E39 - Drive Belts Fitting

Here is the picture or a scenario, you leave school, learn to drive and you decide to become an instant genius on all subjects including car mechanics, or one should perhaps suggest parts fitter. During the advancing years, one picks up the odd tool from here and there, maybe some wisdom, along the way, (in more ways that one...I digress) a parent, brothers, the butch sister, possible friends, works toolbox and occasionally, one may consider buying one from a shop, sounds familiar? It happens.....

One day it gets to the point one starts to scramble around looking for tools you know you have somewhere within a familiar facinity, so you can do a particular job. The tool evades you as much as it can and memory plays tricks on your competence. The garage or shed is turned upside down and inside out and nothing! Deep in one's heart you know there is only one of two ways out of the 5x23 space. Normally, you know there is no need for others to borrow your tools because you are the main maintenance man of the house however, once familiy start adding cars to the drive, or the odd neighbour and your kid's friend pops in, or the wife's friend decides to knock a nail in the wall and hasn't got a hammer, well! It becomes another story...Your valuable precious tools becomes the world's resource, tensions rise and after many heated discussions, security is having to be beefed up, sounds familiar?

This is one journey in replacing the tools lost, unfortunately it does not replace the setimentality, the memories a tool can trigger, a passed event, a milestone in ones life and this loss is normally dismissed by the offender(s). Each tool holds a memory in time that one cannot recapture in a new replacement tool. Women have photos, men have their tools.

Based on ones income and inclination to attempt general DIY maintenance relies on tools of a reasonable quality.The quality and use of a tool is really down to personal skills and experience, some tools can cost silly money, (very expensive) for example a basic hammer can cost over £100 and one only needs to knock in a few nails, hell! A brick can do that! And it's free!....A £100 hammer can be disppointing in performance, (one could also try visiting a gym) and then there is the shallow pocket. It is best not to purchase a tool based on just good looks, even ugly looking alternatives can just be as good or even better and last a lifetime, (as long as no-one walks off with it), giving a good faithful worthy service and a cheap one at that.. (there is a moral here somewhere....). Rule of thumb, search out British quality tools first, aim at a reasonable price to suit the pocket and job at hand.

The quantity of tools on the otherhand, really depends on a personal understanding and courage to tackle a particular job that presents itself, it may require a specialised tool and will eventually allow one to amass a large collection of tools, to your live-in partner's/wife's dismay. The logic here is, if you are capable of doing the job to a reasonable standard, it saves money long term by not having to employ others to do the jobs, saving money for those luxury items.....

Within this section, I look at the economy buy for those with a low income, without sacrificing the serviceability or quality My personal observation or comment although not p.c.,(as you have probably guessed) does accompany most of the items discussed and is associated with maintaining my Beamer. You are considered along for the ride.....