Realized I was asking the wrong question for years about my car issues
I mean, I always thought the trick to fixing my old Honda was to describe the sound as precisely as possible, so I'd say things like 'a rhythmic click that speeds up when I turn left.' Then last Tuesday, a mechanic in Birmingham told me he just needed to know when it started and what I was doing, not the sound. It took me three separate visits over 4 months to learn that, and I wasted about $150 on parts for the wrong thing. He finally asked, 'Did this happen after you hit something?' and that's when it clicked. I never once thought to mention the pothole I hit in March, because I figured the sound was the main clue. Has anyone else been guilty of over-explaining symptoms and missing the basic context? Or am I the only one who treats car repair like a detective novel?