My neighbor's driveway diagnosis demands are driving me nuts

Every time I pull into my own driveway, the guy across the street waves me over to listen to some new sound his truck is making. I'm not running a free consultation service out of my garage, and a quick listen doesn't replace putting it on a lift. When did it become okay to treat a mechanic's knowledge like a party trick for anyone with a car problem?

4 comments

4 Comments

ben6981mo ago

Used to think it was just being neighborly, you know? Like I'd pop the hood for the guy two houses down when his lawnmower sputtered. Then it was his wife's minivan with a "funny click," then his kid's bike needed the gears looked at. Realized I was running a full time free shop on my Saturdays. The favor economy only works when it goes both ways, and mine was a one way street to my driveway. Now I just say my tools are at the shop and I gotta check the book rate.

harper_campbell131mo ago

Exactly. It starts small but then your whole street decides you're the free fix-it guy. Suddenly you're tuning up grills before their fourth of July party or trying to figure out why their power tool is making a noise. The calendar fills up with other people's chores, and the only thanks is the next broken thing showing up at your door. That's not being a neighbor, that's being taken for granted.

ericw931mo agoMost Upvoted

Wow, I used to think that way too until my own Saturdays got booked up.

ben3601mo ago

Set boundaries early. It saves your sanity lol.