Have you ever had one of those days where everything that can go wrong will go wrong? I have a friend that has one of those days, well, pretty much every day. He never fails to amaze as he regales us with his daily stories of ineptitude, from car repair problems to social faux pas. He seems happy enough to tell the stories, however, so I thought why not celebrate the misadventures of his everyday life by sharing a few of these stories with all of you. I’ve noticed in the last couple of weeks that many of his tales seem to be car-related, so that will be the theme for this edition. I won’t use his name – let’s just refer to him as “My Mate”.

Here they are: My Mate’s Woeful Car Stories.

Saturday: Fine + car keys

So, as it happens, My Mate was visiting one of his mates on a Saturday night. It was bucketing down with rain and he couldn’t find a free spot, so he parked his car in a No Stopping zone not too far away from his mate’s driveway. It’s late on a Saturday, he thought, and it’s pouring – who’s going to be handing tickets out at this time?

Unfortunately for My Mate, a particularly dedicated parking inspector was patrolling at that point, and My Mate wound up with an infringement notice. Of course, he didn’t realise this until he’d got in the car, started the engine and seen the ticket situated neatly under his wiper. He jumped out of the car to grab it and, perhaps out of habit, locked the door when he did so. And there he was… locked out of his running car in the pouring rain. And $220 poorer, too.

Tuesday: Ran out of petrol

You see that little gauge on your dashboard with the picture of the fuel pump on it? That’s your petrol gauge. But you knew that already. Presumably, you also knew that when the arrow points to ‘E’, that means it’s running low and it’s time to refuel. Unfortunately, My Mate doesn’t seem to understand these basic semantics and, in true form, pushed his last tank right to its limit.

Of course, the average person, if they were to run out of petrol, probably would have done so somewhere just a short walk to the nearest service station. My Mate did so on a stretch of road without a service station for 20 kilometres. Oh yeah – and his phone was out of battery. I almost forgot to mention that part. It was a long walk.

Friday: Stuck in the garage

Alright, so this one trumps even the previous two in terms of sheer stupidity. My Mate was about to drive out of the basement of his apartment block last Friday night when he realised he didn’t have the garage door buzzer. Couldn’t find it anywhere. Not sure how you lose a buzzer off your keyring, but that’s another matter. So his plan was to wait in the basement for someone – anyone – to either come or go. It took about half an hour, but eventually he heard the sound of a vehicle outside and, lo and behold, the garage door started opening.

He sat up in his car seat, put the keys in the ignition and got ready to make his way out – when he realised he’d drained the battery by leaving his radio and headlights on that whole time. His car wouldn’t start. To make matters worse, neither he nor the person who’d just arrived had any jumper leads. He decided to stay home that night. He found the buzzer down the side of the lounge the next morning.

Oh, and another note. A few weeks later, he was getting his car serviced by a mobile mechanic in the same garage, and he decided to share the stuck-in-the-garage story. Like I said, My Mate doesn’t mind sharing his misadventures. The mobile mechanic was kind enough not to laugh when pointing out the manual release button next to the garage door. Good bloke.

Lube Mobile are "The Mobile Mechanics" equipped and trained to perform any Car Repair or Car Service. We have a mechanic come to you at a time and a place convenient - 6 days a week. Convenience, Quality and Service are guaranteed. For more information or to make a booking, visit Car Service.

With the busy lives that so many of us lead, it can be downright impossible to get things done half of the time. In between managing home life, work life and social life, dealing with the minutiae of everyday life can be a real drag. However, you may not have considered just how many of these necessary services can come straight to your door, allowing you to get on with your life without having to set time aside. In this article, we’ll look at some of these options, from a car service to a personal trainer.

Food delivery

We’ll start out with the most obvious – food delivery. Everyone knows how to order a pizza or some Chinese food, but you may be surprised just how much food can be delivered to your door. Jump onto the websites of the major supermarkets, for example, and you’ll see that they offer services where your groceries are delivered to your home. There are home alcohol delivery services, too, which can be revealed with a quick Google search. It’s more expensive and it’s certainly not a 24-hour service (Australian laws prevent this), but it’s still pretty darn handy.

After hours home doctors

Instead of sitting for an hour or more in the waiting room of a medical centre, hoping that yours is the next name called out, you can arrange home visits after hours through websites such as Family Care. The GP will make his or her way out to your home – all you need to do is open the door and tell them your symptoms. After hours calls last from 6pm until 8am on Mondays to Friday, from noon onwards on Saturdays and all day on Sundays and public holidays, making it a particularly useful option to take advantage of on the weekend.

Mobile mechanics

As if setting the time aside to take your vehicle into a mechanics to be repaired isn’t enough, you’ll then have the added inconvenience of not having a car for the entire time it’s being fixed. With mobile mechanics , however, this isn’t a problem. The mobile mechanic will come to you – either at your home or at your office – and fix your car on the spot while you get on with your life. Whether it’s an unexpected problem that needs fixing or a standard car service in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide or any other major city, mobile mechanics are an excellent option.

Personal training

Many people who employ the use of a personal trainer are timid about their bodies and don’t have the confidence to get to a gym and work out in front of other people. For this reason, many personal trainers offer home services where they will come to you and take you through the necessary routines within the privacy of your walls. You will, however, need a home that’s large enough to complete personal training activities. If you have workout equipment of your own in your household, this is an added bonus, as the personal trainer can guide you through using this equipment to its fullest potential.

Lube Mobile are "The Mobile Mechanics" equipped and trained to perform any Car Repair or Car Service. We have a mechanic come to you at a time and a place convenient - 6 days a week. Convenience, Quality and Service are guaranteed. For more information or to make a booking, visit Car Service.

While mobile mechanics are available for car service in all major cities of Australia, they are also on hand to fix any of the more unexpected problems that may occur. Here we look at seven common car parts that may experience unexpected problems and show you how a mobile mechanic can save the day.

Alternator

The alternator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy and helps you charge your battery. If your car won’t start, it could be because the alternator needs replacing. Mobile mechanics can replace your alternator on site. They’ll also test the battery to see if it’s going to hold the charge so you won’t have a problem starting your vehicle next time.

Brake Pads

When it comes to safety, brakes are the most important part of your vehicle. If your brakes are worn out, grinding, vibrating or squealing, then this can be quite problematic. For example, the brake pads may have less than minimum material, meaning they will need to be replaced. Mobile mechanics can do this for you and will bleed your brake system, as well as making sure the brake fluid is at the right level.

Carburettor

The carburettor blends air and fuel inside your engine to ensure that the engine runs properly. If your car doesn’t have enough fuel in the mix, it is “running lean” and that can be very bad for the engine. If your car has too much fuel in the mix, it is “running rich” and may flood, smoke or stall. At best, it will waste fuel. Mobile mechanics have fuel pressure testers and can replace damaged parts for you.

Clutch

There are many problems that can occur with your clutch. Perhaps you’re having trouble getting your car into gear. Maybe your clutch is slipping while you’re driving. You could even be leaking fluid. Whatever the case, mobile mechanics are able to replace clutch cables, clutch plates, pressure plates and clutch master and slave cylinders on site.

Exhaust

Your exhaust system helps release the gases produced from your engine’s combustion. If your vehicle is making loud noises or bumping, or if there are fumes coming inside of the car, your mobile mechanic is on hand to diagnose the problem. They can then replace the exhaust pipe, gaskets, catalytic converter, muffler or whatever else needs replacing.

Radiator

A radiator helps regulate the temperature of your vehicle by transferring heat from the hot coolant flowing through it to air that comes through the fan.

If your car is overheating or leaking coolant, or if your radiator is blocked, a mobile mechanic can help you. New coolant can be added and the cooling system can be checked for leaks or drops in pressure. They’ll even test drive your vehicle to see if everything is AOK at operating temperature.

Timing Belt

The timing belt is responsible for ensuring your engine’s valves open and close at the correct time. If the timing belt stops working, it can lead to major damage to your engine, which may run into the thousands of dollars. As a result, it pays to have the timing belt replaced at the intervals recommended by the manufacturer – something a mobile mechanic can do for you.

Lube Mobile are "The Mobile Mechanics" equipped and trained to perform any Car Repair or Car Service. We have a mechanic come to you at a time and a place convenient - 6 days a week. Convenience, Quality and Service are guaranteed. For more information or to make a booking, visit Car Service.

For all serious automotive problems it is absolutely vital that you employ a trained mechanic. Otherwise you risk making things worse and potentially causing danger to yourself and other road users. However, there are plenty of minor problems that you can deal with without professional help. Here are just a few of the repairs that you can learn to do yourself. They are all simple to perform without expert assistance. Should you run into any difficulties however, you must consult a professional.

Replacing a dead battery

You won’t be going anywhere with a dead battery so replacing one is a pretty important job. It is not, however, a particularly complex procedure and you can save yourself the installation costs of a new battery by doing it yourself. Your owner’s manual should have instructions, which you should follow closely, but here is a brief explanation of the procedure. Wearing protective eyewear remove the negative terminal of the old battery first, followed by the positive. Release any tie downs that are keeping the battery secured and then remove it completely. Clean the terminals with a wire brush and then put the new battery in, positive terminal first and then negative.

Oil change

You should check your engine oil at least once a month and before any long journey. If you discover that the oil is dark in colour and opaque, it is time for a change. Doing this in your own garage is easier than you might think. First you need to identify the oil filler cap, oil filter and drain plug — all you need to be able to do to change the oil is unscrew these three parts. Drain the old oil from your vehicle’s engine and replace it with new oil. Always use a premium oil to keep your engine in the best condition. Any extra expense will be more than offset by reduced engine problems in the future. To perform this repair you will need an adjustable wrench and a container to catch the used oil. Finally, remember that you cannot simply poor the used oil down the drain, so make sure you know how you will dispose of it before attempting this repair.

Changing the air filter

Changing a used air filter is one of the easiest car repairs you can possibly do, so there is no need to pay someone else to do it for you. When you open the bonnet of your car you will immediately see the air filter compartment. Look for a plastic box on top of the engine. If in doubt, check your owner’s manual. Once you have identified it, open it up and remove then old filter. The new one can simply be snapped into its place. Close the filter compartment and put down the bonnet and you’re done. It really is that simple.

There are many more repairs that you can learn to do yourself, such as replacing old or damaged wiper blades and changing headlight bulbs. Doing these repairs yourself will save you money and also giving you the satisfaction of learning new skills and taking an active role in maintaining the safety and usability of your car.

Lube Mobile are "The Mobile Mechanics" equipped and trained to perform any Car Repair or Car Service. We have a mechanic come to you at a time and a place convenient - 6 days a week. Convenience, Quality and Service are guaranteed. For more information or to make a booking, visit Car Service.

For many people, going to a mechanic is a hit-and-miss affair. If you don’t know much about the inner workings of your engine, you have probably resigned your self to never knowing if you’re getting a good deal on your car service and repairs, constantly wondering if something really needed to be changed, and dreading the next time your car goes to the mechanic. Today we are looking at how even those with no knowledge of car repairs or motor mechanics can ensure they are getting the best auto repair.

What makes a good mechanic … and a bad mechanic?
We all have an intuitive understanding of what makes a good auto mechanic – sometimes it helps to articulate it, though. A good mechanic will:

• Accurately identify what is wrong with the car
• If this is not possible, will allot a set amount of diagnostic time and contact you to let you know before commencing work or if it is a mobile mechanic they will show you the problem on the spot.
• Give you an upfront quote on your car repairs
• Offer a warranty on their work
• Professionally and promptly resolve any issues with their work, within the warranty framework
• If the organization is large, make sure that the mechanics are employees rather than contractors – less possibility of conflict of interest
• Be a member of the various automobile associations in their country of residence

There are hundreds of stories about dishonest, lazy, overcharging and argumentative mechanics online. Some common themes in people’s complaints about bad mechanics are:

• They didn’t spot a problem that they should have seen – now it has gotten worse
• They didn’t tighten a bolt or place something properly
• They charged me much more than they said they would when I dropped off the car
• They told them something needed to be replaced which was not faulty
• They drove their car for non-diagnostic purposes

Looking for the following signposts and markers of a good mechanic can save you a lot of heartache in the long run!

New Car Services

You have the right to take your new car to be serviced by anyone, without being beholden to the manufacturer or new car dealer, without affecting your statutory warranty. The only stipulation is that they are qualified, use parts and fluids that meet the manufacturer’s specifications and stamp your log book. However, you certainly want to make sure they have the same technical knowledge and high standards. A warranty on their own work is needed, and if your car repairer is a member of industry associations with strong Codes of Ethics (the MTA is an example), it shows that your new car services are being performed by experts.

Fixed Price Quotes

If your mechanic is willing to offer you a fixed price quote, you can be confident that repair bills will not be significantly larger than you expect. Offering fixed price quotes also shows that the mechanic is confident enough of their skills that they don’t think they will lose money by giving you a fixed price. If you use mobile mechanic services, you will often have the option to authorise extra, necessary repairs on the spot and with full visual confirmation of the problem.

Warranties

A written warranty (and a customer service team that makes you feel confident that claiming on it will not be more trouble than it is worth!), is the ultimate mark of trustworthiness from a mechanic.

Your parents, brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues all need to get their car serviced and repaired. Using their experiences to add to your stockpile of knowledge about local and mobile mechanics is an extremely valuable strategy.

No Pressure tactics

Your mechanic should not pressure you into having a whole lot of work done. The work required should be written out in order of priority from urgent to routine maintenance and discussed with you, so you can decide what should be done and when.

Lube Mobile are "The Mobile Mechanics" equipped and trained to perform any Car Repair or Car Service. We have a mechanic come to you at a time and a place convenient - 6 days a week. Convenience, Quality and Service are guaranteed. For more information or to make a booking, visit Car Service.