OT- My first encounter with an anti-and she's my customer!

[amzbrady]

Ruby, maybe the next thing you should leave laying around your clients house, should be a copy of Warren v. District of Columbia, showing that "We the people" have no right to police protection.

Dont forget what Susan B. Anthony said
"I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand."

http://famguardian.org/Subjects/Crime/Articles/PoliceProtection.htm

 

[FMCDH]

Ruby, maybe the next thing you should leave laying around your clients house, should be a copy of Warren v. District of Columbia, showing that "We the people" have no right to police protection.

I disagree.

You should leave nothing of the sort lying around your employers house, as it would be inappropriate in my opinion and my be construed by your employer as an attempt by you to be passive aggressively confrontational. A risk that doesn't pay off in possible gains, as you have stated in your own words, you need the work.

Ruby, you have already said you understand that you made a mistake and although your customer may have overreacted based on prejudice, you don't make things better by confronting a person like that in their own home.

Leave it be unless THEY bring it up and want to talk about it further. If you really want to pursue your customer on the matter, do it face to face and in a neutral setting, such as at a restaurant, over coffee, if your relationship with your customer would extend itself to such a social encounter.

Good luck Ruby, I have always believed you are a great voice for reason.

 

[HeesBonafide]

Missing the point

My gun WAS concealed in my purse as it always is when I am working, so size would make no difference. It was a spare mag and my knife that she saw.

Ruby

While you are correct, your weapon was concealed, you failed in keeping your knife and Magazine on your person. On top of that, you also "forgot" these items at your customer's home. If you wouldn't have left them on the sill or left the premises without them, we would not be reading this right now.

Regardless of her views and beliefs, YOU are responsible for your weapon (and their components) at ALL times.

I bet this is a valuable lesson and you will never make that mistake again.

 

[Ruby]

I disagree.

You should leave nothing of the sort lying around your employers house, as it would be inappropriate in my opinion and my be construed by your employer as an attempt by you to be passive aggressively confrontational. A risk that doesn't pay off in possible gains, as you have stated in your own words, you need the work.

Ruby, you have already said you understand that you made a mistake and although your customer may have overreacted based on prejudice, you don't make things better by confronting a person like that in their own home.

Leave it be unless THEY bring it up and want to talk about it further. If you really want to pursue your customer on the matter, do it face to face and in a neutral setting, such as at a restaurant, over coffee, if your relationship with your customer would extend itself to such a social encounter.

Good luck Ruby, I have always believed you are a great voice for reason.

I don't believe that AMZ was being serious, he was being facetious. I would never do that anyway.

 

[Ruby]

Ruby

While you are correct, your weapon was concealed, you failed in keeping your knife and Magazine on your person. On top of that, you also "forgot" these items at your customer's home. If you wouldn't have left them on the sill or left the premises without them, we would not be reading this right now.

Regardless of her views and beliefs, YOU are responsible for your weapon (and their components) at ALL times.

I bet this is a valuable lesson and you will never make that mistake again.

Please see my post #29. I have acknowledged my mistake. I would appreciate it if some people would quit raking me over the coals over a very human error. I never denied that I am responsible for the incident. Perhaps you have something better to do than critize me after I have taken responsibility for the mistake?!? You are also free not to read this thread.

 

[SFCRetired]

1. Mistake was made, lesson was learned, end of discussion. Ruby, all I can say is that you took the high road, both at your employer's and on here. I applaud you for that. As for the folks who consider it their privilege to continue raking you over the coals; what I would have to say to them about that would be couched in the language of a former Platoon Sergeant and would get me permanently banned.

2. Many, many long years ago, I trained as a Ford mechanic. I'm wondering if maybe your problem is just hoses going bad and not the head gasket. But you said you were taking it to your regular mechanic to get it checked. I'd be interested in what he finds.

3. Too bad you're not closer to Alabama; I believe I could find you a truck here at a price you could afford. But I ain't gonna drive all the way to Washington to deliver it!!:lol:

 

[Ruby]

1. Mistake was made, lesson was learned, end of discussion. Ruby, all I can say is that you took the high road, both at your employer's and on here. I applaud you for that. As for the folks who consider it their privilege to continue raking you over the coals; what I would have to say to them about that would be couched in the language of a former Platoon Sergeant and would get me permanently banned.

2. Many, many long years ago, I trained as a Ford mechanic. I'm wondering if maybe your problem is just hoses going bad and not the head gasket. But you said you were taking it to your regular mechanic to get it checked. I'd be interested in what he finds.

3. Too bad you're not closer to Alabama; I believe I could find you a truck here at a price you could afford. But I ain't gonna drive all the way to Washington to deliver it!!:lol:

Thank you so much for your support, I really appreciate it. Most everyone has been understanding and supportive. The only reason I posted the incident is because I was shocked at her attitude, that's all. It was my first time being hit with the anti attitude. I was aghast that she thought I might hurt her children! In her mind, the gun and knife make me a dangerous person; without them, I'm not dangerous. Never mind that there are knifes in the house, fireplace tools, etc. I gather that she thinks the danger is in the weapon, not the person's intent. I actually feel sorry for her and her family; if they are ever confronted by a criminal they won't have a prayer or any idea what to do. While I definately do not agree with her, I respect her right to her opinion and will abide by her rules as long as I am working there.

I appreciate the kind thoughts about my car and finding me a truck. I think that trip would be a doozy for sure!:lol: It will all work out, it usually does. Many kind offers of help from local people, which I appreciate very much. I will take it to my mechanic after Thanksgiving and see what he says. The mechanic I took it to Saturday explained to me that since there was oil in the antifreeze, that mean that the antifreeze was circulating through the engine, which it's not supposed to do. He said the antifreeze is acidic and will gradually erode the engine. So I will have to do something soon.

I once spend some time in your beautiful state. I took my basic training at Ft. McClellan Alabama. Didn't get to see much from the base, unfortunately!

 

[amlevin]

The mechanic I took it to Saturday explained to me that since there was oil in the antifreeze, that mean that the antifreeze was circulating through the engine,

Definitely a sign of a bad head gasket. Catch it soon and you can "save" the engine. Usually nothing a couple of oil changes won't clean up after the gasket is replaced. BTW, do them both. To do one only means you stop after getting 3/4 of the way to both being done.

 

[Metalhead47]

The mechanic I took it to Saturday explained to me that since there was oil in the antifreeze, that mean that the antifreeze was circulating through the engine, which it's not supposed to do. He said the antifreeze is acidic and will gradually erode the engine. So I will have to do something soon.

Maybe something got lost in the translation there... coolant (antifreeze) is supposed to circulate thru the engine. That's how it cools it. It is not, however, s'posed to mix with engine oil. That bit about corroding the engine seems off to me too, coolant usually had additives to prevent corrosion, like the kind you'd get if you ran straight water with no antifreeze. Like someone else said, if you don't have coolant in the oil as well as oil in the coolant, might not be a head gasket. Somewhere along the lines you're getting oil injected into the coolant under pressure. I'd definitely suggest getting a second or third opinion, sounds like one of those mechanics I've grown to hate.

 

[amzbrady]

I don't believe that AMZ was being serious, he was being facetious. I would never do that anyway.

That was sarcasm, I dont believe in poking hornets nest's. I keep hearing of the sarcasm button but have yet to find it. Is it possibly one of the smileys:question: :banghead: :cuss: :shocker: :monkey :uhoh: :banana:

 

[Ruby]

AMZ, here it is.

 

[amzbrady]

AMZ, here it is.

LOL, Thanks Ruby. I was glad to see you saw my sarcasm. I feel for you in your situation, it is troubling when people just dont get it. Given the time you have worked for them, you would think they would know you well enough not to be fearfull of your posessions. Hopefully it will soon be water under the bridge and they will have moved on to focus on something else in their life they dont agree with. How bout we say a prayer that you find a cleaning job that will allow you to replace them, with better pay, closer to home, and by an open carrier who, would love to see you carrying for self defense and who would think that not having your firearm on you would not be a smart thing to do.

 

[tombrewster421]

View attachment 4621

Maybe something got lost in the translation there... coolant (antifreeze) is supposed to circulate thru the engine. That's how it cools it. It is not, however, s'posed to mix with engine oil. That bit about corroding the engine seems off to me too, coolant usually had additives to prevent corrosion, like the kind you'd get if you ran straight water with no antifreeze. Like someone else said, if you don't have coolant in the oil as well as oil in the coolant, might not be a head gasket. Somewhere along the lines you're getting oil injected into the coolant under pressure. I'd definitely suggest getting a second or third opinion, sounds like one of those mechanics I've grown to hate.

I agree. I think this guy sounds like he's at least embellishing on the problem to make it sound worse so he can get your hard earned money. Did he say when he saw the oil in the antifreeze? It would sit at the top of the radiator if it were there, you could take the cap off and look for yourself. If he was changing the coolant and saw oil in the bucket after draining it could just be that it dripped in there from a leak or something. If antifreeze is in the oil then when you have the oil changed, it will be the first thing out of the pan because water is heavier than oil. The oil could also appear milky if the combination was still agitated. I can't wait for you to get the opinion from your regular mechanic ( the one who already earned your trust ). Good luck Ruby. I would at least take the cap off the radiator and look inside. If you do see oil then you know he wasn't being completely dishonest.

 

[Ruby]

LOL, Thanks Ruby. I was glad to see you saw my sarcasm. I feel for you in your situation, it is troubling when people just dont get it. Given the time you have worked for them, you would think they would know you well enough not to be fearfull of your posessions. Hopefully it will soon be water under the bridge and they will have moved on to focus on something else in their life they dont agree with. How bout we say a prayer that you find a cleaning job that will allow you to replace them, with better pay, closer to home, and by an open carrier who, would love to see you carrying for self defense and who would think that not having your firearm on you would not be a smart thing to do.

They really are good people and they appreciate my work, I just can't defend myself there if someone were to break in. I have to remind myself that there are people on this forum who cannot carry on their jobs and put up with this all the time. This is the only job that I will not be able to carry; my other customers either don't know or don't care because they know what kind of person I am. I do not open carry when I am working because it's just not practical; I don't want to expose my gun to all the chemicals and water and what not that is part of my job. Also, it would be a bit awkward to walk into someone's home with a gun on my hip!:lol: Even with all that, I have a lot more freedom than some here do; at least I can have my gun with me, concealed and close at hand, which is more than some can have, so I am grateful for that. Thanks for the good thoughts!

 

[TechnoWeenie]

Leaving a knife and loaded magazine at someone else' house doesn't exactly instill confidence.

I would probably request the same thing, realizing that one day you might accidentally leave your gun behind for my kids to find....

 

[jayspapa]

Hurry someone...while she's down , kick her again.

Sorry to hear of your car troubles Ruby. I assume you have the 3.8 V-6 in your Cougar. I have a 94 T-bird with the 4.6 V-8 and haven't had any trouble out of it. Actually it is the second 94 bird we have owned. First was a V-8 also. It had 180,000 miles on it when we got rid of it. This one has 162,000 so far.

The 3.8 V-6 is well known for having head gasket problems. However I think you had a shyster trying to make a nice living off of you. Keep checking that oil dipstick and see if the oil looks milky. If it does go that way , stop driving the car. You will wipe out the rod and main bearings. Good luck Ruby .

By the way Ruby , we all make mistakes from time to time. We are human so it is to be expected. Some seem to think they are above us mortal humans. Only difference is , they won't post anything about their messing up.

 

[Ruby]

I agree. I think this guy sounds like he's at least embellishing on the problem to make it sound worse so he can get your hard earned money. Did he say when he saw the oil in the antifreeze? It would sit at the top of the radiator if it were there, you could take the cap off and look for yourself. If he was changing the coolant and saw oil in the bucket after draining it could just be that it dripped in there from a leak or something. If antifreeze is in the oil then when you have the oil changed, it will be the first thing out of the pan because water is heavier than oil. The oil could also appear milky if the combination was still agitated. I can't wait for you to get the opinion from your regular mechanic ( the one who already earned your trust ). Good luck Ruby. I would at least take the cap off the radiator and look inside. If you do see oil then you know he wasn't being completely dishonest.

He was changing the coolant. It has been slowly disappearing over the summer and fall with no puddles under the car or any visible leaks. After Thanksgiving I will make an appointment with my regular mechanic and have him check it out. My regular mechanic is not open on Saturday, and with the cold weather coming, I wanted to make sure the engine didn't freeze, so I had the antifreeze changed. When I noticed it was low, I added water (didn't have any antifreeze with me) and that diluted it, and I knew it needed to be replaced.

 

[amlevin]

I agree. I think this guy sounds like he's at least embellishing on the problem to make it sound worse so he can get your hard earned money. Did he say when he saw the oil in the antifreeze? It would sit at the top of the radiator if it were there, you could take the cap off and look for yourself. If he was changing the coolant and saw oil in the bucket after draining it could just be that it dripped in there from a leak or something. If antifreeze is in the oil then when you have the oil changed, it will be the first thing out of the pan because water is heavier than oil. The oil could also appear milky if the combination was still agitated. I can't wait for you to get the opinion from your regular mechanic ( the one who already earned your trust ). Good luck Ruby. I would at least take the cap off the radiator and look inside. If you do see oil then you know he wasn't being completely dishonest.

This is rapidly becoming a "fix Ruby's Car" thread but at the risk of further diversion I will add.

It is very common for this engine to show oil in the coolant due to a head gasket that is failing. The head gasket seals three areas of the engine where the head joins the block. Naturally it seals the combustion chamber, keeping the hot, high pressure gases in the cylinder. Next it seals the coolant passages that transfer coolant from block to head. Lastly it seals the oil passages that transfer oil from the block oil passages to the head where it lubes the valve train. Since oil is at higher pressure than the cooling system which tops out around 16 lbs on average, it is not all that uncommon for oil to pass through a gasket that has small leakage, into the cooling system. When the engine is shut down small amounts of coolant pass back into the oil passages. Oil only turns milky when HUGE amounts of coolant contaminate it and in many engines the oil runs hot enough to evaporate it almost as fast as it leaks into it. Signs will be that the Coolant overflow bottle, which is supposed to have about a quart or so in it when cold will empty itself about once a week or so. There will be no visible puddles anywhere as it is going into the oil and then evaporating when the oil heats to just under 200 degrees.

When this condition is left un-repaired long enough then the gasket fails to the point where combustion gases pass into the cooling system, often blowing all the water out of the radiator. That is the beginning of the end and serious damage to the heads (warping), block (warping, cracking, or just grooves burned in), and bearings.

On the rotors you have to have turned again, chances are that the calipers need replacement now as well. As they get old, especially if over 100K miles or more, they don't release fully and the brakes drag slightly. This causes the rotors to wear and "warp".

Just a tip, if your doing the work yourself on the brakes or having a friend do it, New rotors for your car are only $27 each at O'Reilly Auto Parts. Turning them would cost $17 or so at the same store. For $10 more you get a new rotor. On the calipers you can get unloaded (no pads or hardware) calipers for about $35 ea. and fully loaded (new pads, new hardware) for about $75.

Brake jobs on that car are not all that hard and can be done for a lot less than even those "Discount" jobs.

Now back to your original post, have you ever considered a "fanny pack"? Lots of those are water resistant and you might even be able to carry your sidearm at all times on the job. I've used one from time to time and just move it from front to side or front to back as necessary. Might be an option.

 

[Ruby]

Hurry someone...while she's down , kick her again.

Sorry to hear of your car troubles Ruby. I assume you have the 3.8 V-6 in your Cougar. I have a 94 T-bird with the 4.6 V-8 and haven't had any trouble out of it. Actually it is the second 94 bird we have owned. First was a V-8 also. It had 180,000 miles on it when we got rid of it. This one has 162,000 so far.

The 3.8 V-6 is well known for having head gasket problems. However I think you had a shyster trying to make a nice living off of you. Keep checking that oil dipstick and see if the oil looks milky. If it does go that way , stop driving the car. You will wipe out the rod and main bearings. Good luck Ruby .

By the way Ruby , we all make mistakes from time to time. We are human so it is to be expected. Some seem to think they are above us mortal humans. Only difference is , they won't post anything about their messing up.

Thank you for your kind words, they mean a lot. Continuing to bash me after I have stated that I accept the responsibility for my actions is pointless and criticizing just to be critizing. I believe that what goes around comes around, sooner or later, in one form or another. I try to live my life that way; I don't always make it, after all I am human too, but I do try, since I have a choice as to what comes back to me.

 

[Ruby]

This is rapidly becoming a "fix Ruby's Car" thread but at the risk of further diversion I will add.

It is very common for this engine to show oil in the coolant due to a head gasket that is failing. The head gasket seals three areas of the engine where the head joins the block. Naturally it seals the combustion chamber, keeping the hot, high pressure gases in the cylinder. Next it seals the coolant passages that transfer coolant from block to head. Lastly it seals the oil passages that transfer oil from the block oil passages to the head where it lubes the valve train. Since oil is at higher pressure than the cooling system which tops out around 16 lbs on average, it is not all that uncommon for oil to pass through a gasket that has small leakage, into the cooling system. When the engine is shut down small amounts of coolant pass back into the oil passages. Oil only turns milky when HUGE amounts of coolant contaminate it and in many engines the oil runs hot enough to evaporate it almost as fast as it leaks into it. Signs will be that the Coolant overflow bottle, which is supposed to have about a quart or so in it when cold will empty itself about once a week or so. There will be no visible puddles anywhere as it is going into the oil and then evaporating when the oil heats to just under 200 degrees.

When this condition is left un-repaired long enough then the gasket fails to the point where combustion gases pass into the cooling system, often blowing all the water out of the radiator. That is the beginning of the end and serious damage to the heads (warping), block (warping, cracking, or just grooves burned in), and bearings.

On the rotors you have to have turned again, chances are that the calipers need replacement now as well. As they get old, especially if over 100K miles or more, they don't release fully and the brakes drag slightly. This causes the rotors to wear and "warp".

Just a tip, if your doing the work yourself on the brakes or having a friend do it, New rotors for your car are only $27 each at O'Reilly Auto Parts. Turning them would cost $17 or so at the same store. For $10 more you get a new rotor. On the calipers you can get unloaded (no pads or hardware) calipers for about $35 ea. and fully loaded (new pads, new hardware) for about $75.

Brake jobs on that car are not all that hard and can be done for a lot less than even those "Discount" jobs.

Now back to your original post, have you ever considered a "fanny pack"? Lots of those are water resistant and you might even be able to carry your sidearm at all times on the job. I've used one from time to time and just move it from front to side or front to back as necessary. Might be an option.

Thanks, Amlevin, I appreciate all the information. Right now, I am only losing small amounts of coolant. I filled the reserve tank a couple of months ago and when I had the coolant replaced this last Saturday, it was still half full. I understand that I need to get it taken care of soon, before it gets worse.

The thread got off track because people, such as yourself lol are trying to be helpful. I do not have a husband or male companion to help with this, so I am pretty much on my own. I DO appreciate everyone's help and suggestions and will keep everyone informed once my mechanic has a chance to look at it. My sincere thanks to everyone.