If the leaf falls from the gum tree yonder
Then the sheep and cows will go out to pasture
A couple days ago we were delivering candles up in the mountain. It wasn't a far drive away, in a really pretty estate as you can see from the image above and the lady seemed happy with her purchase. On the way back down something weird happened.
What had previously been known as my gearbox seemed to turn into a bowl of soup and the gear shifting shaft became my ladle. Not knowing exactly what had caused it, I found third gear and coasted down the mountain pass, fourth gear - fine. Come to a crossing and have to stop. First gear - nope. Soup. Second? Nope. Still soup. I managed to pull away from the stop in third gear. Luckily my clutch control is pretty good and my car still has enough engine power to do that without stalling.
I managed to get it back to the cabin and knowing that I wouldn't have reverse gear, didn't try to pull it into the yard. The mechanic who came round to have a look at it could tell immediately that my gear linkage strut needed to be replaced.
Yesterday I called Midas who stocks a large range of car parts and was told for the first time "I'm looking at our system nationwide and there's no stock in any of our branches, with the backlog in shipping, we aren't getting any car parts into the country".
This didn't really come as a surprise because I've been waiting for this to hit here for a while. I managed to get the correct part from a supplier further afield and got my car fixed up, but it did make me start to think about "how prepared is prepared enough?"
There is no way that I can get spares for my car for absolutely everything and this seemingly simple piece of plastic was literally the weakest link and the difference between independent vehicle mobility and having to rely on either public transport, taxi services or foot power.
With the fuel issues that are now raging, it's bound to have a huge impact on the transport industry as a whole, not just our own personal vehicles. It just shows us how vast the scope of preparedness is. It is all encompassing.
It's a scary prospect for people like my neighbour who simply won't even entertain hearing about anything of the sort. She calls it "choosing to be optimistic". She's an awesome person and I have no doubt that she can take someone down if necessary, but I was quite surprised that on this particular topic, she is quite happy to simply be blissfully ignorant....for the time being.
So while having a vast food supply is obviously first priority, looking at getting basic spares for your vehicle would be a good way to go if you have the means to do so. An extra spare tyre or a whole additional set of rims perhaps. Fuel filter, oil filter, air filter, extra engine and gearbox oil!!! Antifreeze, an extra fuel cap, spare fuses and headlamp/tail-light bulbs are probably where I would start, but I never would have thought of putting a gear linkage strut or gear linkage assembly on the list and yet, without this simple, non-articulated part (that didn't even cost very much to replace), my car was dead in the water.
What would you add to the list as the absolute bare minimum? Let me know in the comments.
Images are my own
I wouldnt bother with my car if it all goes Pete Tong. I am going to invest in a giant black panther and ride it instead. It can also double as protection if needed :OD
Oh man, I like your line of thought. Where did you find such a beast though? I also want one. For sure, I can feed it anyone in the neighborhood that starts nonsense 😊.
But in all seriousness though, I would feel horribly exposed without my vehicle and the option to go somewhere else if necessary.
There would be a never ending supply of feed for it!
Yeah, Iwould be lost without my car. At least until my panther arrives!
Fuck man, I want one too!
We could both get one. What a magnificent sight that would be!!
A splendid sight indeed. The ladies will swoon in delight.
Sorry, we won't be swooning - we'll be riding our much superior panthers.
What a tremendous panther parade it will be.
#youwillswoon
Oh we use kangaroos here, I would have thought you'd go for sheep as they're more readily available?
Sheep are good.They have the advantage of being easy to stack! :OD
Hahahahahahahaha haha...
I tend to buy extra of whatever has broken. There's no telling what would go next. But I always have a supply of oils and car liquids, filters, etc. Have always done this, enough for a year.
Same goes for food, tend to buy in large lots and store it. Have some backup stuff for personal care and emergency supplies. But no one can have everything...
It's a very good practice to buy two when you need one, especially if the parts aren't super expensive, it makes sense.
I tend to double up where I can when things are on sale food wise on non perishables. It's always difficult to work out what we would need but it's always better to have a bit more than just enough. I just wish I could grow more of my own greens.
Oh this reminded me about a piece of my truck i was unaware existed until it broke. It's called a solenoid switch and it is instrumental in getting older cars started. It took AGES to find a replacement and during that time the only way I could start the car was by popping the hood and bypassing the switch with a long screwdriver and this was a pretty scary feat for me anyway.
I like the idea of spare parts but man is it difficult to determine what it is that is going to break next. I wish I had studied more auto-mechanics and stuck to older engines so that I would be able to work on my own car. Very few people can do that anymore these days.
Oh my gosh you are braver than I am. I'd probably try that and short the whole car out 🤣
That is the problem, spare parts are great but only if they are the right ones. I agree with you on working on your own car. I've been meaning to buy a workshop manual for mine for like forever but to be honest I don't have the tools for most of the work.
I did a year of diesel mechanics in school as an extra subject and almost flunked it so I somehow don't think I'd trust myself to do it all. Finding a good mechanic that is reasonable and reliable is also difficult in some areas. The one I found seems honest and knows his stuff so I'm hoping he's gonna help me look after my old gal.
What car/truck do you have that needed the solenoid switch?
an older model Ford F-150 which I believe is one of the only good vehicles that Ford manufactures.
The problem with today's cars is that they are almost impossible for an individual to work on with all the gadgetry and computers that are involved in the process. I believe this is by design. I don't mean to sound like a grumpy old man but I remember the days when Dad would pop the hood, have a look around, fiddle with some things, and then the car would work. I really don't think that is very possible these days and this is why I stick to older technology. I have very little desire to own a newer car or truck.
Yes absolutely, everything is run by a computer these days and if you can't run diagnostics through a fancy thingamajig, then it's extremely difficult to even find the issue.
I think that the old school vehicles have a lot more longevity because they were built to last, I am so glad you were able to get that solenoid replaced, I think spare parts of newer vehicles are going to become a huge issue with the imminent supply line collapse.
Chocolate?!!!
A couple years (ok, way more than a couple) I had a similar thing happening. I was going home (KZN Midlands) from Pretoria (yup, yuck) and on the highway my car suddenly started belching smoke and freewheeling down the N1. I at least handled the crisis and freaked out later. Blown head gasket. It was not cheap to replace. But I can sympathize with you dilemma. How to prepare for the possible (eventual?) is a good question. And I think it totally depends from person to person
Well, like they say, you can never be over-prepared. Though, i think once can be under-prepared. You know normally there are basic (minimum) things that are needed to bw in place for every scenario.
If you say you want to have every spare parts in your vehicle, I bet it you won't like it. Perhaps, the vehicle would not be able to move as well..😀
Congratulations @andrastia! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s):
Your next target is to reach 7000 upvotes.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:
Thank god my husband is handy but yeah the parts shortage is real! We're having the same issue here. Our older landrover is better in a way as we can ring other Landrover mates for old parts, newer cars are more of a problem. Our newer cars - ouch, if our clutch went that'd be more of an issue! Luckily we only just replaced the clutch in the van.