RIP-OFF MECHANICS

RIP-OFF MECHANICS

 

A friend lent me his Dodge Caravan. The car had a strong whiff of cigarette smoke and stale beer. There were also stains that resembled the color of light-colored mustard or ketchup.

 Nonetheless, I was glad to have the car. While driving, I observed that there was this crazy sound when I stepped on the brakes. A loud thud - the mother of all thuds and you know how mothers can be - followed by crazy vibrations. 

 I got worried and went to a mechanic. He gave me the bad news. The brake pads were worn and it had affected the drums. The pad runs on the disc, causes scoring and critically impacted the brake performance. I needed to fix the car urgently, or else! 

 As it turned out, the mechanic was a dodgy fellow. There was, naturally, a non-refundable fee for the diagnosis. I would get the full bill after the required extensive repairs. I didn't have the amount of cash he mentioned and a sixth sense told me this was a rip-off merchant.  

 It occurred to me that the sound I heard when I stepped on the brake was like something being flung about. I also remembered that my friend keeps a lot of junk in the trunk of his car.

I opened the trunk and the clutter was unbelievable. A spare tire, two switchblades, shoes, duct tape, tire iron, jumper cables, electric cables, work gloves, shovel, etc. It was like looking for weapons of mass destruction that may or may not be hidden away in Iraq. Some, if not most, of the items were useful things one should keep close at hand. However, the collection of handy items were lying about in an untidy mass. I eventually tidied up the clutter. I drive out and step hard on the brakes, the noise is gone. The brakes are just fine. It was the clutter that made the crazy-loud thud as the collection of items were thrown about in the trunk.