I do my best these days to not know anything about outboards, bikes, and trucks around here, it lets me get more of my own stuff done. I can count on one hand how many I'd volunteer to help for free these days.
I learned the hard way at work a few years ago when I felt sorry for a younger guy who had 5 kids, a mortgage, and a wife that ran up bills like money grew on trees. His truck failed inspection for ball joints and he was broke.
Some dealer or shop quoted him $1,500. The parts were maybe $150. I told him to buy the parts, I ave him the part numbers and told him if he showed up at my house on Sat. morning with the parts and a cold cooler full of beer I'd help him replace the ball joints. He showed up at 7pm with two tie rod ends and no beer. The tie rod ends were used too.
I told him they're not the parts you need but he said they were cheaper so he bought them off CL instead. The guy told him its what his truck needed. I told him they didn't even fit his truck, and that two tie rod ends off a GM won't fit a Toyota Tacoma. I had given him the part number s and told him where to buy them.
Four weeks later after having hitched ride to work for a month, he says he got the parts and can we do it that weekend. i said okay but he needs to be there bright an early before it got too hot to work on it. He shows up at 3pm, again, no beer, and he left the parts at home an hour away.
Keep in mind this is a guy in his mid 30's with a family and 5 kids, a house, and a job driving making deliveries all day. but he couldn't seem to grasp the get here bright an early part for some reason.
I tried again the following week but he again didn't show up till dark and with only half the parts on a day it was pouring rain. He showed up completely unannounced and expected me to work on his truck in the dark, in the rain.
I did my best to be polite but when he started with something about me promising to help him and now backing out, I made it real clear he must be an absolute idiot to think anyone who offered to fix your truck for free is going to do it in the dark in the middle of a thunderstorm when for the third time you failed to show up with any cold beer, and 12 hours late for the third time in a row.
He then started about how its not his fault, he had to do something for his wife. I gave up at that point and told him to grow a pair and tell his wife she has to wait. He never did show up with the parts nor any beer. He's still hitching a ride to work because on ball joint broke and the truck is stuck at some some shop with a tow bill on it he can't afford to pay.
I thought about telling him I'd pick it up and bring it to his house so he don't get charged storage but thought better of it.
I since retired and from what I heard he's still without wheels to get to work with.
