Yesterday I took the Green 1999 Chevy that we have to have some minor repairs done. The term “Chevy” is actually the name of the car, not just short for Chevrolet. The passenger side door had been jacked open in the past, so my body work friend Luis fixed that. The back door did not stay open because of a broken prop, so I purchased that, also two new headlights, because the old ones were broken, and pointed pretty much DOWN.
Now, the last time I took the Chevy for its emissions inspection, it failed. So I went and bought spark plugs, cables and filters and had it tuned-up. My mechanic, in a condescending “you are a foreigner” tone, told me that he would take the car in to the inspection station, and that it was pass for him. But guess what. It didn’t. He apparently gave the guy there an extra $10 so it would pass. Welcome to Mexico. He told me that the catalytic converter probably needs to be replaced. “But nobody does that here. Everyone just pays a bribe so the car passes.”
So yesterday I asked the guy at the parts shop if he had a catalytic converter. Yes, he answered. But then spent the next 5 minutes or so trying to convince me that it would be much more cost-effective for me to pay a $10 bribe indefinitely rather tan pay the $150 for a new converter. He just couldn’t understand why on earth I would want to replace it. So counter-cultural!
The picture below is a funny one…BIG Pancho with my dad in the back seat.
Quote of the Day: It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others. Andrew J. Holmes
