07/15/2021
Were on that 4 wheel alignment game now. The Dogs are in love with how thick the grass and how pleasant the breeze is in Texas. This spot was recommended to me by the mechanic who fixed our axles.
Its always fun to talk to a mechanic you don’t know. For me (and this has a lot to do with my comfort in functional, but non conventional fixes.)it starts with a laundry list of things that “someone has done to this car” (it me) that make it abnormal and might be the problem. I tall through the changes and explain why some of their concerns aren’t valid (been running it that way for 2+ years/the subframe doesn’t care how clean the welds are/ i want to keep that axle because honda charges $1100 and makes them to tighter tolerances, which matter because of all the stuff “someone” did… and then it clicks for us. They realize that i know what im talking about even if its unconventional, and they start talking about what is really going on. Its usually a little tense for the first 5 minutes and im always ready and willing to thank them and try the next shop. But when they start talking to me person to person / mechanic to mechanic i switch from guarded to appreciative. I know a lot about Honda Elements, but any professional mechanic is going to be yards if not miles ahead of me. I thank them for everything they explain and try to say it back another way to show that im picking up what they are putting down. I learn a lot by doing things the hard way, but i also learn a lot by listening and understanding that EVERYONE has something they are knowledgeable and passionate about and because that they have something they can teach me if i am willing, able, and patient enough to hear them.
So, who’s surprised you lately with some knowledge you weren’t looking for? Why were you surprised? What did you learn?
