looked good and we agreed to go ahead. They called me in a couple of days to say that everything was coming together except one part was 2/1000ths out of spec and they needed some shims that were late in arriving. 2/1000ths. I told them to take their time.
See, here is the thing. It wasn’t cheap to get my car fixed, but between Click and Clack and the people at Mike Byer, I knew exactly what was happening. They were clear and honest and have kept at it even when the damn check engine light comes on for no good reason. Clearly they want it to be right, and because I need reliable transportation, I want it to be right as well. I liked Mike Byer before without having a solid reason to. I am now a customer for as long as they are in business.