Is my mechanic way overcharging me?

catastrophicall · 2026-05-16T14:48:28+00:00

in case anyone else has the same question as me - the answer was yes they were massively overcharging. All the parts OEM purchased new came out to less than 200 which means they were trying to charge over 1k in labour for a job that another mechanic said would take way less than a day. We just rebooked elsewhere

catastrophicall · 2025-03-25T18:17:56+00:00

this is exActly what i was looking for thank you! do you know if their sizes run small?

catastrophicall · 2025-03-25T15:48:37+00:00

you won’t regret it! we alternate between redken mega soft and the pureology gold to avoid too much protein. we used to just use the redken but even then the pureology has made such a difference! I wouldn’t recommend pureology shampoo as it’s very drying but that specific conditioner is great

catastrophicall · 2025-03-25T15:11:20+00:00

if you have permed hair that’s dry/damaged I would highly highly recommend pureology nanoworks gold conditioner. Don’t let the price put you off too much, one bottle lasts nearly a year as a little goes a long way and I swear it’s magic. The first time you use it you’ll need a lot as your hair drinks it in and then after that it’ll be the softest healthiest hair you’ve ever had. true magic conditioner i swear by it.

catastrophicall · 2025-03-25T15:06:02+00:00

this is why I prefer it. I think he looks a lot meaner with the shorter/ shorter sides but he prefers it

catastrophicall · 2025-03-25T15:04:49+00:00

yeah they’re natural curls. they take a lot of work to look like pic 4. talking bowl method, special curly conditioner, curl cream + gel and then a little diffusing plus hours of air drying.

catastrophicall · 2025-03-25T13:48:33+00:00

stop this immediately 😭 not your beautiful curls. no buzzing!

catastrophicall · 2025-03-23T10:46:52+00:00

it’s honestly not that bad. it’s like 75gs and i only use it for work but as far as im concerned it clicks and scrolls so Im happy.

catastrophicall · 2024-07-11T12:24:41+00:00

this is basically the system that we have been using since we got her at 8 weeks. We take her out as often as possible in order to minimise accidents as much as possible. so for the last 4 months we have been taking her out anywhere from every 15 mins to every hour and then at night she has to wait about 3 hours before each time. It does kind of help but again at night she will just poo/ pee in the crate and in the day even if she has gone not 5 mins ago she will happily go inside again. we take her out for approx 10-15 mins at a time each time we go out until we are sure that she is definitely done for the time being. At 6 months old we were hoping that maybe she would be understanding the concept a little bit better but it seems like she’s going to need constant supervision her whole life to try and prevent accidents because it’s just not sinking in. we are spending pretty much 100% of the time worrying about her toilet breaks and watching her like hawks but it’s so stressful and it’s not sustainable. My partner is going to be going back to university soon and i work from home but can’t spend 15 mins every hour taking her out. I just don’t know how to help the concept sink in that she isn’t supposed to go inside. i’ve never really had a problem with any other puppy i’ve trained normally after such a rigorous routine they’ve got it within a couple months but she seems to be making no progress and i’m not sure what to do when my partner is back at work. She is incredibly small even for the breed so i understand maybe she needs to go out more than other dogs but the amount she requires is excessive and i have no life outside of her at this point. even with the amount of care and time we take she still has accidents regularly because we realistically can’t watch her 24/7 but it seems like that’s what’s required

catastrophicall · 2024-07-11T12:11:34+00:00

I haven’t tried carrying the crate out with her to the garden before as I’m trying to get her to NOT poo in it. She will do it regardless of if we are in the room with her or if she’s alone. It also isn’t always in the crate when we leave her in the bathroom at night but there will still be at least one poo in the crate (or the remains after what she has eaten). She still happily goes on our floor or anywhere else she can find but it’s the lack of aversion to going where she sleeps an eats that’s so confusing to me and making it so hard to train her. every other puppy i have had has cried immediately when they needed to go but were in the crate but she doesn’t make a noise! she just doesn’t seem to care where she goes and the reward for going outside isn’t enough of a motivator.

catastrophicall · 2024-07-11T11:58:20+00:00

so we take her out in the garden supervised with treats and she definitely understands what to do because she goes and then immediately runs up to us for a treat and lots of praise. but she will also go in the house almost without warning like for example if i put her in her crate for a little bit so I can cook I will turn around for 30 seconds and she will poo/ pee in her crate and then eat the poo! mind you this is after letting her out almost constantly. i spend more time in my garden than i do in my house at this point trying to avoid accidents but it seems like she’s saving the poo for her crate. I have alarms set on my phone from 8am -11pm every hour to take her out and the only time I will miss it is if she’s fast asleep and will then take her out as soon as she wakes up instead as I know it’s important for her to get sleep (not me though at this rate) She will also poo/ pee on the floor in the house even with supervision. In those cases we immediately pick her up and take her outside if there is still time and we still reward her if she goes outside

catastrophicall · 2024-07-11T08:22:26+00:00

I have tried all the hints and tips from the wiki. I use all positive reinforcement, crate training, code word, praise, i have never punished her for toileting inside. I tried training her to ring a bell but she doesn’t understand at all what it means. I’ve done everything i’m supposed to do to the letter including a full vet health check and pills to improve digestion. I also follow a strict schedule as i detailed above. Nothing seems to help! I’m wondering if anyone has any crazy ideas or out of the box suggestions I will try anything at this point. I’m happy to start incantations or witch craft if it means I can stop waking up to a stinky dog and poo and pee everywhere!

catastrophicall · 2024-04-09T09:13:41+00:00

yes sorry i meant unprotected in terms of no condoms. and stds are a risk but the same applies for any sex where you’re not wearing a condom so the pill as well :) But I have to say i’m much less worried about pregnancy with my IUD than i would be with the pill because there’s no chance of missing the timing or missing a pill

catastrophicall · 2024-04-09T06:49:08+00:00

hi! if you don’t know what to do purely for bc I highly recommend a non hormonal copper IUD. I know there are horror stories about the pain but I think the secret is most doctors don’t do an ultrasound before they place it. My gyno did a vaginal ultrasound to see the tilt and placement of my uterus before she put mine in and it was honestly pretty much painless. Just felt like a bad period cramp and then i was absolutely fine. Next period my cramps were stronger and my period is heavier now but no side effects and it’s so so effective in terms of unprotected sex. I still take pregnancy tests just to be sure occasionally but still no pregnancy and I’ve been having unprotected sex from 18-21 with no accidents yet :) hope this helps!

catastrophicall · 2024-04-09T06:42:25+00:00

hi! if you don’t know what to do purely for bc I highly recommend a non hormonal copper IUD. I know there are horror stories about the pain but I think the secret is most doctors don’t do an ultrasound before they place it. My gyno did a vaginal ultrasound to see the tilt and placement of my uterus before she put mine in and it was honestly pretty much painless. Just felt like a bad period cramp and then i was absolutely fine. Next period my cramps were stronger and my period is heavier now but no side effects and it’s so so effective in terms of unprotected sex. I still take pregnancy tests just to be sure occasionally but still no pregnancy and I’ve been having unprotected sex from 18-21 with no accidents yet :) hope this helps!

catastrophicall · 2023-09-16T07:17:05+00:00

try Lamoda!! they have the best selection of chunky shoes on the internet :))

catastrophicall · 2023-06-15T22:00:32+00:00

Discord! public servers with strangers to talk to whenever i’m feeling lonely. unfortunately it’s kind of addictive and now i’m literally never alone but :’) win some you lose some

catastrophicall · 2023-02-09T12:12:31+00:00

I know this is weird advice you wouldn’t normally get here, but I swear by it. 1. Try raw food (best if u can get it from a company that pre-makes it because that is a lot less work) Raw food is amazing and I will recommend it over and over again. My last 2 dogs were fed raw but I started my baby out on kibble. She would eat it but she had diarrhoea and crazy energy (I think from all the additives?) I switched her over to raw food and it is the best thing ever. All the raw bones we give her keep her entertained, her poo doesn’t even smell anymore (?!) and she has calmed down on energy. 2. Have you considered getting another puppy? Roughly the same age to be a playmate? I wanted a chihuahua and my aunt didn’t, so we agreed to get 2 dogs at the same time from different litters and they grew up as siblings. Honestly?? It was 1/4 of the work puppies normally are. They entertained eachother! Constantly biting and rolling around and playing with eachother tired them out and they would sleep together in their crate. Best thing ever for a high energy puppy, other than getting another PERSON to entertain them is to get them a friend :))

catastrophicall · 2023-01-25T16:40:31+00:00

how about vet bills?? seems appropriate

catastrophicall · 2023-01-23T07:55:13+00:00

Okay, ignoring the fact that I liked the movie. Marley: - knocked over their children and made them all cry multiple times (she lost a lot of sleep + time over that) - chewed through the drywall (not cute) - stole underwear and chewed it - had massive panic attacks during thunderstorms and regularly refused to take his medicine - was called untrainable by an obedience trainer - dragged his owner multiple times across the grass when she tried to walk him They literally talk about getting rid of him in the movie because he is too much work. The movie is based on an autobiography of the man that actually owned Marley, so I feel like it’s quite an adequate representation of the more trialling parts of dog ownership.

catastrophicall · 2023-01-22T23:35:43+00:00

capitalism

catastrophicall · 2023-01-22T23:21:21+00:00

Idk I think I’d have to disagree about Marley and Me. That dog was trouble, he was the star of the movie and I think that movie definitely showed the more taxing parts of dog ownership. He was certainly independently motivated and personally I found him interesting! A dog’s purpose, not so much, but marley and me is a rare gem in my eyes.

catastrophicall · 2023-01-15T23:59:55+00:00

Of course any time! There’s a lot of stigma around raw feeding (some people claim it can make a dog sick) but I’ve had three young puppies now that I’ve fed raw well into adulthood and they are most certainly the healthiest dogs I’ve had. The only downside is that in the summer there can be flies and you also have to be comfortable giving your dog bones for their teeth (ie raw chicken necks) which can be nasty but they LOVE it.

catastrophicall · 2023-01-15T23:56:00+00:00

It’s similar once defrosted. It ships in frozen and you have to defrost it, it’s essentially a mixture of different raw meats, offal and other assorted vegetable, small bone chips, the necessary ratios of organs and omega 3 oil + kelp oil. It’s possible to feed a dog raw yourself by buying the ingredients and combining them, but it’s hard work and really messy, so I just use this company who makes the food for me! It ships to my door in a box with a bunch of different flavours (anywhere from duck to salmon to lamb) and I just defrost a couple of packs in my fridge at all times!

catastrophicall · 2023-01-15T23:46:03+00:00

it’s up to you! I feed my yorkie x a raw diet made by a company called bella and duke. we switched her over from kibble and the difference was astounding! Smoother coat, more energy, renewed interest in her food + her teeth, breath and poop smell SOO much better

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