Entry #4 - Cars Are Pain
Let me show you how being a car enthusiast can sometimes be a frustrating experience. At the beginning of the weekend, I decided to install some simple modifications on my car that had been sitting in my garage for months. I thought it would be efficient to tackle both in one sitting, but I was mistaken. What I expected to be a day’s worth of work turned into a grueling three-day marathon. From Friday evening to a late Sunday night, I found myself sweating, yelling, and pleading—exhausted. . and starving—while watching countless videos of others installing the same parts. You might wonder why I endured such turmoil for just two components. The answer is simple: this was my first solo project on a car I’ve only owned for a year, and I didn’t have the experienced help I used in the past. Compounding the challenge was my limited set of basic tools, which were only adequate for routine maintenance.
new tools!
The parts I was installing were an air intake system and a custom steering wheel. For this build, I assumed I only needed some simple tools, such as 10mm and 12mm sockets, a ratchet extension, a long flathead screwdriver, pliers, a Torx bit set, and a clean set of rags to protect my pretty parts from scratches. However, by the end of this, I got fed up with the strenuous effort I was exerting and turned to OfferUp and Facebook to find my forever tools that became my new pals.
(end product, I didn't take photos during the build)
Before I begin extracting out the oem parts for the new aftermarket ones I need to do some preparation for both. First, I let the engine cool for a couple of hours to avoid experiencing surface burn marks and pain for the entire install While I waited, I laid out all my parts and tools in an organized manner to save time. I grabbed a ⅜ ratchet and headed to the back of my car to access the battery, spending a couple of minutes removing the panel and disconnecting the large terminal. I placed a rag over the negative terminal to prevent accidental contact. Once the engine was cool, I got to work, attempting to tackle both installs simultaneously.
(end product)
Bouncing back and forth between both tasks, I removed easy stuff like the engine cover and interior trim or panels in the way. Unscrewing and prying things out piece by piece, I cataloged anything specific that seemed like I wasn’t gonna remember later on that was too complex like wiring layout of specific screw for specific parts like the mass airflow sensor. Every five minutes or so I rewatched a selection of videos I had for the two parts to keep track of how far I got into the build. The most annoying part was loosening the c-clamp on the intake hose connected to the air filter box and unscrewing things in the most awkward angles. Taking out the air filter and unbolting the intake tube from the throttle body was a doozy with how the parts were just jam packed together. For the wheel, it was like being careful with a bomb. I decided on calling it for a night because of the stories I heard about residue electricity within the system still sets off the airbag for some owners
(disconnecting wiring and removing airbag, gently)
On Saturday I got done with removing the entire assembly of the air intake system but I was only halfway through on the steering wheel. I spent my early morning accessing and carefully releasing the airbag clips from the back of the steering wheel. Subsequently removing the hardware I finally removed the “bomb.” Getting to the internals and seeing all the wiring, I spent a solid afternoon disconnecting the connectors from the steering column. The next unforeseen change was to remove the large center bolt securing the steering wheel. This was the longest time I spent on one bolt that was very simple. I used various long wrenches and a breaker bar to brute force the bolt the size of my thumb to come loose. Hour after hour, I tried various positions to get an inch of pull to get it to move. At this moment, in the mid-evening was when I started to throw intermittent tantrums over my frustration and exhaustion of working in an ac-less garage.
(Reassembling steering wheel wiring)
Waking up around midnight in the driver seat of my car, I stared at all of the things I had lying in and around my car and I said “fuck it.” I pulled out my phone and opened up my market apps and browsed for a few hours looking for sellers selling powered combo tool sets. Eventually when I found a seller who had the tools I needed, I messaged them and crossed my fingers in hopes they would respond by early Sunday morning so I could be done with this build. However, about an hour later at two o’clock they already responded with an address and time. I was stoked and surprised that they responded sooner than I expected, being that saved it time.
I stayed up all night, fueling myself with a good meal and a handful of shows while waiting for dawn. At eight o’clock I nabbed my sister’s car, drove to the bank and met and thanked the seller for meeting up with me so earlier on a slow Sunday. Finally trying out my two new tools, a Dewalt compact hand drill and an impact, everything went by in a breeze. All I needed to do now was reinstall everything by reversing the steps but with the new parts.
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