I could give you some advice.

Communicate clearly. Be sure you are understood regarding what you want fixed.

Do not tell your mechanic how to do the job.

Bring your car in washed and interior cleaned. Spend 15 minutes with a rag and some simple green to shine up under the hood too (don't shortcut this with a hose) and in every way make it look as though you love your car and want all else who touch it to love it too.

Bring donuts of the eating type.


--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

No, there are no dumb questions... just a surplus of those put without much thought.

Golden advice, big smile

Ha! Thanks Art, very dignified of you to respond. I feel like I just left my credit card at the bar and found it neatly closed out the next day by the bar staff, who only tipped themselves a very modest gratuity. I say this aptly both of you and I. You are a true gentleman.

Yeah I AM pressure washing her guts today before getting the parts and taking her down there. Unfortunately the interior will have to remain personalized to the owner's conventions, but at least the mechanic won't be spending much time back there. Anyways it is not something I like to discuss.

While no longer quite so much a part of my thing, for health and other reasons, you do remind me to be inclined of the of provisioning of delicacies for those in our services. I'll consider making an apple pie if all goes well.

The fear I had here was coming across condescending towards someone that doesn't know Volvo like Brickboard does, yet since I am the one wussing out on the job I don't know where I stand to tell someone what I think about how my car should be fixed. For a cheap mechanic living and working in this town, AKA Little Gothenberg, he has done enough 240 timing belt jobs that I'm sure he knows how to do the seals. I'll leave him with the Bently to grease the wheels.

I feel a litle less silly now, thank you.

If he's done many 240 timing belts, I'm sure he doesn't need the Bentley to do the seals.