Wanna fix my ride?

An important man in my life is gone.

No, it's not my boyfriend, my father, or James Franco. But you're close.

It's my mechanic.



My car is dying a slow death and this magical mechanic, JD, had been keeping me afloat for the past two years.

He has given me priceless advice which has literally saved me thousands of dollars.

He has been extremely honest with me. For example, two years ago I had a rubber tube in my engine that was leaking. The dealership wanted $400 to replace it. Five other auto shops quoted between $300 to $500 to replace it. JD took one look at the tube, laughed, and then cut the part that was leaking. He then reattached it. "Never let these places rip you off," he told me. "You don't need a new tube at all."



He has also had my back. A year and a half ago, my air conditioner blew out. It cost me $600 to replace it.

Six months later, my air conditioner stopped working again. It was under a year warranty with the auto shop. I took it to the shop where JD worked. His boss smirked and told me, "I think a rock hit the air conditioner, so that isn't valid under our warranty. It's gonna cost you another $600, honey." I was dumbfounded. JD was pissed as well and he actually chewed his boss out for me. I could hear him in the back room yelling, "that's wrong! You're cheating this girl! She shouldn't pay for NOTHING!"

In the end, JD didn't win over his boss completely, but I did only have to pay for labor, not the air conditioner. He saved me $300.



Well, this morning I discovered the brakes were not working properly on my car. I took it to the shop. JD wasn't there. Normally when I bring over my car, JD looks at it for free and then tells me what needs to be done. This time, a scowling girl at the cash register told me I had to pay $80 for an inspection fee.

I told her I wanted to speak to JD. She smiled meanly and told me JD didn't work there anymore

"He was giving advice to people and doing practically free labor for customers without our knowledge," she said. "He totally got fired. He was a terrible employee. You're the fifth person to ask about him today. He really had a fan base with his shady little deals. We're SO glad he's gone." And then she threw her head back and cackled like a witch.

I was horrified.



And that's when I realized I had lost a very important person in my life. An honest mechanic. Someone I could trust with my car. Someone who truly did not want to rip me off. A mechanic with a heart of gold.

If you ever become friends with a mechanic, do not let that person go. Cling to them. You will never regret it.

Now I'm going to spend this weekend searching for JD or someone like him. There is a good chance I will surface with no results.

My bank account is so screwed.