I announced with the confidence of a presidential candidate 18 months before the general election that I could fix the Toyota’s right rear blinker.
Easy, I declared. I’ve watched YouTube videos: unscrew and remove the light assembly, extract the bulb housing, untwist the faulty bulb, repeat in reverse.
My wife doesn’t roll her eyes at my announcements. She’s too kind.
She also doesn’t believe them. She’s too smart.
“Are you sure?” she said without inflection.
The task started as in the videos, and the trip to AutoZone for a lightbulb went well. I spent $9.60.
The troubles began at “repeat in reverse.” I struggled to replace the bulb housing and then inadvertently let it smack the car. A bulb shattered.
So, I drove to Advance Auto Parts for a second bulb (different store, different clerk, less embarrassment). I spent another $10.99.
Back home, I couldn’t get the newer bulb to fit. Nothing worked. I cursed (not) quietly.
“I can’t fix it,” I said like a candidate after a round of primary elections.
The mechanic at Steve’s Friendly BP charged $23.49.
The Car Repair Diaries
A Fixidiot Succeeds, With Difficulty
Got to love the guys at Steve’s. But feel good: I had to replace a headlight during an inspection at a fast-lube place. It was $84 because it had to go on a lift and be strip-searched or something.
I got cheap, even with purchases of bulbs I never used!