I have mentioned before that I bought a piece o' crap car off a NZ site called Trade Me.
Whenever I crank the old girl up I always listen for the sound of something falling off or malfunctioning.
Rather than rattle off the list of dangerous experiences and constant costly repairs I have had to make, I'll just get straight to the latest loss.
Some days ago I realized that my right indicator light, cover and socket were missing.
This was weird and I still have no idea where it might have gone or when it came off.
I knew there was a junk yard up the road because I had passed it on numerous occasions and seriously contemplated selling my car to them for parts.
A few days ago I stopped by the place, which is called "Pick-A-Part," and asked about any Audis they might have on hand.
The place is really cool and has a sort of country fair/theme park feel to it. You pay $2 to get in, bring your own tools, remove the parts you need from the available cars on the lot and pay for them on your way out.
I told the lady I would come back with my toolkit and she gave me their website info so I could see what make and model of Audis they had.
I found that they had a 97 A4 as well as a 96 and 98.
Today I got out my teeny tiny tool kit and headed back.
The teenosaur went with me for moral support.
She decided to stay in the car while I went in and looked for my parts.
I was issued a high visibility vest and asked by the man at the gate if my tool kit was a child's version.
I was expecting this sort of thing and gave him a rather wan smile.
He told me where to find the Euro car section and sent me on my way.
I waddled off in that direction and soon found a blue Audi just like mine at the edge of the lot.
The part I needed was easy to pry out with my needle-nosed pliers and to my great relief, the whole assembly came out in one piece. It only needed to be separated from the plug wiring it into the car.
As I waddled back toward the office I got a double takes from two of the other guys out there harvesting parts for their cars.
I guess they don't get too many heavily pregnant shoppers on the lot.
I paid for the part at the office and the grand total was $11.
I returned to my car and triumphantly and showed the assembly to the teenosaur. She looked up briefly from her magazine before continuing with her reading.
I attached the socket to the plug and slid the two prongs into their holders. It fit beautifully.
I put the key in the ignition and turned on the right hand turn signal. It blinked steadily at the front of the car just as it should.
I did a small victory dance while the teenosaur looked around nervously to make sure no one was watching.
To recap:
Entry to Pick-A-Part: $2
Part Purchase: $ 11
Cost of Labor: $0
Grand total for the repair: $13
I will keep this place first in my thoughts for any future parts purchases.
With my piece o' crap Audi, there are bound to be plenty.
Whenever I crank the old girl up I always listen for the sound of something falling off or malfunctioning.
Rather than rattle off the list of dangerous experiences and constant costly repairs I have had to make, I'll just get straight to the latest loss.
Some days ago I realized that my right indicator light, cover and socket were missing.
This was weird and I still have no idea where it might have gone or when it came off.
I knew there was a junk yard up the road because I had passed it on numerous occasions and seriously contemplated selling my car to them for parts.
A few days ago I stopped by the place, which is called "Pick-A-Part," and asked about any Audis they might have on hand.
The place is really cool and has a sort of country fair/theme park feel to it. You pay $2 to get in, bring your own tools, remove the parts you need from the available cars on the lot and pay for them on your way out.
I told the lady I would come back with my toolkit and she gave me their website info so I could see what make and model of Audis they had.
I found that they had a 97 A4 as well as a 96 and 98.
Today I got out my teeny tiny tool kit and headed back.
The teenosaur went with me for moral support.
She decided to stay in the car while I went in and looked for my parts.
I was issued a high visibility vest and asked by the man at the gate if my tool kit was a child's version.
I was expecting this sort of thing and gave him a rather wan smile.
He told me where to find the Euro car section and sent me on my way.
I waddled off in that direction and soon found a blue Audi just like mine at the edge of the lot.
The part I needed was easy to pry out with my needle-nosed pliers and to my great relief, the whole assembly came out in one piece. It only needed to be separated from the plug wiring it into the car.
As I waddled back toward the office I got a double takes from two of the other guys out there harvesting parts for their cars.
I guess they don't get too many heavily pregnant shoppers on the lot.
I paid for the part at the office and the grand total was $11.
I returned to my car and triumphantly and showed the assembly to the teenosaur. She looked up briefly from her magazine before continuing with her reading.
I attached the socket to the plug and slid the two prongs into their holders. It fit beautifully.
I put the key in the ignition and turned on the right hand turn signal. It blinked steadily at the front of the car just as it should.
I did a small victory dance while the teenosaur looked around nervously to make sure no one was watching.
To recap:
Entry to Pick-A-Part: $2
Part Purchase: $ 11
Cost of Labor: $0
Grand total for the repair: $13
I will keep this place first in my thoughts for any future parts purchases.
With my piece o' crap Audi, there are bound to be plenty.
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