Week 2

This week there was one moment in particular that was both happy and also a bit challenging at the same time. This moment took place while we were getting our new car to work and was a pretty happy moment since we had been trying to find a car for a few days before we ran out of things to do with the van and this was one of the first times we were actually able to look at something worth while. after talking to the guy selling the car more, we figured out that it was pretty much perfect for our project as it ran and drove but also had some problems that we could fix which would be good things to learn and have some practice with. After taking it on a short test drive we decided that for our purposes it was great and so we decided to buy it. This moment was a happy one because after searching we finally had found something and knew would be a fun car to work with.

 After buying the truck came a more challenging of needing to get it back to Terin's house where we would be working on it. This part would prove to be pretty challenging as even though it did run and drive, it was an older truck that hadn't been treated amazing and so was a little clunky on the road to say the least. There were two main problems with the truck that made this some what short drive back challenging. These problems were first of all that the bumper rubbed on the tires a little bit when turning right due to a likely accident it had sustained which bent the bumper in a bit. The other big problem was that it hadn't really been serviced recently and so it idled pretty rough which meant that I when at stop lights I needed to keep one foot on the brake and then hold the accelerator down with the other so that the truck wouldn't die. Also, because of this rough idle, it took a little bit to actually get going after releasing the brake and pressing the accelerator in more which meant that a lot of patience was required when turner or at stops. 

Since we were able to get the truck this week I was able to learn quite a bit because of the more complicated problems it had compared to the van. One of the first things I learned on the spot was two footing which I described in the previous paragraph and was pretty necessary to ensure that the truck got home without stalling due to a less then stellar engine. Another process that I learned that could be quite useful in the future is how to do an oil change and replace the oil filter on a car which was something that the truck desperately needed as its oil was pretty much black. Although a messy process this was another important process as the truck ended up running and idling much smoother after we completed the change. A final main thing that I began to learn this week was how to work with Bondo which is basically cement that we are using to repair some bigger dents from the outside to help improve the cosmetics of the truck. The Bondo however is an on going learning experience as we still need to sand it down and paint over it to make it look like a more natural part of the truck.

So far I have made a pretty good amount of progress towards most of my goals from last week. For my first one of learning to perform the basic maintenance to help improve the mechanical performance of a car as well as the physical looks I have made significant progress. This is because first of all I learned how to do an oil change which is one of the most important regular maintenance items for any non electric car throughout the entirety of its life. Another way that I have made progress towards this is through cleaning which we have spent lots of time on both with the van and the new truck as the interiors were pretty gross when we first acquired them and now they are quite a bit more comfortable to be in as the smell better and at the very least look cleaner. The other goal that I've made lots of progress towards improving is about the second hand market of cars. I've made lots of progress towards this goal as I had to spend lots of time in the last week or so looking through second hand sites and reading descriptions as well as asking questions to the owner of vehicles to see if the car they are selling is worth the money and whether or not the problems with that car are something we can fix with our skills.