Yesterday I did some serious do it yourself work! I’m talking about auto repair, something I
know nothing about. I lifted my hood a
couple days ago to discover that my radiator hose had a huge hole in it! There was antifreeze everywhere, and my brain
started racing… what went wrong? How much will this cost? How much time am I going to have to waste
taking my car in? I hate mechanics, and
I am tired of being ripped off. So I did
a little research online and discovered that all I really had to do was drain
the antifreeze, unclamp the old hose, stick a new one on and tighten the clamps. Seemed simple enough, and the hose is right
on top so it’s easy to get to.
In order to make my car drivable again I had to patch the hole with duct tape and put water in the radiator to replace the antifreeze I lost. Thankfully my little brother gave me Super Mario duct tape for my birthday, but I hated having to waste it on my stupid car! But it got me to work and AutoZone.
Unfortunately there was only one AutoZone in the city with
the hose I needed, and they gave me the wrong one on my first visit. But once I had the right equipment it took
about 10 minutes! It’s an amazing
feeling to work outside your comfort zone and do something you didn’t think you
could. It’s also pretty amazing what you
learn from watching you tube videos!
That is also where I learned to change a tire a couple years ago (And
trust me I’ve had plenty of practice since then!). So I encourage you to at least research your
car problems before taking them in. Usually
we probably will need experts, but some problems may be simpler than you think
and at least you can get an idea of how much you should be charged for
something. Changing my upper radiator
hose cost $30 for a new hose and a bottle of antifreeze, who knows what a
mechanic would charge?!
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