Royally pissed.

[AbuNigel]

So I get a nice big box of maintenance parts from German Auto Parts today. My package arrived the day after placing my order with all my nice OEM parts. Things started well. (2000 2.0 bug)

One of the parts I intended to replace was the fuel filter, it's easy, cheap, and very well over due.

So I get down on the ground to start the job and the first thing I noticed was that the current filter was held on with zip ties... Bad sign.

I got through that mess, and although nervous from horror stories of people breaking the fuel line clips that attach to the filter and having to replace the entire line, I got the front one off with relative ease. I let the filter drain a little and began to work on the rear clip.

It felt different in my fingers from the front one and that puzzled me. A little maneuvering of my iphone and I got a pic that revealed that the 'magic button' that you depress to pull off that style of clip was missing. Broken off.

So, I can't get the filter off, and even if i managed too, there's no guarantee i'd be able to properly secure the new filter in.

I hook the old filter back up and call it a day..

What really pisses me off here is that this car was never previously owned, and until any job i've done on it myself since beginning to drive in back in high school, all the work it's required was done by "professionals."

This botched fuel filter replacement job is just the most recent thing I found. My rear taillight bulbs were held into a mangled assembly harness with electrical tape, and the headlight seating mechanism has never seemed right either, and i'm holding my breath for what other surprises may be awaiting me..

I stress out sometimes about working on the car myself, that if my lack of experience ever created more problems than it solved, i'd feel like a real ass. I do it to save money and as a hobby, but the potential too completely screw the pooch and have no one to blame but myself is definitely not an aspect of working on cars that I enjoy. But when I see the "repairs" that "professionals" have done before I got to tinkering, I just get furious. Not just for the principle of it all, but also because the burden of proof lands in MY lap. Can I look through my records to find out which mechanic my dad brought the car to when the fuel filter got replaced, and go demand a new rear fuel line because they obviously broke the clip? Yea, I doubt it..

Of course there are many very good, honest, and skilled mechanics out there. But my car landed with some real asshats.

/rant

[the mad conductor]

i always like digging in on my cars to learn the PO was a hack and didnt do anything right. sorry about your bad luck