Easy Car Fix

The left rear brake light on the Mercedes was out.  Since the car needs an oil change, I was going to have the mechanic do it, until a friend at camp insisted I was capable of doing it myself.  He told me the type of bulb required and I found them easily at Pep Boys for about seven bucks.

At first I thought it would be easy and I wouldn't need any tools -- just unscrew these nuts in the compartment where the spare tire is stowed.  The problem was that once I got the bolts out, the assembly that held the bulb was not easy to open.  Very few things in this car are intuitive.  Alas, there wasn't a single youtube resource to provide guidance.

TBG managed to get the assembly opened while I was searching on-line.  Of course, a piece snapped off, so when we put it back together (after testing the light), it had to be taped closed with electrician's tape.  He mentioned that there was a lot of debris in the light.  I noticed the plastic outer shell had a bit broken off, which  no doubt lets schmutz in.  Oh well, at least the job is done!

Our town prohibits on-street parking after November 1, until April 1st.  Sometimes the onset is delayed if the weather is good.  Even though we are due for an oil change and the car is then going to sit in storage for about six months, it's still worth doing so that residue and gunk won't settle in the engine.

Our neighbor Dave is once again offering storage space in a garage at one of his rental properties.  His own garage has been torn down and the new one has not been built yet, so we can return the favor by storing his two riding lawn mowers.  His boat is out of the water and pulled up against our house.  That blocks our kitchen windows -- which face one another.  Rather than being annoying, it means we can all walk into the kitchen in our underwear and not be ashamed.

I'm bummed that it's going to be time to take the car off the road, but at least I know the brake light won't be a problem when the inspection is up in April.  And it was a relatively easy fix too!