My car in going in for some routine maintenance work tomorrow -- oil change, rear differential fluid change, transmission fluid change and brake fluid change. It will likely cost $200 or so by the time the dust settles.
I used to go to different places for different things and it got so that I lost track of when and where I did what. So this year I'm getting 95% done at a local mechanic and when I need the really big stuff ie. timing belt and water pump, I take it directly to Honda as they do thousands of them.
Continuing on the automobile line of thought, I've pretty much secured myself some lessons on Standard driving with a good instructor.
It has been a bit of a feat finding suitable teachers. No schools seem to teach it anymore as there isn't the demand and they don't even have the proper teaching vehicles because their insurance makes it prohibitive.
Luckily, there are 2 schools in my province that specializes in stick shift driving/performance driving and I am excited to be in contact with one of them, bought the book and have read it through once already. It is a bit technical -- I have a lot to learn! (I tried the other school but have not gotten a reply yet...)
It scares me how most of the people I know who drive stick learned it through friends and not via proper instruction. Having read the book too, D has since corrected some of his driving ways and admitted that he needs practice on some things. He first learned to drive standard taking his boss (who was drunk) home and was taught by the drunk boss en route... OMG!
My experience with it was 21 years ago with an aunt who decided to buy herself a 5 Series BMW about the same time, who ended up hating it (she was not the best driver) and paying a truckload of money to get it converted to an automatic! What a shame -- it was a great car and after the change, looked terrible!
I figure that learning how to drive properly can only help should I decide to make Rally Car Driver my next career and we magically end up with a Subaru WRS STI... : )
Mr M would love to have an STI, we have a legacy GT instead and if he had the cash, it would be modded out. Fortunately I get too car sick to ever be his navigator, no rally racing for me! I learned to drive stick at the tender age of 13 when my dad pulled into a parking lot and said here, you drive! We only had stick shift cars so I had no choice but to learn stick. I wonder what the book would say I'm doing wrong, other than frying my clutch.
ReplyDeleteI really like the look of the Legacy but D is bent on the STI.
ReplyDeleteHe is a good driver as I am sure you are! He thinks I am being too anal and should just go out with him a few times and save the money.