Don't get in a hurry! Work Safely! Doing maintenance and repairs to your car can be frustrating. Sometimes a bolt won't start, or it tries to cross thread. The oil filter just won't start. You are lying there on the blanket and your arm is giving out...I know you would like to, but please don't get up and throw the oil filter down the street. You have to have patience! If you don't have them, then you have to adopt them. Having patience and not getting in a hurry helps you work safely, and cuts down on anti-acid pills. :-) Don't wear 'loose' clothing...like a shirt that's two sizes too large. If the sleeve gets caught in the fan, or alternator belt... Um, um, um! Keep children (yours and others) away from the vehicle while you are working on it. You don't want them to crank the engine while you are holding a sparkplug wire! :-( Another thing to keep away is your pet. I have a miniature Winnie dog (course he don't know he's a dog). If I get under a car to work on something, he thinks he is supposed to help! But you can do much more without their playful help. :-) Wear some type of eye protection when you are using a drill, grinder, a sander (if you are doing body work), or while you are underneath the car. Bi-focals don't work too good, especially when you're working under the dash! Protect your eyes, they are not like teeth, you can't get new ones! When you are using fluids in a container, such as brake fluid, automatic transmission fluid, gasoline, or anti-freeze (summer coolant), be sure to replace the cap as soon as you get through with it. No matter if you're not completely through or not...just put the cap back on. You never know who is going to come over to see what you are doing..."Watch th...!" :-( If you have spilled oil or some other slippery liquid on the floor, get it up. You may not step in it and track it on the living room carpet, but somebody might. There's a person living here that I've never met, named "I-Don't-Know." My children used to blame everything on him. And now that they are all moved out, I-Don't-Know stayed! While we're at it, dispose of the oily rags and towels that you have after each job. Don't just throw them in a corner of the garage. Oily cloth and paper in a closed place, especially when the sun shines on them, can cause a spontaneous combustion"now we don't need the fire department over here, do we? :-( |
