Are you a mechanic?

After running a few errands yesterday morning, I went to C's house cuz we were going to Saturday Market in Portland. It was sunny and warm, we were dressed in capri's, flip flops and t-shirts; a beautiful day! I parked at C's house and went in to get her her, and when we got out to my car and tried to start it **Click click click** it wouldn't start. CRAP! Just Friday we had to jump C's car cuz it also croaked. We get the car jumped and started and off we went, but first LUNCH. We drove up to Hazel Dell for some taco's and drove a pretty good ways to let my battery charge. After lunch, **Click click click** DOUBLE CRAP!!

A car had just pulled up next to us, so I asked if he'd help us jump the car. Luckily we were smart enough to put the jumper cables in the trunk before we left. The man was clearly annoyed that we were asking him to help us. THANKS DUDE!! 5 min later the car was started and it was decided that perhaps I should just suck it up and get a new battery. WalMart was next door, but the Auto area had a line, so we decided to head down the road.

The only thing open was The Brake Specialists (their sign says they do all auto repair). FANTASTIC! Plus, they weren't busy at all. I pulled up and asked if they could replace a battery. YES, please pull up and we'll to a diagnostic on the car to see what's happening. I pull only 1/2 into the bay (that's where he stopped me) and he (mechanic 1)goes off to find the dx machine. Meanwhile the other mechanic (mechanic 2) in the place was looking for and complaining about these blocks of wood that he couldn't find. He went on and on and on about these wood pieces. We could only raise an eyebrow at each other and continue to wait for M1 to return. He finally came back with the machine and hooked it up to my battery and futzed around for a while. "I can't get a reading". OK, we'll you're the expert dude. So he tells me to turn off the car. I ask if he has a way to jump my car.

"Dude, do we have a jumper in case her car doesn't start?" M1asks the other M2.
"uh, I think we do" says M2
Off they went to locate the jumper. They return with it and I turn off the car. CLICK CLICK CLICK. They jump my car and the dx begins. Rev my engine, idol, rev again. Well, it's not my alternator. TERRIFIC!! Cuz I know all about alternator problems - UGH! But the dx machine doesn't see a problem with my battery either. So I ask "could it be the corrosion on the terminals?" M2 replies "yep, could be".

REALLY???!!!?? The M1 had left to look for something and returns and calls M2 to help him find the "book". M1 returns about 5 min later and explains that he can't locate the book which has the pricing for the batteries, so he doesn't know how much to charge me. AND the said book also includes the size battery needed for my car.

"I'll need you to walk next door to Shucks Auto supply and buy a battery and I'll put it in for you" says M1

With this C looks at me and says quietly, "if we weren't local, I swear we'd be drug out to the woods and killed" Cuz I could clearly hear the dueling banjo's in the background. We chose the one place with mechanics who are definitely NOT the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree. Plus, M1 had a definite Canadian accent, which didn't help his cause. Off we walked across the parking lot to buy a battery. About 1/2 way back M1 gets off his ass and realizes that perhaps he should walk (no saunter) over and actually carry the ubber heavy battery.

He connects the new battery and asks me to start the car. Not even a click click click. Grrrrr!! He unconnects and reconnects the battery - using the back of the wrench to pound the connections onto the battery. The car starts and he puts the brace on the battery. I ask him how much to pay him and he waves me off. THANK GOODNESS! I thought of handing him some cash, but then I thought HEY, we had to schlep across the parking lot to buy a new battery and C carried it back cuz you couldn't find a book.

Needless to say, we didn't make it to Portland. C is leaving for a business trip today and it was late in the afternoon and she needed to get some things completed at home. I have a new battery in my car and have realized that I only hear the dueling banjo's around the time of C's Birthday - which is next weekend. Last year, we had a WILD adventure returning from Seattle where we also heard those banjo's playing.