Ever call in absent on a really nice Spring or Fall day when things were slow at work, someone was rubbing you the wrong way, the weather was beautiful in order to finish a repair, replace a cylinder head, rebuild your brakes or just do a few minor electrical fixits?

I am taking vacation tomorrow to Fix my Rear and my Brakes....
Being a Diesel Head does impact my job, bit it also has Great Benefits because I'm an engineer and it helps me to think out of the Box. At least one or two inspirations relating to work came to me while under a Car
I wish I could say I am a Company man to the Core and that without a doubt, with absolute honesty and certainty, that I have never ever even considered an iota of taking a Day off to work on my Engine or transmission when my Supervisor was pi___ me off, or the weather was just too nice, or I was burned out at work because of chickenstuff getting to me.
..But that's not true, I use quite a bit of my vacation days to work on Cars
Yes I often daydream about great engine jobs at work, look out at the window at a passing W123 300D with a great paint job, or even think about any W123's and I never record this Time on my tImesheet.

when I just put my 9 hours in. I do take work home sometimes, like everyone else and I am a conscientious, good worker. But I find you do your BEST when all parts of your Life are in harmony --Your Family, Your Work and Your W123's
Yes I am taking tomorrow off!!

That sounds like how I'd want to spend my vacation. My only problem is that I get paid by the hour so not being there = no money. I've never taken a day off just to work on my car but I've certainly left an hour or two early do to unexpected "homework."

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Seth

1984 300D 225K
1985 300D Donor body
1985 300D Turbo 165K. Totaled. Donor Engine. It runs!!!
1980 300SD 311K My New Baby.
1979 BMW 633csi 62K+++? Dead odo

I spent about two hours with the car today rather than going to work. ... Of course, it was also spent with my dad who is in town.

He was detailing the hand-me-down Cavalier that my son is receiving; I was seeking the oil leaks on my "new" 300D.

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-- 1983 300D, acquired 10/19/2005 at 215,000+ turbodiesel miles ... engine croaked almost immediately ... back on the road at 217,210 with a 144K turbo motor from a donor '85. ... May 2007, replaced radiator. ... Now (2/28/08) about 240K miles and dead due to battery?

Spent Labor Day vacation + 2 days extra finishing up the engine/differential swap on my 240D (now a 300D w/4sp manual + 2.88 diff... )

specifically but i bet i did.

but have been self employed for 30 years and whenever i need to i can go home and work on my car. dont do it much though.

though there are days when it would be (and is) nice just to go home and change the brakes on one of my benzes.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I'll tell you how it impacts my life:

It means that I wake up some days thinking to myself "I need to fix that F***ing benzo, or I won't have a ride to work!"

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1982 240D.
My name is Michael, and I am an 18 year old binge-drinkin', cigar-smokin', novel-writin', all around unsavory and unnattractive guy. I tell long-winded stories, and I only shave once a week, although I've had to do it every day since I was 16.

I think its sad you see it that way. I see it as a challenge. When it gets me down I just take a step back and breath. Talking it out helps and I come back with renewed zeal.

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Seth

1984 300D 225K
1985 300D Donor body
1985 300D Turbo 165K. Totaled. Donor Engine. It runs!!!
1980 300SD 311K My New Baby.
1979 BMW 633csi 62K+++? Dead odo

Used to do take vacation for car projects. First time I rebuilt the 700R4 (4sp auto) in my diesel Blazer, I took off for almost a week. Needed it too! Have taken one or two days to get things done on a car before a trip. Now I need all of my vacation for other things and still I don't have enough days off.

Thats true for me too! I kind of view my work on cars in two ways:
(1) Its a part time job earning income, because now I don't have a $600 in car payments and I don't have to pay a service department on the average of $100 a month in repairs (National average)

(2) Its technical training for my work and my employer doesnt even pay me for it. Working on Diesls will teach you hands on concepts for a variety of fluid mechanics, load bearing, thermodynamic and material science problems in engineering.

Definitely need play time.

I took off work once to remove my dash and replace a broken AC core. Which really pissed me off because it wasn't even broken. The Indy I took it to told me it was and wanted $800 to fix it. I did it for $100.
Turns out there were problems with the AC that he didn't find......go figure

I've taken a couple of hours here and there once in a while. Mostly because I had to. Last winter it wouldn't start in the morning. Went and replaced all glow plugs.
Another time a hose broke. Took some time to cut it back and reattach it. The engine had gotten hot so I had to wait a little while to fix it.

Most of the things I need to do now can wait for the weekend but I would sure like a full day to get some things done. Wish I could.

Danny

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1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

OBK member #23

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if you eat sleep and dream about your job 20 hours a day, you are bound to not do well in it. No matter how Dieselheads are with their jobs ( I suspect most of you are workaholics) unless you view it as a way of making a living, and not with passion, you are bound to have a tough time at work.

Interesting thread. I've been at my place of business for so long, I now get 4~5 weeks vacation, (no, it's a s***hole and we're all outsourced at the end of the year) 2 of which are reserved for fixing my 300D, the XJ6, my old 220S, wife's suby and my ol' trusty Mazda. Took off the second and third week of October this year. In 14 days there were 12 with heavy rains and 2 with just drizzle. All I managed to do was change the oil in the 300 and get tires put on the Mazda. A sad loss of my favorite time of year, car fix-it month. I ***** and bellyache about having to drive such POS's and yet I'm happiest when I've accomplished some obsure fix and gotten a formerly dead beast back on the road. I'm calling in sick tomorrow so i can fix the GP relay on the diesel :-0

I've never called in sick because of a car, but I've done equivalent things...

The other day (while working on my starter bolt problem, which has been an active thread for a few days) my boss called wanting me to come in and work on a few things that had come up. I ignored his message...

Now, I'm going to take a 'personal day' in a few days to go get some help with my starter bolt.

Working on cars is a lot like playing modern video games. 90% of it is extremely frustrating, but when you get through the frustrating part to the 10% of easy rolling satisfaction, then it makes it all worth it.

I felt like the king of the road the other day, riding around on my pristine new brakes, installed by you know who.

peace,
sam

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"That f***in' biodiesel is makin' me hungry."

1982 300TD Astral Silver w/ 250k (BIO BNZ)
2001 Aprilia SR50 Corsa Red w/ 5.5k (>100 MPG)

I've done it before...but not in recent years.....

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche