Truck in Shop - Out of Commission

[stevef1201]

First thank God you are allright. Brake lines letting go when 'out' can lead to a terrible accident. Next thankfully you could get to the shop, and have one that will not screw you too bad on the repair. ( I consider all mechanics to charge too much). I feel for you and others who do not have the knowledge or place or tools to do you own repairs. I grew up learning how to repair things, do auto maintenance, rebuild engines tranmissions etc, so I do all my own work. I had to rebuild my entire brake system in Feb, cost me about 1000 bucks, new lines, master, wheels cylenders, calipers, drums, rotors. I could not imagine how much all that would have cost at a shop. Hope you are up and running soon

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Sorry about that happening. You would think something as important as a brake line would be engineered better. I just don't know why they are made so crappy. For those interested, you can get the brake line flaring tools at autozone for free to use. They just hold a credit card number in case you don't bring it back. A little playing around with making the fittings and you can do it. Once you put them on, check for leaks and if no leaks, you are good to go. Regardless of the size, it's easy to bend them with the right tool.

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[Hedgemaster]

Originally Posted by Lopes Lawn Care

That really sucks Hedge, hope your back up and running soon. I had a line break yrs ago. My pops who's a mechanic came by and put a vise grip on the broken line. This prevented the fluid from coming out when I pressed the brakes and made it possible for me to make it home to fix the line. Sect is right, it was fairly easy to fix if you get the pre-shaped lines.

It's really surprising that the brake lines would go only after 55,000 miles. My ford f150 has got 220,000 on it and I've only replaced one line. Not to say that they weren't changed before I bought the truck.

Meh. Could be a "Chevy thing" for all I know - every brand has it's flaws.
The truck is in really good condition overall, but it does see a ton of salt in the winter and that's a pretty tough thing to battle.

Also, it may only have 55,000 miles, but it's 11 years old.

[Hedgemaster]

Originally Posted by stevef1201

First thank God you are allright. Brake lines letting go when 'out' can lead to a terrible accident.

Next thankfully you could get to the shop, and have one that will not screw you too bad on the repair. ( I consider all mechanics to charge too much).

I feel for you and others who do not have the knowledge or place or tools to do you own repairs.

I grew up learning how to repair things, do auto maintenance, rebuild engines tranmissions etc, so I do all my own work. I had to rebuild my entire brake system in Feb, cost me about 1000 bucks, new lines, master, wheels cylenders, calipers, drums, rotors. I could not imagine how much all that would have cost at a shop.

Hope you are up and running soon

Yeah, I keep trying to focus on the good. It's really good that I decided against doing any of the jobs that were a ten mile highway drive away when I heard the noise in the front end. I'd have lost my brakes too far away to even consider making it home and could have potentially had a very, VERY bad day if they went out at the wrong time. At a minimum, I'd be miles away, broken down, with a trailer to worry about towing away as well.

Growing up, I helped/watched my father do everything imaginable with his hands from building our home, to fabricating body parts, to swapping engines, to true custom paint jobs. I just didn't really pick up on it - it doesn't come naturally like it did for him. I'm an artist - not a mechanic.
Fortunately I have enough knowledge to get me through most minor mechanical problems, and can handle most home repairs, but working on cars isn't something I'm comfortable with - at least not when it comes to such an important component.

[Hedgemaster]

Just came home with the truck.

$1,525.00

It's raining so hard I didn't bring the bill in the house with me, but when I looked at it the labor alone was $700.

At least they had it finished as promised. Actually, they didn't "promise" it would be done - they said they would do their best to have it for me tonight. And they did.




In continuing to look at the "good" in all of this, it rained most of the day yesterday and rained HARD all day today, so if I were to pick a time to have the truck down for repairs, this would be it!

[jrayb39667]

glad you got your truck back hedge. look on the bright side. maybe the rain will make the grass grow and get you an extra cutting or two before it stops growing to help foot the bill for your repairs

[LawnBoy0311]

You lucked out with the rain! Glad to know you got your truck back.

[stevef1201]

Originally Posted by LawnBoy0311

You lucked out with the rain! Glad to know you got your truck back.

No luck involved, he prayed hard for that rain. Now he can tell his customers 'it was raining', not 'my truck broke down because I didn't have the money to keep it up and running, you cheap bas***rds don't pay enough"

[LawnBoy0311]

Originally Posted by stevef1201

No luck involved, he prayed hard for that rain. Now he can tell his customers 'it was raining', not 'my truck broke down because I didn't have the money to keep it up and running, you cheap bas***rds don't pay enough"

ahhhhhhhhhhh so true!!!!!!!!!

[Steve]

How's it running now? Like new?

Would it be worthwhile in the future to have another family vehicle that could pull a trailer in case of emergencies like this?