It is now almost 20 years since I was officially a motor mechanic, and most times I keep this news quiet. But somehow the information gets out and before long my skills are called upon to help somebody out who is in need. Since on our base we only have one car this is not very often.
Today however, there was a serious problem with Jorge's car as the speedometer suddenly stopped working and he was about to embark on a 6 hour journey early the next day. A quick look at it revealed the most common problem - the speedo cable had broken. So we headed down to the local shop and for 10 pesos had a new cable in our hands. I tried to fit it on the car while it was parked in the street, but without the tools and better access it was impossible.
No problem for Jorge. Within minutes we had arrived at the home of one of his friends - a pastor and also a mechanic. Although this guy had no available time to help fit the cable, he loaned us his workshop with a pit in the floor so we could fix it up. It only took 10 minutes once we were in to have it all sorted out and fixed, although the oil leaks managed to stain all of Jorge's and my clothes in the process. Good thing they were all old.
The only photo I remembered to take. The workshop.
Returning home, Jorge and I were very happy as the speedometer was now working again. Being a mechanic is both a blessing and a distraction, but if it can help people out when in need I am happy to help out every now and then.