And the car verses five dumb raccoons saga continues.
The splash shield, a timer gasket that is very hard to get to and requires the engine to be taken out, and some big piece of heavy plastic under the car that protects the engine are all repaired and replaced. In spite of all this work, however, something is still leaking. Unfortunately, this is a leak that was not seen before the repairs were done.
That early morning when you were returning home from taking your husband to the airport you caught a glimpse of some beady eyes in the middle of the road as you came over a small hill. Unfortunately, you could not stop fast enough and the darkness combined with some road work on the shoulder prevented you from avoiding what turned out to be as many as five raccoons.
Your heart felt as if it stopped as you attempted to navigate staying in your lane, slowing down as quickly and safely as possible, and recovering from the impact. Fortunate, that you were not hurt, it became quickly apparent that you would need to get your car in for some serious repairs. Once you scheduled the repairs, however, you hoped that you would soon be on the road again. Unfortunately, because of the dealer’s failure to locate the fairly inexpensive part that needs to be replaced that could have been fixed when the whole car was apart the first time, you now have the car back in for another repair session. The good news is that sense the lead mechanic admitted that the this was a problem they should have spotted the first time, this round will be fixed at no extra cost to you. As an added bonus, you get to keep the really cool, fancy, not, white mini-van until sometime late next week when hopefully the car is all fixed up.
You now know that hitting raccoons is like hitting concrete blocks, especially when you hit more than one of them at a time. You also know that finding the best and most experienced mechanic and body shop is very important.
Locking Cabinets and Containers Help Avoid Problems
Before the car accident with the raccoons you thought that your biggest problem was trying to decide whether or not to pay for an upgrade for concealed glass door hinges in the master bathroom remodel. That, of course, is one of the bigger frustrations of the raccoon event. Instead of getting to focus on the remodeling project going on in the house, you have had to deal with repair estimates and scheduling auto body repair work. In the last two weeks, of course, you have found to that you would much rather discuss dresser drawer locks than under carriage damage to a car and that you would rather spend money on concealed glass door hinges for a master bathroom than having to make one more phone call to a car insurance agent. Life throws everyone curves, however, and the best way to deal with any change, planned or unplanned is by taking one small step at a time.
It might be more fun, for instance, to talk with a contractor about installing custom cabinetry with display case lighting in the hallway than go to one more meeting about concealed glass door hinges and other kinds of hardware, but the most satisfied home owners know that attention to detail pays off in the long run.
Not surprising, home owners remodel more than 10.2 million kitchens and 14.2 million bathrooms every year. And while dealing with the details of a planned home remodel may be more fun than having to navigate the problems associated with an unexpected car accident, it is always best to take your time and focus on the details at hand. Concealed glass door hinges and the other decisions that you make when it comes to planning for a remodel are details that will be part of your life or a long time. Did you know, for instance, that kitchen cabinets can last up to 50 years? It may seem like an old fashioned saying, but anything worth doing is worth doing right.