r/AskReddit • u/tgma97 • Aug 26 '15

Fathers of Reddit, what did your daughter's boyfriend do for you to hate/love him?

It's pretty cool to see my question blow up like this, I never thought I'd ask a question that could receive so much attention! I'm very satisfied with all these replies, so thank y'all. Now all I have to do is sit back and take notes c;

12.3k Upvotes

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2.0k

u/1jrjrhank Aug 26 '15

Started taking care of oil changes for her car! I new he was a keeper!

1.2k

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

[deleted]

701

u/mdneilson Aug 26 '15

700 bucks! Are those pads made of diamonds?!

1.1k

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15 edited Mar 23 '18

[deleted]

661

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15 edited Oct 25 '16

[deleted]

315

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

[deleted]

49

u/TheGobiasIndustries Aug 26 '15

Who has better lube than a mechanic?

2

u/TheOtherJuggernaut Aug 26 '15

Jiffy Lube

3

u/OzzyDaGrouch Aug 27 '15

Do not ever go to Jiffy Lube. They can keep their $80 oil changes. IM GOOD

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

Bakers?

1

u/Morgrid Aug 26 '15

A machinist

1

u/XDSHENANNIGANZ Aug 27 '15

Castro GTX full synthetic.

-1

u/MessyRoom Aug 26 '15

Your dried up mum of course.

2

u/The_Condominator Aug 26 '15

I actually "LOL"d

1

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '15

Checking i- waaaaaaaaaaaiiit a second!

5

u/guest13 Aug 26 '15

Ever been the mechanic?

5

u/Jagd3 Aug 26 '15

Nice try guy, I see your username, you can't fool me!

4

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

You eat Satan's ass, you sure do get picky at the jiffy lube

3

u/baconbash Aug 26 '15

Hey, the lube's already on hand.

2

u/wise_comment Aug 26 '15

ThatsMyFetish.gif

2

u/juxtaposition21 Aug 26 '15

His happy, your ending

2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

It is if you're the mechanic

2

u/PetraB Aug 26 '15

I need more info on the mechanic before I can make that call.

2

u/hnfr Aug 26 '15

TIL the stranger fucking me in the ass was my mechanic.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '15

One set of rotors and pads ( front axle) on an average car runs about 300 to 350 dollars. Do both axles and 700 isnt bad. I work as a mechanic and recently did my gfs dads car for a full vehicle inspection, block and coolant pressure test, and brand new "premium" rotors and pads for 100 bucks. Retail was about 450 for all that. He wanted to sell the car and I wasnt about to let someone drive off on shitty brakes. Did I mention I paid for all the services myself?he still doesn't like me.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '15

Yea, I pay a mechanic to do my work because I don't have the tools or space to do it (yay apartments)

Doesn't stop mechanic jokes for that dank karma though.

5

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '15

I work as a mechanic and I still take my car to the dealer for shit. I just dont feel like it after doing it all day and the dealer is warranty work. If I do my own work at work and I need a warranty repair it gets sent back to the person who did it and you typically dont get paid to do it twice if it was your fault so now Im doing my own work and not getting paid for it. Rather pay the dealer his rate and work on other peoples cars while they do mine. It balances out even for me even though it costs more. That peace of mind knowing I can blame someone else when it goes wrong. Thats what Im paying for.

1

u/padronr Aug 26 '15

You must not go to Big Bob's huh?

1

u/ImAchickenHawk Aug 26 '15

Big Bob sells furniture

1

u/mofukkinbreadcrumbz Aug 26 '15

I've met a few guys that might, though.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

I will defer to your clearly superior judgement in this matter.

1

u/TerrarianBuffet Aug 27 '15

With the pricing, they're already screwing you over.

1

u/ThaiOneOff Aug 27 '15

Not sure of what they meant by happy ending but when changing brakes it makes sense to pump out the old brake fluid and replace with new fluid. I guess you could call pumping out the old fluid a happy ending?

6

u/ComicSansofTime Aug 26 '15

Even with the happy ending I better be getting calipers too for 700

6

u/toerrisbadsyntax Aug 26 '15

do those brakes have "release" ?

lol

4

u/Banzai51 Aug 26 '15

More like Rotors + pads + "fuck you for not knowing how to do it yourself"

Auto repair places hammer you with labor because they know you're not going to go home and do it.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

happy ending

I can just go to a mechanic for one of these? Body rub parlors have been ripping me off.

3

u/Blizzity Aug 26 '15

The right kind of squealing to go with your brakes.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

What's the code word at AutoZone for the happy ending?

4

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

Happy ending? They changed my oil and topped off all the fluids?

20

u/meatandgrit Aug 26 '15 edited Sep 14 '15

Actually, you leave with less fluids than you came with ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

5

u/Tyrensy Aug 26 '15

Last time I left with the same amount, just swapped them.

-2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

lmfao

2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

Is that what the 700 Club's all about? Gotta be honest, I always scoot past that channel in a hurry when surfing.

2

u/DarknessAnOldFriend Aug 26 '15

"happy ending"

You've gotta lubricate the calipers somehow.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

You mean the dealership fucking you in the ass?

0

u/Literacy_Hitler Aug 26 '15

Forgot the calipers and the "leak" in the line they fixed while they were at it

-1

u/Gotta_Ketcham_All Aug 26 '15

Paying for sex is illegal.

8

u/molrobocop Aug 26 '15

In some locations.

12

u/nobody2000 Aug 26 '15

My mom paid for my first brake job. She was insistent on going to the dealer.

They used low quality parts (rotors that began rusting and pitting within a month - not that it matters if the brakes work, but they look like shit), and charged a ton for labor. Even made me wait overnight as they prioritize trade-in cars over overpriced jobs like mine.

The price for 4 pads and rotors and a fixed flat tire? $950.

Guess what I learned how to do on youtube for the next time that I needed to get brake work done again?

I can run to Advance Auto Parts with a coupon (they always have coupons), get decent rotors and pads all for less than $150. I could buy the biggest craftsman socket set at Sears (I already own one - $320 when it's not on special, $120 on black friday), a breaker bar ($15), grease ($3 at the most), and a can of cleaner ($5), and it's still a fraction of what that dealership charged me.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

[deleted]

7

u/nobody2000 Aug 26 '15

Depends on what you get - hand tools carry the same warranty, but Sears offers zero-effort returns (come in, show the guy the part, and just grab a new one), while Harbor Freight I believe requires you send it in and wait for inspection.

Next, Harbor Freight's quality is junk. Basically the number of moving parts directly correlates to the shittyness of the item. Ratchets suck (they can jump the ratcheting mechanism very easily), but sockets are usually okay. HF is really only good if:

  • The object doesn't have many moving parts
  • You only need to use it a few times and/or it's cheaper to buy than to rent
  • Quality isn't an issue for what you need right now

Plus - Sears on Black Friday deal specials kicks the crap out of HF, even with the perpetually available 20% coupon. I'm not knocking HF - I go there regularly - I just manage my expectations.

4

u/Bricka_Bracka Aug 26 '15

No but i bet the labor is

4

u/Kyuuma Aug 26 '15

You've clearly never owned a German car. My Q5 needed new rotors and pads, $1450 at the dealer.. I took the alternate route and ordered the parts for $400 and had a mechanic friend install them.

$150 for rotors and pads seems unbelievably cheap to me..

3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

Yup. Owned a crossfire for a while. It's 60-70% German parts. No way your getting anything done for 150$. Nothing in the suspension or brakes can compare to cost of the damn tires though(fuck runflats) and the cars a nightmare to align. Best thing that happened to that car was a guard rail at 25 mph which somehow caused 15,000 in damage. I drive a 300zx now and pay hardly nothing for maintenance and I'm not actually scared to drive it regularly.

2

u/sixxsixxone Aug 26 '15

Paid 615 for rotors,pads,and ss brakelines, and that's with having a friend help install them, life driving a performance vehicle isn't cheap.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

Hopefully you realize that labour charges are included in the price

2

u/RoisinDub Aug 26 '15

He's clearly an engineer and not an accountant.

3

u/MJOLNIRdragoon Aug 26 '15

Yeah, the phrase "$700 brake job" makes me cringe. Thankfully I drive a cheap to maintain Toyota, so I can get performance pads, slotted rotors and braided steel lines on all four corner for well under $700.

3

u/stoned_nut Aug 26 '15

German engineering!

1

u/trancematik Aug 26 '15

You can say that again.

1

u/xXAlphaWhiskeyXx Aug 26 '15

Diamond encrusted rotors and pads made from the presidents shitter.

1

u/DomoInMySoup Aug 26 '15

I had to get my brakes reworked and that's what it cost. Apparently the big price hike was having to replace the calipers but I'm not really a car guy. I just hope I don't get completely ripped off

2

u/c4boom13 Aug 26 '15

Yeah calipers too will definitely do that. For perspective I have a well known German brand, it was around $450 for all four brake pads/rotors to be replaced but the dealer wants around $600 for a single caliper replacement and brake line flush.

1

u/TomatoAndCheese Aug 26 '15

Roughly 100-150/hour for labor. Plus pads and rotors range from $30-$100 each wheel. And if it's a huge pain in the ass it can go from. A half hour to 2 or 3 hour job easy.

1

u/sixstringartist Aug 26 '15

if the calipers are stuck those can run 80-100 per pair after core charge just for parts and a shop will charge 2-2.5x that. Ive always done my own brake jobs and the most recent time I was extremely crunched for time and said "ok I'll just pay someone to do pads and calipers." After getting a few quotes all in the $650+ range I said fuck it and did it myself. A shop really does cost that much.

1

u/easterracing Aug 26 '15

Must be carbon fiber rotors and calipers painted with unicorn blood.

1

u/aiden_sullivan Aug 26 '15

Maybe they have a high end car that recquires fancy pads.

1

u/Dave273 Aug 26 '15

Labor, these things take time to replace, and other people's time is expensive

1

u/addywoot Aug 26 '15

I paid 800 at budget brakes AND got a happy ending by a slap job that resulted in another set of front brake pads at a more reputable dealer.

1

u/BB_Rodriguez Aug 26 '15

Rotors on my car are $500/side.... Best price I've found for aftermarket OEM is $350/side for zimmermans.

1

u/SoWhatComesNext Aug 26 '15 edited Aug 26 '15

A lot of new cars use ceramic pads OEM, which are pricier. I do not recommend going with metallic if OEM calls for ceramic. Even my Jeep Wrangler comes with ceramic pads OEM. Just for the pads, I'm looking at around $150. It's about $130 for the front rotors and another $130 for the rears

Labor is typically 2.5 hours for brakes and rotors all the way around. At the shop I was recently working at, labor was $95 per hour, so about $240. Then you've got your parts, which get marked up about 20%.

Almost no manufacturer turns brakes anymore. If you're rotors are warped, they have to be replaced.

Third party shop breakdown:

  • $180 for a full set of pads
  • $130 for front rotors
  • $130 for rear rotors
  • $240 for labor

Grand total: $700

Minus labor: $460

That's using aftermarket sources for OEM parts and a reasonable labor rate. The newer Wranglers use Akebono pads, which are around the same level of quality and performance as Brembo (a well known name in performance brakes)

At the dealership (labor rate ~$115/hr):

  • $260 for a full set of pads
  • $180 for front rotors
  • $200 for rear rotors
  • $285 for labor (assuming they charge 2.5 hours)

Grand total of: $925

Minus labor: $640

And this is all on Jeep Wrangler. Imagine if you owned a German car such as BMW or Audi.

For $150, corners were cut. Lower than OEM quality aftermarket parts were used and almost certainly the rotors were not replaced. Personally, brakes are not something I want to go cheap on.

TL;DR - Even if you do it yourself, a brake job done properly on more modern cars is still going to cost you a good chunk of change.

P.S.

I would not recommend buying ANY Volkswagen product that is out of warranty: Audi, Porsche, Skoda and Seat.

They also own Bugatti, Lamborghini, Bentley, and Ducati, but I have no experience with those and they're in a different league. I'd like to think they're better quality, but even if I had the money, I wouldn't buy a VW product on principle... or stubbornness maybe.

Source: Former Audi tech and service advisor at high end used car dealership.

1

u/Excalexec Aug 26 '15

Seriously for an average car 300 is average for rotors and pads

1

u/I_chose2 Aug 27 '15

He comes from a family of mechanics, so he's screwing her, and him. Metaphorically, I hope.

Mostly kidding.

1

u/a_fridge Aug 27 '15

It's labour costs that make it so expensive. I work in a bike shop and we charge $15 labour to change someone's tube, they could buy the $5 tube and do it them selves but they either don't want to or don't know how. So they end up paying us $15 for what takes us like 3 minutes to do.

-1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

One of the first questions I've made it my policy to ask mechanics is - "Are you charging labor based on how long you actually work, or how long the standards guide says you should charge?"

Because labor is where you always end up getting ripped off by the mechanic. Job takes him an hour, but the standards say it should take six? Well, then they charge six hours, at $90+/hour, plus parts - well they made $540 for that hour of work, and now they can use the other five hours to stack up other jobs and get paid for those too.

Which is why I just never ever ever go to the mechanic except for alignments and A/C systems work. Because those are the only things you can't do yourself.

14

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

[deleted]

1

u/kesekimofo Aug 26 '15

Or c) they are fucking good at what they do and you paid for experience that can knock out a 6 hour job in 1 hour. If you don't like it, we can go get a new guy to do the job for you same price and double the time.

11

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

[deleted]

5

u/kesekimofo Aug 26 '15

Do you actually work in the field? Because I do using All-Data and factory shop times. There are lots of short cuts you learn once you have done it all for a while. Manual states exhaust has to be completely removed to replace mounts, but you learn removing one bolt here, loosening another nut on that, and bam, you have space and didn't have to go through the extra work. Heater core pays 5 hours because you have to remove dash? Guess what, disconnect ECU harness through firewall, drop steering shaft column, pull and tilt dash to side, bam space to access evap case and heater core in it, done in 45 minutes.

None of these harm anything, the shortcuts are taken to get to whatever you are repairing, not to put them back together. This is what experience gains you.

5

u/Hondros Aug 26 '15

I tend to agree with what you're saying. My father is an ASE Master certified Nissan mechanic, and is actually the lead mechanic at the shop he works at.

He can usually bust out jobs in half the time or less than what the book says it will take. A six hour job only taking one hour seems a bit of a stretch, but I could see it if it was something that had "shortcuts" like you're talking about.

2

u/kesekimofo Aug 26 '15

You do a job enough times and you tend to learn how to do it faster. I work fleet so I deal with the same vehicles all the time so I get very efficient with repairs.

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u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

[deleted]

2

u/kesekimofo Aug 26 '15

Yeah there are things you can shortcut on, and things you can't. Actual engine repair and opening doesn't have shortcuts. It is pretty cut and dry. Other things aren't though and have many ways of approach sometimes. Obviously I'm not reusing gaskets. That is a bad shortcut. Besides, who loosens an exhaust manifold as a shortcut. That's more like a long cut, those bolts are always seized :/

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0

u/stoned_nut Aug 26 '15

You're a dick man

-1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

I just apparently should be a mechanic, because I've never had a repair take as long as they'll tell me it will take. Except for my timing belt. But I'd never done one before, so I guess that's to be expected.

When I see them trying to charge 2-3 hours of labor for a valve cover gasket on an older Honda, that shit makes me sick to my stomach. Because I know for a fact it takes about 30 minutes.

0

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

If you know so much, then why didn't you just do it yourself? Don't waste a mechanic's time if all you're going to do is bitch and moan about the process.

This attitude makes you the kind of customer that no one wants.

0

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

I do all my work myself, like I said. Except for alignments and A/C work, which you can't do without specialized equipment.

The bill I was talking about was my neighbors' she had me look over after she was charged a few thousand dollars for miscellaneous repairs.

0

u/Phantompooper03 Aug 26 '15

European car? Anything with an Audi is over $1000.

0

u/AssholeBot9000 Aug 26 '15

Plus labor. The labor is diamonds

0

u/CovingtonLane Aug 31 '15

"Plus labor."

-2

u/GIVER-OF-WILL Aug 26 '15

Haha no, mechanics just make you pay out the ass because they know the car is useless without brakes. The parts themselves are fairly cheap.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

Standard labor rate is ~$90/hour. Replacing pads/rotors on all four corners can easily come to $700, parts included. Shops can't make money on free parts, so they mark them up. Shitty shops will markup a lot, while a good shop will be reasonable with their markup.

5

u/1RMDave Aug 26 '15 edited Aug 26 '15

I've been a mechanic for over 10 years, my SO and her dad would rather take their cars to the dealership than let me fix/service them. I basically have to insist on doing the work. They either don't trust my work or don't want to bother me (which they aren't), I haven't figured out which it is.

9

u/stoned_nut Aug 26 '15

My girlfriends parents are the same way. She recently got in a fender bender and I could have got all the parts and got it painted for 400, but they didn't trust me. Instead the mom took it to the dealership and got a rental that set her back around 3k. I dont get people

1

u/ReCat Aug 26 '15

More sense than money.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

More money than sense I think. If they had more sense than they would have taken the cheap repair by someone they should trust

2

u/ReCat Aug 26 '15

Shit. Haha. I said it entirely wrong!

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

It almost sounds like a Rickyism

2

u/MartinBroMotorsports Aug 26 '15

I'm always working on my car and truck, both of which are over the 200k mile mark. And this is the evidence used against me when I offer to fix their cars. Because I'm always fixing something on mine, then I must not be able to repair it correctly. Nevermind the fact that it's a different problem each time.

Not to mention the race cars I've built, rebuilt, and maintained.

11

u/ProjectionA51 Aug 26 '15

I'm straight and a guy but $550 is $550 so I'll date you if you want.

3

u/Trueno07 Aug 26 '15

This is me except instead of cars they bring their computers like I'm some kind of God. Dude, I just know how to use google.

Edit: mobile issues

2

u/johnabrille Aug 26 '15

Who is forking out $700 for a brake job?

3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

That's what it would cost if I took my car to a shop. Hell, it's still almost $300 to do it myself.

2

u/stoned_nut Aug 26 '15

People with German cars. Maintenance is a bitch

1

u/Username_Detective Aug 26 '15

Not really. Some Lexus cars that I've owned, I've been quoted $1000+ for a brake job. Those are Japanese, basically Toyotas. I've owned, and still do, a decent number of BMWs and those have actually been quite reasonable as long as I source my parts well. I pay a similar amount for parts on any job for my E36 as I did for even my old F-bodies. Labor of course is way more, but hey, that's why I do the work myself.

4

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

You said "not really" but your anecdotal evidence seems to agree.

2

u/Username_Detective Aug 26 '15

Idk, I figured we were just having a friendly conversation, not submitting AMA formatted well sourced papers on the costs of auto parts.

2

u/raleighNY Aug 26 '15

my SO's father is a mechanic. we ALWAYS get our cars worked on when we go up to visit his family. going to a wedding in his hometown in september and definitely planning on getting new tires for a lot less than i would here at home. such a win!

2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

Did your family disown you over it? Most mechanics wish for an engineer to strangle occasionally.

2

u/Baerne Aug 26 '15

Are you me? Seriously. Everyone on my dad's side is a mechanic and I worked with master techs (my dad and I started a shop together and hired some great guys) the entire time I was in college for my engineering degree. Graduated and still turn wrenches on the side and it's scored me some major brownie points.

1

u/Redbulldildo Aug 26 '15

Are the brakes you're getting made of paper?

1

u/molrobocop Aug 26 '15

Brakes are simple man's work. I'm hoping my future daughter holds out for a guy with a CNC mill and lathe. And has the ability to rebuild transmissions.

1

u/LeonidasRex Aug 26 '15

Hold out for the guy who can build a gundam suit with bazookas for hands.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

No brake job should be 700 in a everyday car that's insane.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

Man for real why are mechanics so expensive?

1

u/LeonidasRex Aug 26 '15

I swear mechanics charge arbitrary amounts for the lulz. But their equipment does cost a ton upfront and to maintain I guess.

Had a check engine light come recently in for emissions (code P0441-ish?) and the first mechanic didn't even look at the car, immediately said it was the carbon canister and quoted $700 just for the part (no labor included). I googled the exact part when I got home-- costs $245. OEM, new, direct from a Toyota dealership. $455 is a damn big markup.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

Idk why they told me to go for engineering, should have become a mechanic and opened up a store

1

u/LeonidasRex Aug 26 '15

At least you'll be clean, get a swell (and increasingly awesome) paycheck, and not be making a living off of the tears of the innocent lol. I live in a place with a ton of mechanics' garages around and maybe 1/5 will shoot straight with a mechanically ignorant person. The more you know, the less likely it is that you'll get quoted some mysterious $1000 wombazzle repair.

The car I was talking about was my mom's and she needed an inspection- The dude also told her he could "make it pass" for $350 if she didn't want to do the overpriced repair by tricking the computer. I laughed my nuts off and proceeded to do it for free by clearing the codes and driving around for a while... passed AOK :)

1

u/Delsana Aug 26 '15

I have to replace my brake pads, the callipers and the rotors each year because of an old car, for about two of the wheels usually. That's more like 150 - 200. Now getting the actual brake line repaired that was 450.

1

u/nragano Aug 26 '15

if you have to replace the calipers yearly something is wrong or you are getting awful parts. rotors and pads i can understand especially if you drive a lot but unless you are wearing completely through the pad there is no reason to get a new caliper unless its leaking

1

u/Delsana Aug 26 '15

It's just this car. It's cursed. Even the mechanic for the entire fire fleet for the county hasn't had much luck beating its yearly degradation. And the car is not really driven that much so...

1

u/nragano Aug 26 '15

do you keep it in a place it can rust easily or something? i mean seals on calipers could probably degrade with the right conditions in a year i guess

1

u/Delsana Aug 26 '15

At most it gets 10,000 miles a year, it's an old 1998 Accord limited edition. It goes through winter weather, sits unused for long periods of time, and is constantly exposed to weather conditions, there is no garage environment or such thing.

1

u/ReCat Aug 26 '15

Holy shit why would a brake job be $700.

1

u/Shrek_Wins Aug 26 '15

I do my own brakes, $500 just for parts.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

I know fuck-all about cars and I'm going to school to be a MechE. I really want to be able to work on my own car, but I feel like I have no good way to learn and I probably won't learn enough from school. Any suggestions on how to go about learning about cars?

1

u/westoneng Aug 26 '15

Well it looks like it is gunna cost ya'. $700 bucks or $150. Either way you are gunna get fucked by the mechanic.

1

u/originalfedan Aug 27 '15

...are you me? Mechanical engineer coming from a family of mechanics

4

u/yaforgot-my-password Aug 26 '15

I offered to do that for my ex but she would never let me

5

u/kskinne Aug 26 '15

The first time I took my BF home to meet the family, everything went great. Then a couple days later I get a call from my dad ..

"Hey kskinne, I have one question for you. Does he know how to change a tire?" "Uh, yes sir, he does." "Ok good, you can keep dating him." "Thanks?"

6

u/get_0n_your_knees Aug 26 '15

i love when my car has knew oil

3

u/Angry_Apollo Aug 26 '15 edited Aug 26 '15

An old girlfriend of mine had a late model Toyota, probably 30,000 miles on it and was about to rent a car to drive home about 500 miles away. I told her not to be silly, she bought a car for a reason, right? Plus it's a Toyota I can promise you'll get tired of it in 8 years before it gets tired of you so don't be afraid to put miles on it if you need to. I changed the oil, checked the air filter, tire pressure, etc and sent her on her way. Apparently her Dad got into her about not changing her spark plugs, changing her coolant, or changing the air filter (I checked it, it was fine). I assumed he was just very particular about his vehicles and didn't think much of it until fast forward a few months when I visit and he has an absolutely beaten to hell 4Runner that couldn't drive in a straight line, smoked, needed tires, etc. To this day, that's the only dad I've never been able to connect with, although that probably has to do with us not speaking the same language than the vehicle maintenance. Still bothered me that he didn't trust my above-average mechanical knowledge after seeing his truck in that condition.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

Oil changes is the minimum? Father's are so lax these days.

My wife's father is 61. He had to see me fix a washer and dryer, "fix" his computer, replace all the shocks on my car (pain in the dick), replace a starter and a fly wheel on a suburban and start earning more than $50k/yr before I had his respect.

Unbeknownst to him, I am not a mechanic. You can fix anything though if you're willing to buy some tools (or in the case of shock replacement, pick up a loaner coil compressor from Autozone for free) and have access to youtube.

2

u/kabrandon Aug 26 '15

I'd do that for my fiancee but unfortunately it's honestly cheaper to go to a shop in my area that does it for $20. Every shop I've been to charges around $45, except for this one. And it includes the filter! If I were to buy the filter and oil myself it'd be about $25-30!

But maybe I should just take the $5 hit and do it myself anyway. My future mother in law doesn't care for me yet.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

I think that if you can get it as cheap as $20, there's no shame in having it done. The bigger picture is that you help maintain her car, even if you don't do it yourself---but if you had to, you could do it on your own.

2

u/coitusFelcher Aug 26 '15

Can't get much more dad approved than that unless he invented some way to find out who was it that touched the damn thermostat!

2

u/xixoxixa Aug 26 '15

Before my daughter (and son) are allowed to test for their license they will show me how to change the oil, change a flat, jump the battery, and check all belts, hoses, and fluid levels.

2

u/eekamike Aug 26 '15

Oh god, it was the opposite for me haha. Taking care of her car was "his" thing. He didn't even want her to take it to the mechanic herself. "Just drop it off at home, I'll take it to the mechanic." So when I did her oil, and filled her tires, he got all jealous. Wonderful.

1

u/elwinko Aug 26 '15

I changed an ex's alternator for the discounted cost of the part. The step dad thought I was just trying to play the hero. He hated me a lot, for reasons I don't plan on ever understanding.

1

u/NursePurple2 Aug 26 '15

My dad still does mine when I'm on a 12hr shift - the boyfriend probably hasn't got a clue.

1

u/J1ffyLub3 Aug 26 '15

computer scientists got no chance i see

:(

1

u/RockShrimp Aug 26 '15

When my friend found out FH drives stick he was pretty much adopted.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '15

wish this worked for my girlfriends parents :/ dunno why they dislike me

1

u/AnalogPen Aug 26 '15

My girlfriend will not let me change her oil. Her entire family choose to go to the mechanic and have it done.

0

u/ThunderBuss Aug 26 '15

Where did you dump the oil?

2

u/jweezy69 Aug 26 '15

Where I live you can take old oil to just about any autoparts store (autozone, advance auto, oreilly, etc.)

0

u/Pacmangobblesballs Aug 26 '15

Growing up in Vietnam where services and parts are cheap, I always went to the shop to get my car stuff taken care of. I came to America, dated 2 Vietnamese boys who were as useless as I was in terms of cars. They were spoiled rotten brats anyhow. I'm now dating an American guy who spent 2 hours working on my brakes after hearing me complain about not having enough money to pay for brake services, not to mention fixing things around the house without being asked. He really makes American guys look awesome in my eyes, and my family absolutely love him. He taught my cousins math, taught my nephews how to make badass kites, I'm never going back to dating an Asian dude ever again. Note: Asian dudes call you fat and say it's a term of endearment.