"Hi Honey, you're home early!" Those are the five scariest words I know, right next to "Hello, Sir this is the IRS" and " Daddy meet Jimmy, he's 29" (She's 18).
First of all chances are I wasnt home early, I was off all day, but I hid in the garage quietly all day. "Hi Honey, you're home early!" is usually followed by "Didnt you promise to take me shopping" "Didn't you promise to cut the Lawn" , or " Know we can have some REAL QUALITY time!"
Quality Time, my Alligator.
Quality time to me is a well tuned quiet diesel with a fresh coat of wax....or an hour spent at a beautiful scenic mountaintop JUNKYARD...
So the next time you take a day off, you do not report for Chores and Housepainting or Quality Time. You quietly pack your tools and parts the night before and get up at 6am for work as usual and drive off North instead of South, to your friend's house, an empty parking lot, or a car wash. Don't forget to bring 16 ounces of hand cleaner and shower grab and take a shower at the YMCA beforew you come home. Business clothes and grease stains on your face may be some thing yur spouse can pick up on...

Always wait until your spouses cars needs work. Then work on yours around hers. "Honey why does it take 6 hours to do my brakes...and why do you use that Big Crane like thing to do them?'
Answer" These #%^& new imports! You have to change the engine when you do the brakes!!!"

Finally be sensitive. Be a good listener. When your spouse does find you quietly working on your car after sneaking out of bed at 3 am, quickly fire back, "My boss, what a character. Turns out he was having an affair, yup his wife noticed he would sneak out at night...Can you believe it? And all I do is stay home & fix these stupid cars...."

......................he's BACK!!!............................

On vacation with a laptop and alotta time on his hands.....

__________________
Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

I couldn't agree more.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

Mmm I love the smell of a junkyard in the morning. I usually carry my junkyard clothes in my trunk, along with latex gloves. I don't get the hand stamp, for obvious reasons.

On waiting for the spouse's car to need work: if I took too long, she would use that to justify going to Jiffy Lube etc. etc. Life is tough: To do it myself at home, not only do I have to prove that it is cheaper, but also that it's faster!

Getting up early to sneak into the garage--that's a great idea, thanks.

Once my mother in law (living in the other unit in our duplex) saw me changing glow plugs in the driveway at about 10 a.m. She called my wife at work, and asked her why I was fixing someone else's car. I had not yet told my wife of my newly acquired 240D. The perils of spies.

__________________
J. S. Park

'82 240D Manual 240D (sold)
'83 300D-T 230k (sold)
'84 300D-T 118k (sold)

'even worse,
caught doing emergency roadside to get yourself home, by a neighbor (with
a Trabat diesel whose in need of help)

It's been 10 years since the divorce ....... but now I have 10 cars......
Ill never sell my cars to buy a house again!!!

__________________
2003 SLK 230 (85000)
1999 E300 Turbo Diesel (388,000)
1991 350SD Turbo Diesel (185,000)