The alternator on my car went kaput. Nowhere in my area would do the job for less than $800-something, and most places were quoting $900-$1k.
So I looked up how-tos on YouTube and it looked like something I, a woman with zero experience or knowledge of working on cars, could do.
I got a remanufactured alternator for $180 and got to work following the tutorials I’d found.
It certainly did not go smoothly, but I managed it. It took me 6 hours to get the alternator out, mainly because every goddamn bolt holding the parts in place were basically cemented in. I had to use my foot to stomp one loose because I didn’t have the strength in my arms.
Today I spent another 4 hours trying to put in the new one and all the parts back in place. And I did it!!
Except for the power steering belt. That fucker would not go into place, and trying to force the belt tensioner back took every ounce of strength I could muster.
All that work. All that time and effort and THE VERY LAST STEP to get my car up and running defeated me today. I had to get a task rabbit guy. He’s coming tomorrow to get my belt back on.
On one hand I feel proud that I made it this far. On the other I feel like a complete failure because it turns out I couldn’t complete the task myself.
Anyway, how was your weekend?
I think the “elderly” part may be biasing your decision. There are times in our lives when we have more time than money. Usually when we get older it flips to more money than time. There are still lots of things I do I could hire out (I still mow my own lawn as an example), but for skill trades for plumbing or complicated electrical I hire professionals.
Yup, it’s a lack of money for me at the moment. Had an event drain my emergency fund last week, this was just bad timing.
I’ve been there. You did wonderfully getting as far as you did. Especially as this sounds like close to your first time trying to accomplish something like this. You’ll continue to improve. You’ve got that extra money in your pocket as evidence that you did well.