LAC! Dawn of the Type44 Dead

[Brett Dikeman]

At 3:32 PM -0700 4/12/04, Chris Dyer wrote:
>My wee anecdote of this morning:
>
>So I'm at the dry cleaner gathering my clothes out of the back of my 
>'87 5ktq. There's a scary looking and acting guy walking my way, but 
>I continue. I notice he's walking slowly towards me! Scary big-city 
>moment. Where's my howitzer!? He approaches the trunk and in a very 
>antagonistic tone asks, "Lemme ask ya sumthin. How in the HELL do 
>you keep that thing RUNNING?! I had a 100, it was the biggest piece 
>of sh!t I ever OWNED!" [insert sarcastic door handle response here]
>
>I'm perplexed. Flee or fight? Does he want to kill me, or attack the 
>car? Or find the fountain of Audi youth? I continue on without 
>answering...best not provoke or confuse it. He walks away as if he 
>never asked the question. Maybe he's headed over to the guy with the 
>Peugeot 505? The lady in the Fiat 124? Anyway, murder avoided. Weird 
>Audi moment documented.
>
>Gotta love L.A. (it's the people I'm not so sure...)

I can top that.

I had a conversation with a mechanic a week ago regarding a 
transmission swap for the 200q20v(it munched itself due to owner 
negligence).

"Hi, SRS recommended you since their schedule was booked solid.  I 
need a transmission swap done."

"Ok, what kind of car?"

"1991 Audi 200 Quattro 20 valve turbo"

"Ok, first off, why are you dumping money into this pig?"

It deteriorated from there into his declaring it an "5000", then 
refuting my correction by stating "well, all the mechanicals are the 
same" despite the fact that from the rims to the air filter, 
virtually nothing in the entire powertrain/drivetrain save the block 
is the same between the 20vt and the 10vt.

I was desperate and made an appointment in case I couldn't find 
anyone else.  I have never had someone work SO hard to piss me off SO 
fast.  Needless to say, someone else got the job...and wouldn't you 
know, I plumb forgot to cancel my appointment(actually, I honestly 
did.  But shucks, I can't say I felt all that bad when I remembered 
the night before).

The best part?  I got an email the day of the appointment which was a 
mild surprise, since I hadn't given him my email address.  No rocket 
science involved, but then, neither is hanging around your 
ex-girlfriend's apartment with binoculars, and both are pretty much 
"stalking"...anyway, the email lambasted me for:

a)failing to cancel the appointment despite his self-admitted rudeness
b)being "obsessed" with my car
c)not having a girlfriend(and needing to get one.  No arguments on 
there, but I hardly need him to point it out; as Paul Royal 
cheerfully put it, "Hey, giving you crap is my job").

  Finally, it wished me "good luck" trying to find a mechanic with 
nearly his 25 years of experience("you have the right to get your car 
NOT serviced at the best mechanic in town"); nevermind his website 
bio says he's in his 30's.  I don't know many people who started 
repairing cars when they were less than 10 years old, does anyone 
else?

I have been debating whether to submit his info to Mike for the 
"mechanics to avoid" list.

Brett
-- 
"They that give up essential liberty to obtain temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Ben Franklin
http://www.users.cloud9.net/~brett/