Just a little rant I needed to get off my chest, about the epitome of the luck I have been having lately. I have this little project Volvo I have been playing with lately (I know, I know, but I have plans for it
), so this weekend was motor mounts. It has a vibration under acceleration, and it has been driving me crazy. So, spent Saturday with the car up on ramps, and get 4 of the 5 replaced, as the 5th requires the wheel to be removed. Start off Sunday thinking I should go ahead and change the oil as I have no idea of this car's history and it is there on ramps with the under plastic off. Look up what oil and filter I need, and head to the auto parts store as soon as they open. Get home and drain and remove filter. Now, this being weird euro, has a paper filter element inside a plastic reusable threaded "cup" if you will. The filter housing is kinda encased into an opening around the engine, so you can't get a direct fit on it, but with everything dry, I can get a strap wrench on it enough to grip and get it off. Putting it back on, no such luck! Just having a little bit of oil on the plastic case makes it slippery enough that the strap wrench won't work at all. So, whatever, I need the proper filter wrench ............... but the size I need is specific to Volvo and BMW, and not a single local auto parts store has one in stock. The only way I can get my hands on one that day is with a 17-piece kit from HFT for a whopping $69. I don't care at this point, I want to get this thing on the road and feel the pleasure of no vibration!!! Head to the HFT about 25 minutes south of me, that says they have them in stock online, and nope, they don't. Get them to check the stock of the store about 20 minutes north of me, and they have one. Whatever, let's do this! Get to that store, and there are like thirty people in line. I find the kit, and stand in line for 20 minutes, and head home. Get home and open it up, and there is one wrench missing from the kit .................. guess which one?
Then decide to move on to replacing a headlight bulb that was out. Again, weird euro, I have to remove half the front bumper to remove the headlight assembly, to remove the bulb. Finally get to it, and it isn't really the bulb as much as the plug that is burnt up and arcing out. Have to order a new H11 plug.
Then while just playing around under the hood, I hit my hand up against a random vacuum switch assembly, and it just breaks off and a spring pops out, landing in nowhere land. Have to order a new one of those.
Then just decide to install a hitch receiver on it, and had to whack it a couple of times with a sledge hammer, but it went on fairly well.
So, in about 5 hours or so of working on the car on Sunday, I got a hitch installed!
