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.

im alot like that. but i would never be mean to my girl. in fact if my girl was there i dont think i would get much done but yea ive been known to throw tools and swear alot. i have gotten myself to calm down about that alot more lately.

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have no worries.....President Obama swears "If you like your gun, you can keep it

The source of most of my frustration while working on my cars is due to the lack of the proper tools.

Try putting a 1/2 shaft retaining clip back in with one of those convertable (read floppy and hardly stiff) pair of snap-ring pliers and you'll see what I mean.

Especially when you have hands the size of the incredible hulk..

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'84 300CD Turbo 132k (Anthracite Grey) - WVO - My daily driver - Recently named coo-coo-coupe by my daughter.
'84 300D Turbo 240k (Anthracite Grey) - Garage Queen
'83 300D Turbo 220k (Orient Red) - WVO - Wifes daily driver

I'm not a certified mechanic, but I did stay at a HolidayInn Express last night.

Sometimes, you just need to take a break.

I get mad when things don't go my way as well...and I find that just sitting down with a Lemonade and the shop manual for 10 minutes usually solves my problem. I think so much better when I am not mad...and just about without fail I have found that I achieve whatever it was I was trying to achieve when I am calm and not angry.

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Nick
*****
2002 Sprinter 2500 140" High Roof :

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.