My first car accident

[DGuller]

Also, seriously?  Changing a tire is like a 5-minute job, 10 or maybe 15 if the hub's rusted onto the wheel and/or the bolts are stubborn.  You just jack up the car, undo the bolts, give it a kick to make sure it comes off the wheel, put the donut on, put the bolts back on, clean up, and drive away.

There is no fucking way I'm changing a tire on BQE.  If I tried doing that, police would come and give me a ticket for impeding traffic, haul me away for suicide watch, or pick up my body.  A 60 mph highway with substandard width lanes and no shoulder is just no place to change a tire, even if you change tires for a living.  My life is worth more than $130. 

Also, it took the tow truck driver 20 minutes to put on the spare after he drove off to a safe location, and I assume he wasn't learning on the job when he did it.  VW wheels and widowmaker jack are quite tricky to operate.

[DGuller]

Anyway, I'll drive by to Sears first and see what they say.  Maybe the tire just instantly deflated in a way that doesn't damage it.  I don't know if that's possible these days, but it's worth a try.  I have a Sears 5 minutes away from me.

[Grey Fox]

Was your VW made in Mexicartel?

[Barrister]

Anyway, I'll drive by to Sears first and see what they say.  Maybe the tire just instantly deflated in a way that doesn't damage it.  I don't know if that's possible these days, but it's worth a try.  I have a Sears 5 minutes away from me.

A large bump could cause the tire to lose its seal, which means there is no damage to the tire itself.

[DGuller]

Was your VW made in Mexicartel?

Yes.

[Grey Fox]

Was your VW made in Mexicartel?

Yes.

Poor you.

[DGuller]

Why?  It's been running fine when not hitting objects or holes.

[Razgovory]

Wait a moment...  You claim to have helped put together a race car, yet you've never changed a tire.   That's like basic maintenance.

[DGuller]

Wait a moment...  You claim to have helped put together a race car, yet you've never changed a tire.   That's like basic maintenance.

It's easier to work on a 500 lb car in a workshop, on top of a stand, than it is to work on a 3200 lb production car in the middle of a poorly-designed highway.   And, as a matter of fact, I've never had to change a tire either on a race car or on my car.

[Razgovory]

Wait a moment...  You claim to have helped put together a race car, yet you've never changed a tire.   That's like basic maintenance.

It's easier to work on a 500 lb car in a workshop, on top of a stand, than it is to work on a 3200 lb production car in the middle of a poorly-designed highway.   And, as a matter of fact, I've never had to change a tire either on a race car or on my car.

I find this very bizarre.  Do you know how to check the oil?  Replace a headlight?  I've changed lots of tires, and everything in Missouri is poorly designed.

[DGuller]

I find this very bizarre.  Do you know how to check the oil?  Replace a headlight?  I've changed lots of tires, and everything in Missouri is poorly designed.

I know how to do all those things, I have the dealership location saved on my GPS.

[Habbaku]

   Oh, dear.

[Razgovory]

I defended you when everyone was making fun of your car club thing.  I think they were right now.  Fuck, I learned how to do these kind of things before I learned to drive.  These are basic things a father teaches a son.

[Grey Fox]

Eh, I don't know how to change an headlight either. I suppose that day will eventually come but I hope I won't have to learn it on a busy highway.

You guys are all dodging DG's main point of why he didn't change his tire. It's on a shoulder-less highway.

Street view of it : http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=bqe+new+york+city&hl=en&ll=40.69866,-73.996823&spn=0.000065,0.040941&sll=11.299203,-15.838754&sspn=0.087365,0.163765&vpsrc=6&hq=bqe&hnear=New+York,+United+States&t=h&fll=40.699479,-73.989272&fspn=0.016886,0.040941&z=15&layer=c&cbll=40.69866,-73.996823&panoid=hNiGr15rdhMkS92eSF8pmQ&cbp=12,10.24,,0,25.75

[DGuller]

I defended you when everyone was making fun of your car club thing.  I think they were right now.  Fuck, I learned how to do these kind of things before I learned to drive.  These are basic things a father teaches a son.

I'm the first driver in the family.  Anyway, there is a world of difference between a very crude and basic racecar, and a production car that has every nook and cranny filled with some equipment, and a lot of it sealed. 

Our racecar was very basic; the only stuff it had was the stuff needed to make it go, and the roll cage to protect you in an accident.  Nothing else was on it: no AC, no radio, no windshield wipers, no electronics besides basic engine ECU, nothing.  There was plenty of clearance and access to different parts, and you knew exactly what each part did.  I also did not service the complicated parts of the car like the engine, or any of the fluid lines, where some expertise is required.

Production cars these days are filled with all kinds of stuff, and you really have to know what you're doing besides the very basic stuff.  I know enough to know what I don't know, and given how rarely I need to service my car, and how extremely inconcenient it is to do it in a city where there is no space to work on it, it's just not worth it to learn.

Besides, when I made claims based on my racecar experience, I was talking about knowing how cars work from an engineering perspective.  I wasn't talking about knowing how to service cars.