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to sell bff on all sorts of other services. We've both been burned in the past by mechanics, or people in the service department, assuming that as women, we knew nothing about cars (in my case they're right) and telling us we need a bunch of services we weren't expecting to need. Bff had a mechanic try to get her to put on new brake pads--said hers were "shot". She told him her brother had *just* replaced her brake pads not two weeks prior. She never used that mechanic again.

I was once told by a mechanic that if I didn't replace my battery right then and there, I "wouldn't make it home". Foolish me...I said OK, do that, and it cost me $180, roughly 20 years ago. I got home, told Dad...he shook his head, said he doubted my battery was that low as I didn't drive that much (a benefit of living so close to work) and told me he could've gotten me a battery for about $50 and put it in himself. Ever since then, I've been VERY hesitant to have a service done that I wasn't SURE I needed done.

Bff and I both miss a mutual mechanic we had shortly after we got out of college. We both purchased Hyundai Elantras from Ed Pike Hyundai (which closed quite a while ago and was razed and replaced with a Target so...a loss turned into sort of a win). Sheldon was easily the best mechanic I've ever dealt with. One of the things I loved most about him was his honesty. He told both bff and me--and we both believed him--that he had a wife and four daughters, and he wouldn't want a mechanic cheating any of them, so he wasn't about to cheat someone else's wife or daughter. Sheldon was also a funny guy. Just months after I bought my Elantra (the only car I've ever bought that was brand new), the horn stopped working. When I brought the car to him to fix, he thought that was hilarious. He kept asking me "do you have a lot of road rage? Is that why your horn doesn't work?". Another time, bff took her Elantra to Sheldon very early in the morning for a fairly routine service. The Hyundai dealership was right next door to a plaza with several shops; both bff and I would bypass the waiting room and walk over to Panera or Kohl's or (back in the day) Borders bookstore. This time, bff got so engrossed in her shopping, she failed to notice what time it was. Cellphones were around then but not so much texting...she actually got a call from Sheldon begging her (with a laugh) to come back and get her car. We both miss Sheldon and would've followed him to another dealership or shop had we known where he was going (and if he was remaining a mechanic).

A little OT but...all bff's talk yesterday of how scrupulous she is about maintaining her vehicle reminded me I need to make an appointment for my Kona's 30,000 mile checkup. I did some calling around today to get estimates...it's amazing how much the dealerships want for a fairly simple checkup. $280 if I just want the oil changed, the air cabin filter changed and a few items inspected, $380 if I also want my tires rotated and balanced (I don't). And one place was so desperate to know my identity...it was annoying me how the guy wanted my name, my phone number, my VIN, etc. I didn't give him any of that--I told him I had a 2020 Hyundai Kona, SEL Plus, FWD. That was all he needed to know. He eventually put me on hold and then I got an automated system telling me everyone was too busy to talk to me and could I call back later? Nope. This wasn't even a place nearby; the dealership is 45 minutes away, and the only reason I was considering it is...wait for it...I like the town it's in. There's some great shops and not one but two restaurants I *really* love (including one of the two last Arthur Treacher's left in the world). Guess I'll have to go out there some day just for a day of fun, not a car service appointment.