Today I did multiple things on the car and I noticed that when things don't go my way I become a totally different person and everything seems to get to me. I'm very impatient to begine with (VERY). I start cursing, sometimes throwing things and I become mean to my girlfriend (which is usually the assistant).

Anybody else get a little crazy when working on these cars ?

I actually found a bit of relief exercise. If things aren't going my way I always have a football close to me and throw it around for a few minutes with my girlfriend till I calm down. It seems that when I come back from my stress reliever, everything tends to go my way.

I go from crazy to calm.

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Audi TT

I am probably just the opposite. When things are not going right, tensed up, PO'd or otherwise I will go work on a car or piddle with something. I find that to be relaxing

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BENZ THERE DONE THAThttp://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...c/progress.gif
15 VW Passat TDI
00 E420
98 E300 DT
97 E420 Donor Car - NEED PARTS? PM ME!
97 S500
97 E300D
86 Holden Jackaroo Turbo D
86 300SDL
(o\|/o)

Just as long as you don't beat the hell out of her when things get really bad, you'll be OK.

My wife and I tried the football trick once when I was mad, only we used a baseball. Bad idea; her glove didn't have near enough padding in it. I still have to beg to get her to play catch again.

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Keep everything as simple as possible-but no simpler--Albert Einstein

When I get frustrated working on something, I take a break from it. I haven't done anything sufficiently frustrating with the 300D to require this yet, but it certainly happens with other things I do I don't think anything good comes from working on something when you're already highly frustrated, becaue it just clouds your judgment and ability to think.

Dude, maybe you need a new hobby.....

If that oil plug fiasco and the front end "rebuild" were not sufficiently frustrating, then I must say that you have the patience of a saint.

The trick is to keep seeing the humor in it. Frustration happens when you lose your sense of humor Tie rod removal may test me... we shall see.

Half the fun of working on cars is getting PO'd and cursing at them all day.

Nothing on my car has really ticked me off yet, nothing more then a little swearing. What ticks me off is as I'm working on it and am getting coverd with crap, while cutting my self I am thinking. "I can get a nice new Camry for $199 a month. Then it wouldn't break and I could be out fishing now or doing something else." $199 seems cheap sometimes but I do enjoy working on them. You have to enjoy fixing these old cars to own one.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Like TX said, working on the car is what calms me down. Yeah, I get po'd when a bolt snaps off in the block, a little upset when I poke myself in the face with a screwdriver trying to get a windshield gasket to go where I want, and even a little ticked when I see the intake manifold gasket sitting on my workbench after having put everything together, but it still beats the crap out of going to work every morning and spending an entire day in meaningless meetings with morons.

When things don't go my way, i tend to beat the car for a while, and then usally they work because I taught the car a lesson...

It seems like it's so much easier / more relaxing when you aren't in a hurry to finish or under any "deadlines." Like when you need to fix the car before you can use it because you don't have a backup car, etc. When I can just take my time with it, that's when I enjoy it.

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1980 300D
1977 450SEL

Might be the other way around.


My frustration is mostly with those "smart" designers
who think these cars up.

They don't take into account that one has to work on
these engines/cars.
Fitting a wrench into some area's can be challenging, if
not impossible.
If you do manage to fit a wrench, then it is not a sure
thing that you'll have room to actually turn it.

Although the older cars have more room to work on,
you still need to remove some parts to remove other parts.
Just try to remove the fuel injection pump on a w123.
Or change an oil cooler line.

I know that the new cars are even worse.
On our 94 Camry I had to take the whole front
of the engine apart just to change the water pump.
I changed the timing belt while I had the old one off.

Louis.

Yeah, I've gotten a bit red in the face, but I find that I prefer to look at it as a challange to get my temper under control and figure things out.

Getting angry almost never solves problems (there are occasions when it's useful, but very rarely).

Patience is a virtue, and I've had to learn mine the hard way, not being very patient by nature. Works a whole lot better.

Always figure it's gonna take a lot longer than it's supposed to AND that something will break, get or be stuck, or you will leave something out. Read the instructions several times, and use notes or a check list to help you get everything back in correctly (I had to put my AC compressor together three times because I got in a hurry....).

Most importantly, DO NOT swear at people because some mechanical thing is frustrating you and NEVER throw things (execpt footballs, etc). Throwing tools is dangerous, a VERY bad habit, and sends the message that you are seriously immature (not something any of us want to project).

Yeah, it can make for a bad day to screw something up, but there is no need to get al torqued about it.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!