Randy Ingle » Automotive

Cold snap

Randy — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:04:10 +0000

Well the batteries are having a hard time starting up the cars and trucks this week! Below zero temperatures, no one wants to go out! I don’t blame them at all! This is a good time to “batten down the hatches” and stay indoors if you can. I’ve been running a long corded-shop light out to the truck and turning it on under the hood at night to keep the battery and engine warm enough to start if I have to go out! Works like a charm! I sure feel sorry for the people who have to drive vehicles with poor heaters!

Bought a new windshield

Randy — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:14:02 +0000

The local Harley shop was having a big open house celebration this past weekend, so I decided to go to the event and check it out. There was a live broadcast being done by a local radio station, lots of free food and sodas, and they were having discounts on just about everything in the store. I ended up buying a new detachable windshield for my Harley. I was impressed with how easily it can be installed and removed. I installed it right there at the shop – they let me borrow the tools to do it. It was funny because all I needed was an allen wrench! Anyway, when I drove home I noticed that with the new windshield on the bike, I wasn’t feeling the wind hitting me, so I was driving faster than I thought! It will take a while to adjust to that!

Fall cleanups

Randy — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:53:46 +0000

Well it has been a very busy week doing fall cleanups for my customers this week. Foliage is peak, and there are a lot of leaves already on the ground. It is a beautiful time of year, and the air is crisp and clean. I love the weather like this – this is one of the reasons I love having an outdoor job – being outside to enjoy the fresh air. I’m lucky to be living in this part of the country where the air is still so clean and where you can still see the stars at night.

It’s going to be a busy week ahead of me, getting my fall contracts in order – a lot of customers are going to be unhappy with price increases due to fuel increases, but there’s nothing I can do about that. When your job is driving around going from place to place to plow and sand, a big part of the cost of doing business is the price of gasoline, and the cost has to be passed on to the customer. I’m not a big enough operation to be able to absorb that cost, I barely make enough money to pay the bills and make payroll! I hope the price of gasoline goes down dramatically and stays down!

Now you see it, now you don’t!

Randy — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:36:51 +0000

My wife has been telling me that one of the brake lights on our car is out, and asks me to fix it. So I go out to check it, and it seems to work fine! So I tell her that I fixed it. Then a few days later she tells me it is out again. Apparently someone she works with has been telling her that. So I go out to the car again and check it, and it works fine. Well, wouldn’t you know it, this morning I saw her driving the car down the driveway on her way shopping, and I saw that the brake light is not working. Very aggravating! So I guess it’s a short in the electrical system, which is going to be a pain in the neck to try to troubleshoot!

Spent a few hours cleaning my Harley

Randy — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:51:29 +0000

I didn’t have time last weekend to clean and polish my Harley after my ride to Richmond, so I spent most of the day today taking care of that chore. I love to clean and polish my Harley, it is so beautiful and shiny when I’m done. I get a lot of compliments on my bike when I take it places, and I’m really proud of how great it looks.

Went for a really nice long ride on my Harley

Randy — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 23:48:53 +0000

I went exploring today on my Harley, I put over 300 miles on it! I drove down to Richmond and back. I really can’t recall ever going to Richmond before. I drove right past the racetrack, which got me really excited! Now I know where the racetrack is, I’m sure I’ll be going there again to watch some races!

I got caught in a rainstorm, which convinced me that my wife was right, I really SHOULD buy some rain gear and I really SHOULD buy a windshield. It would have made riding in the rain a lot more comfortable!

Insurance Review

Randy — Fri, 27 May 2011 01:20:49 +0000

This next month is when my annual car insurance policy comes up for renewal. Although I do like the company that I have for my auto insurance, I remember well how my dad used to tell me it is always a good idea to check around with other companies before you just automatically renew your policy. There can be a huge swing in rates between different companies, the trick is to get a good rate on the most coverage that you need. The only way to be sure of that is to get a lot of different quotes from a lot of different companies.

This yearly task is so much easier now that you can compare car insurance quotes over the internet. You just find a good site and type in all your car’s information, then the service comes back with a list of quotes from the various insurance companies who want your business.

I hope to pass along the same good advice to my own son when he gets his first car and has to learn about auto insurance and maintenance. He will be working this summer to save up his money for his first car. I told him that I would match whatever amount he earns and saves between now and September 1. So that is our target date for him getting a new car.

Working on my hot rod

Randy — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 00:33:47 +0000

Well, this weekend has turned out to be a rainy one, so I’ve been spending the weekend working on my hot rod in the garage instead of doing the yardwork I was planning to do. I’ve been working on the truck for a couple of years now, and I’m hoping to get the chance to enter it into a few car shows this summer. This weekend I rebuilt the rear end and spray painted the spring a chrome color. It’s really looking good! .

Snap off

Randy — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 21:16:23 +0000

I took my truck to the new car wash in town. I had heard it was newly opened, and the reviews from my friends were promising. So I decided to give it a try. Well, the attendant there decided that my antenna was loose (it wasn’t) and thought he’d take a pair of pliers and tighten it up for me. Instead he just snapped it right off! The manager of the place wasn’t there, and it was just about closing time. I’m going to have to talk to the manager about that tomorrow. They owe me a new antenna!

Gas Prices

Randy — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:28:51 +0000

It has been great watching the price of gas coming down these past few months. Normally we would have seen a spike in the prices for the Labor Day weekend, but for some reason we were not victims this holiday. I hope it keeps going down and stays down for Thanksgiving, Christmas and then of course there is always the New Year!