Seriously, I can flog the crap out of it, and it doesn't care, but it always tries to get even with me when I try to do something nice for it...


So after work today I decided to change out the brake pads on the Audi today and take the spacers off the rear (with the 10mms back there, the new -- slightly wider -- tires rub). Yeah, the tire sizes are the same size, but you know how different manufacturers apparently use different measuring equipment, and I couldn't do it before because I just got my box o' parts back from APR relatively recently.

Pass side went beautifully.

And then the driver's side conspired to kill me -- and continues to do so:
One of the frickin' bolts that holds the piece that holds the pads in is apparently stripped. Pretty damned stripped at that, and there's no good effing way to get the thing out of there. I ultimately put a small hole in the meat of the index finger on my left hand (despite wearing gloves during this operation) whilst using an allen wrench, a rubber mallet and a screwdriver (yes, in conjunction with each other -- yeah, stupid, I know. Shut up). Anyway, after using the mighty trinity o' tools to get it moving, I was able to use the ViseGrips and the aforementioned rubber mallet to remove the bolt (yes, in conjunction with each other).

That ultimately revealed that the piece that holds the pads in has a hairline crack on one of the sides (which may or may not have happened when I inflicted the mighty trinity on the bolt that was going through it).



Everything went back together okay, and after I first tentatively and then aggressively checked out and then bedded in the new pads, I think it'll hold (knock on wood) until I can get some replacement parts from Stoptech.


I'm going to go grab another glass of Scotch...

My damned finger hurts.

 

damn dude- by the way... i want ur front bumper. what is it?

 

You have all kinds of fun with your brakes, eh? :-\

And I do apologize, but all I could think of after reading the last line of your post is: "Well now your back's gonna hurt because you just pulled landscaping duty. Check out the nametag. You're in my world now, Grandma."

 

Here's a <a href="http://www.ttstuff.com/accessories_styling_dmc.php">link</a>.

 

I helped my uncle dig some post holes for a fence, moved a big pile of gravel, flattened some areas of a hill to make a 'natural' staircase, and a few other 'round the yard' sort of things...


But you're right -- I need to mow my effing yard. =/


Oh, and yeah, my brakes and I... well, they save me pretty much every day. I suppose they just demand a tithe of either blood or money sometimes.

Sometimes both, apparently. *sigh*

 

My car does not like me either. It thanked me for sinking 2 grand into a new clutch by springing a leak in the turbo after-run coolant pump.

Oh and my alignment is off too.

Are you going to TT-E?

 

Are you and -- crap, I can't remember -- [Ch/K]ris coming?

 

I am, but Kris ain't coming -- Target duties, you know.

Her new position is HR manager for her store, so I should expect a few prank calls of "team members" complaining of harassment...

 

Hmm... what was the call I made all those years ago?

I seem to remember us thinking that was much funnier than she did.

 

Her last position was overnight logistics (i.e. her team restocked the store at night). You would call claiming to be the distribution center and are sending an extra truck to her store tonight (which is totally legit, and sucks when that happens).