This is a tale about Gremlins, those little creatures that cause normal working machines to go haywire. I can’t speak to everything but I’ve found that some things will fix themselves. Don’t ask me how it happens just believe that it does.
During the past couple of months the appliances in my house have staged a revolt. The first was my stand alone hot water heater in my shower, it stopped heating water, but the water pressure pump still functioned very well, being that we are in the hot season; I put off having it repaired as I didn’t need hot water at this time of year. Five days ago it started working again; I still don’t need hot water but was pleased that it repaired its self.
In 1997 I purchased a 4 slice toaster and for 16 years it toasted my bread and English Muffins every morning. Last month it stopped, never to toast again. My wonderful wife Mayang figured that after 16 years she’s not fully gotten her money’s worth out of it took it to be repaired, the following day I went and bought a new toaster from Savers Mart and started eating toasted English Muffins (Thomas’s) the next day. Five days later we were informed that our old toaster had bought the farm, it was beyond economical repair. The one I bought lasted 3 weeks and I had to buy a new ne. When it rains it pours
Now if it was a Rice Cooker, things are different. In our storage room there is a brand new one just in case there is a problem with the old one.
On the counter for 14 years there has sat a machine that heats water, it does nothing else but that and has done it 24 hours a day for each and every one of those years. It just did pass away this month, While it was on the way to the repair shop I purchased a new one, I figured we had gotten all that poor machine had to give.
Three weeks ago I was on my way home and took the Free Port road out of Subic, I stopped to pay the toll and my power window on my New Old 1996 Honda would not return to the up position. I turned the A/C on its highest setting and five minutes later I was home. The window then returned to the up position without any coaxing from me. It fixed its self.
Now I’m driving to the Barrio to check my mail at the Retired Affairs Office and I hear this scraping noise from my right front wheel. The more I drove the louder it got, maybe some kid clothed pinned a bubble gum card to the spoke on my Mag wheel? On the way home I stopped at my Good Year repair shop and Kuya Greg told me it was my wheel bearing. I left the car there and took a Jeepney home, for some things just won’t repair themselves. But as long as I’ve had the New Old Honda and its advanced age I expect things like that to happen.
Last Thursday morning my wife received a call that the car was ready for pickup. I was the one to be the one to make the trip by Jeepney and Trike to the shop to retrieve our car. Here is a report on the surgery performed on the New Old 1996 Honda
1. Upper Wheel Bearing (I looked for the lower one) P 1,800.00
2. Ball joint Lower P 860.00
3. Upper Suspension Assembly P 3,300.00
4. Labor P 1,800.00
5. Total P 7,2050.00
This is approximately USD 186.00 Try that in Europe, Australia or the United States, I’ll bet you can’t do it for that price.
Here is something else that I did notice, that is when an appliance does go south, it will end up in the storeroom in the Man Cave, which I view as sort of a tomb, for once they enter they never come back out. I can’t even count the dilapidated old fans she has stored there. Plus everything else we’ve ever replaced. As each time I’ve attempted to throw the stuff out I’ve been assaulted with the protest; “They can be fixed!” I just wonder why they haven’t been repaired already, then I shut-up and open an ice cold SMB and banish those thoughts from my mind. Raise my beer to the heavens and toast the Gremlins.
I have the same problem here in Tagum City. It can be fixed!!! I ask WHEN??? Soon is the answer I get… 😛
Gary;
Like that old song by Johnny Matthias “On the 12th of Never”
The storage is the same here. I have tried many times to throw away cardboard boxes and paper bags. If I am looking for trouble, let her find one of these in the trash. There used to be a gnashing of teeth when an expired milk jug was tossed. Things are much better now though, we just must save the caps only. Great article, thanks.
John;
If you’re renting the boxes are a given read my answer to Wayne below and it might clear it up. Why the store bags I think some are used for trash, but then how much trash would we have to generate to use then all, I gave in on that one and have a SNB if the subject rears its ugly head. When I know I won’t win, I refuse to play.
High Paul,
First, I don’t seem to have any of those Good Gremlins that repair the damaged items on my mountain but an abundance of the bad ones! Aolso0 i noted a minor flaw in in the purpose of you man cave. I dont think you can do anything about it but it sounds like to me that it is no longer an estrogen free zone having been assaulted and occupied by the feminine gender. Years ago I bought a house that had a two car garage, perfect to store my Bass boat and give me a large work shop and storage area for my tools and fishing rods. But it would be a difficult place to defend and hold as right by the door going into the house was the washer and dryer. Within a week I noticed signs that it was under siege as I noted baskets of dirty clothing being left in it and then a large Folding/Hanging table appeared further expanding conquered.territory. I tried fortifying the remaining man cave area by painting a yellow DMZ stripe on the Floor but I should have built a Berlin wall instead. One Friday afternoon in the Spring, I backed my aging but reliable Pickup up to hookup my boat for a trip to the lake but discovered that so much unauthorized crap had been staged around My boat that i could not get it out of the garage and as a secondary assault, baskets of clothing soap powder, fabric softener and bleach were now inside my boat. Be fore warned, Stopthe agession against your Man Cave Now!
Joe;
Like a creeping weed they slowly try and take over my space, She has a small storeroom that I have no use for and over by the generator room is her dryer. The other 85% is my work bench, tables and chairs Juke Box ref for beer. But when stuff creeps into my area, I pile it outside in front of the man cave and say, “Honey, it was in my way and I had no idea where you wanted to put it, so here it is.” But it’s an uphill fight and someday she might wear me down.
When my wife buys something thats comes in a box,she saves the box.She cant tell me why only that it will be used some day.Oh well what can you do.
Wayne;
When we were renting about 16 years ago we had one spare bedroom with nothing but empty appliances boxes, in case we moved, okay, that made sense. Now we moved to the house we built and in another spare bedroom there were the boxes again. I asked; Mahal are you going to divorce and leave me? She shouted; “No way, why would you ask that?” Because you are keeping the boxes and I don’t understand why? The boxes were gone the next day.
Tabi-Tabi po!
Mike;
I didn’t pee on the Gremlins!
Hi Paul – Those gremlins must come out when the season changes to summer. We have lights atop the posts for our perimeter fence. So far this summer, two lights went out and stayed out for about 3 days each. Then, as if by miracle, they came back to life.
Our 15 year old toaster is now “toast,” too. Had a sad farewell for it – it served us well.
Now, I guess I better keep an eye on the hot water heaters if things up here are going to mirror D’pan! (No man cave = no intrusion problem, here!) 😆
Paul;
Lights that repair themselves, at first I thought someone had changed the bulbs without telling me. Then I remembered that here they wouldn’t tell me and also would never change the bulb. I also have mystery lights that illuminate when they are in the mood.
My condolences on your toaster, it is sad when an old friend shuffles off this mortal core.
Oh BTW my hot water heater is on another sabbatical starting yesterday.
‘hot-water-heater’? Ok. Never could understand why someone would want to spend money to heat hot water that’s already hot.
Personally, I’ve learned that an economical simple small (cold) water heater is perfect for those rare occasions the shower is otherwise a bit on the brisk side. It comes with a variable thermostat so as to not bother heating water that’s already plenty warm enough. 🙂
I really miss Thomas’s English Muffins, especially the Sourdough ones. Wish I could get them here in Cebu.
I also miss making SOS, with corn, with an over easy egg on top.
Fred;
Thomas English muffins, one of the many reasons I live in the Subic area, they stock what we Kano’s like. I was on the Freeport yesterday, and Jimmy Dean Sausage and Egg Biscuits were back in stock again. Oh joy!
Some things there are a comparative bargain while others are not but it sure sounds like you got a bargain on your Honda repair Paul. Here, the cost of labor at a dealer is about $110 Per Hour. The few remaining independent repair shops are not much less on labor charges, if not the same as a dealer. Small appliance repair for the most part is a thing of the past and with many things it is either fix it yourself or toss it and buy a new one. I am also one of those that is reluctant to get rid of things no longer working or no longer used. I think part of this comes from remembering spending the money when the item was initially purchased. A couple of years ago I Ebay’d a lot of stuff I no longer needed and it proved a fun and mildly profitable way of disposal. Mildly profiatble ? Yes, the unfortunate thing about selling your no longer needed items on Ebay is seeing what others are getting rid of and buying them for yourself. It ends up being more like a swap shop.
Bob;
When I lived in Florida a neighbor came up with a plan that we all have a yard sale on the same day, and since it would be the whole street at once we would attract more customers, The lady across the street bought more stuff than she sold, and her husband and I were sitting at the empty table in front of my house laughing and drinking beer. My table was empty not because I sold anything, but because I just wanted to drink beer on a Sunday afternoon.
Here in the Philippines most items can and will be repaired, we even have a guy who comes around once a month carrying his knife sharpener made from an old bicycle and will sharpen anything with a blade.
Paul,
All you can do is shake your head and say yes dear, because your not going to win. Maybe 10 years down the road your house can be on the hoarders show lol. My father at almost 80 still goes to garage sales weekly. Granted he knows how to find a bargain, but the garage is filled along with all other spaces. At his age I would think it is time to downsize. Can’t beat the cost of repair there. Makes it economical to repair older cars. Take care and stay safe
Randy;
If Mike and Frank (The Picker’s) came to the Philippines looking for rusty gold, they’d find the stuff was still being used every day. Or the rest was pure crap that no one in their right mind would want. I’ll keep driving my Honda until it dies and can’t be repaired again.
Hi Paul – Why don’t you just buy a new car? Ha ha..Surprise your wife? everyone? Ha ha.
Sugar;
And then what would I do with my 1996 New Old Honda? I park at the market and someone dings my door, I drive home and every year or two I’ll put it in the shop and fix all the bung-bungs and dings then repaint the car for less than two hundred dollars. If that happened to a new car I would spend my life hunting down the ignorant clown that bumped my car. Old cars are better for my blood pressure.
I wonder if these are the same gremlins that steal my tools, then put back after I buy new ones? Yesterday it was a crescent wrench. Made a trip to the hardware store and bought a new one because I could not find a single one, even though I should have at least three. On a positive note, I purchased a nice set of “Craftsman” metric open end wrenches. Getting stocked up for the big move, also it is hard to resist that “new tool smell”. I just hope gremlins have no use for metric sizes.
Mike;
Here if you loan a tool, it means you gave them the tool, and will never see it again. Metric or standard matters not; as the tool will be hammered over the head of the bolt or nut until it fits. BTW a crescent wrench in the Philippines is found also to be a pretty good hammer. Also remember that anytime you hire a repairman here you are required to provide the tools.