Bumper Repair

Accidents Happen...

This sort of minor damage to a car is common and happens eventually if you own a car for long enough.  The annoying part about it to me is that your options for dealing with it are limited and often times less than ideal:

1. Take the car to a dealership or repair shop to get it fixed properly.  This is the easiest method and will bring the car back into perfect working order but it seems that no matter what the problem is it will always cost ~ $500 or whatever your insurance deductible is.
2. Shop around to find the appropriate bumper part yourself and attempt to remove and replace the piece on your own.  By buying the parts yourself you can save about half the repair cost but you're then on your own to figure out how to fix it.  The repair could take half a day or more to complete and that's if you do it correctly and don't damage other parts while trying to remove and replace the one broken part.  
3. Live with the dent/scrape/damage.  This is undesirable for many reasons, but it's undeniably the cheapest and easiest solution of the three.

Before going down one of these paths I figured I would try a different solution.  I would use some of my home improvement troubleshooting skills and see if I could apply them to our car.  After assessing the actual damage it seemed to be limited to a few plastic rivets that had come out and a broken attachment point on the end of the bumper (pictured).

Broken Bumper Attachment Point

So I found and ordered a bag of the appropriate retainer clips and ordered some JB Weld epoxy putty on Amazon.  For $10 I had the supplies I needed to try the quick repair.  If it didn't work I was only out a few dollars and I could still go down one of the 3 usual car repair paths.

Repair Supplies

I popped the plastic clips in place along the edge of the bumper where they had come loose and used the putty to help create a new attachment point for the end to keep it in place.  Afterwards I used some adhesive remover to help wipe off the paint that had transferred to the bumper and finished it with a fresh coat of wax.

Put Back Together

The finished repair is almost as good as putting on a new piece.  You would have to be looking for it to notice any difference.  Definitely good enough for a 7 year old car; 2009 Toyota Camry.  Still looks and runs great.  

Plastic Rivet Clip

JB Weld!

Before

After

Repairing Wooden Shutters

Now that we're blogging again, I figured I would start posting about some of my home improvement and repair projects.  I've still been working on the house, but less often with the kids around.  It seems that Pamela and I would rather hang out with the kids than take on a new repair or remodeling project.  Also, we're running out of things to repair or update with this house.

Repairing Shutters
A few weeks ago I noticed that a part of the wooden shutters in our bedroom had broken off.  It didn't really affect the operation of the shutters, you could still close them up or open them but that one slat would sort of hang crooked.  Last week it finally was bothering me enough to do something about it.  This was a fairly easy and quick repair once I had a plan in mind for how to fix it.  I didn't want to have to take the entire shutter assembly apart or find/make a whole new slat.  To save time and money, I decided I would use a sort of wooden plug and stick it in place to repair that section.  I fashioned a small piece of wood roughly the size and shape of the piece that had broken off.  Then I used some JB weld epoxy putty I had leftover from another project to stick it in place.  The epoxy putty is some pretty strong stuff once it sets up.  I figure it'll hold the shutter well enough.  It doesn't have to support much weight or stress, it just needs to hold that slat onto the pin so it can rotate.  I let it dry for a day and then I painted over the repair using some old white paint I had leftover from Ryan's room.  Total money spent on the repair: $0 and it operates and looks almost as good as new.

Broken Shutter Before

Broken Shutter Up Close

Wooden Plug

Fits Just Right

JB Weld

Wood and Expoxy Putty in Place

Painted Up to Match

Shutters After

TV Repair

Last week we got a bad surprise when we went to turn on our main living room TV and it didn't come up.  It was a bit confusing at first because it gave the Samsung audio jingle like usual but the screen didn't show anything.  We could still hear the sound coming from the TV so we knew it was on and still basically working.  Our first instinct was that Ryan had something to do with it.  Many times when our electronics aren't working right we can track it back to Ryan messing around with them and putting them into some weird mode.  However, after playing around a bit it became clear that it wasn't just stuck in some menu or setting, the screen was legitimately not working.

We were pretty disappointed since this TV is less than 3 years old.  So I took to the internet to see if there was anything that could be done.  Luckily, I found a few sites and videos describing our same situation.  The audio and back light were still working but there was no picture on the screen.  The diagnosis for this was either a circuit card called a T-con board was bad or the main screen went out.  If the main screen breaks that is basically it for your TV, but the T-con board can be replaced and is much much less than buying a new TV.

So I took the TV down and opened it up to see what model of T-con board to buy.  That was the advice on one site; make sure you get the exact same model board to ensure it will be compatible.  I ordered the card and hoped that it would arrive quickly and fix the screen.  Three days later it came in the mail and I quickly swapped them out.  Taking all the screws off to remove the back of the TV took the most time.  The board only had 4 screws and 3 cables to disconnect and reconnect.  If you ever have to do this I recommend taking notes and staying organized with all the screws that come out.  There were a few different sizes and I wanted to make sure it all went back together after the repair.

10 minutes later the TV was back on the wall and to our relief the picture came back!  I'm not sure what the odds are of the T-con board going out vs. the screen but I'm sure glad it was just the circuit card in our case.

It was a sad few days with the TV missing.

The patient on the operating table

All opened up.  You can see the T-con board in the middle with the cover removed.

T-con board close-up.  You can see the 3 cables that had to be disconnected and reconnected to the new board.

My method for staying organized with all the screws.

Success!  It's working again!

Our model TV is a Samsung UN60EH6000 60" LED TV.  The T con board I ordered was a BN95-00628C but if you do have to make this repair I would check the part number of your board first before ordering.  Also, even though we had success with this repair it is necessary to note that opening up your TV is risky.  Once you start taking things apart and replacing parts you run the risk of not being able to fix your TV or possibly damaging it worse.  This blog is not a guide and I am not responsible for anyone damaging their TV by trying to repair it themselves.  :)

How to Grow a New Oleander Plant

I like oleanders as a plant because they are very hearty and low maintenance.  They are awesome because they not only survive through intense Arizona summers, they love the heat.  Our oleanders flower several times throughout the year, their leaves stay green all year round, and they don’t require much water.  Another cool feature is that you have a lot of options when growing and pruning them.  We have some in front of our house that I have trimmed down like a small hedge, about 4 feet tall, in front of our kitchen window.  Then in the back yard one of our oleanders has grown into a bush maybe 12 feet tall and 10 feet across that works great to block out some of the street noise from the road next to our house.  I have even seen oleanders trimmed to grow like trees with a large single trunk.

However, some of my friends do not share the same affinity for oleanders that I do.  Their heartiness also makes them very hard to remove once they are established.  So before planting oleanders you better be certain that it is the plant you want and you are happy with the location.  Also, oleanders are very poisonous.  We have never had a problem with Jordan but you should be cautious if you have pets or little children.

Like I said oleanders flower often and will produce seed pods but the best way to propagate a new oleander plant is to take a cutting off of the existing plant.  The best time to do this is in late summer or fall.  Look for fresh shoots coming off of the branches about 6 inches long or so and cut them off close to the old branch.  The new branches will be a nice bright green like in this picture. 

Take these new growth branches you just cut and put them in a glass or vase of water and let them sit for a week or so.  Make sure the bases of the cuttings are submerged in the water and refill the container if necessary.

 After several days you should start to see little white roots growing from cut end of the clippings.  Be patient with this part.  For the first week or so you wont see any change in the clippings and may be tempted to give up, but keep giving them water and give them time to grow. 

Once these little roots are an inch or longer you can take them out of the water and plant them in the ground.  I put mine in pots so they have good soil with which to establish some serious roots and it makes it easier to make sure they have enough water.

I usually start with about 6-10 clippings.  Not all of the clippings will sprout roots and they may not all survive once they are planted so it’s good to have some extra.  I made out pretty well this time with most of the clippings surviving so far.  I’m planning on using these to grow another bush in the back yard.  I’m also trying to grow one like a tree, which I just recently planted in the front yard.  As he grows taller I’m just pruning off the lower leaves and so far it is looking promising.  Here is a picture of him in the pot before I planted him.

This one is just a few months ahead of the new little guys.  The oleanders grow very quickly, especially during the hotter months.  I’ll try to remember to post an update in a couple months to show how they are all progressing.

How To - Juggle

Juggling was something I always wanted to do growing up but didn’t know how. Once I got a little older I searched around the internet and taught myself how to juggle. So maybe with a few tips of my own I can teach others how to juggle.

All you need to start is 3 objects; preferably round and preferably the same size and shape. Once you get more experienced at juggling you can juggle almost anything but to start it’s easiest with something the size and weight of a tennis ball or hacky sack. Also be sure to try this away from breakable objects as your juggling objects may get away from you when you are first starting out.



Start with 2 of the balls in your dominant hand and one in the other. The first move to get started is to throw one of the balls in your dominant hand up in the air a few feet directly in front of you. This ball will be caught with your opposite hand. Just before the first ball comes down to your hand you will need to throw the ball currently in that hand and catch the first ball. Now the ball in the air should be coming to your dominant hand. Again, you will need to throw the ball currently in that hand just before catching the ball in the air. And that’s it. Juggling is just that same motion, repeated over and over again. Once you get the hang of throwing the ball right before catching the ball you will be able to juggle.

If you can’t do this motion right away that’s fine, it’s not easy. A good way to practice the throw and catch move is to start with 2 balls; one in each hand. Throw one of the balls in the air and try the throw-then-catch move with the other hand. Repeat this exercise until you get the hang of it with both hands and you should be able to add the third ball.



If you still can’t get the hang of it I’m sure there are plenty of other web pages that offer tips on how to juggle that might explain it a little better. Good luck!

How To - Feature your collection online

 

A good friend of mine has started a website where collectors can post pictures of their collections online.  The site has obvious appeal in that collectors can show off their collection to hundreds or thousands of fellow collectors online that they would not be able to otherwise.  Another advantage he pointed out is that having your collection featured online lets you also enjoy your collection without having to always have it on display at your house.  The movie ‘The Forty Year Old Virgin’ comes to mind, with his action figures on display all over his apartment.  It’s kind of a turn off if you want to court someone that doesn’t share your interest in collecting Transformers, baseball cards, Pez dispensers, or whatever it is.

    

I decided that I would participate in this phenomenon and put up my collection.  I had kept some cherished toys from my childhood called Dinoriders.  For years and years they have been sitting in a box, neglected, and now it’s time to show them the light of day and display them proudly on the internet. 

There was not much to this process really.  I just had to take them out of the box, pose them for the pictures, and snap a few glamour shots of the little guys.  I actually had some fun playing with these toys from my childhood again.   

   

Superstar Collector made posting and organizing the collection pretty easy.  I did have to do a little internet research to remind myself of all the names and which characters went with each dinosaur.  And now my fantastic Dino-Rider Collection is proudly on display for everyone on the internet to see.  So I guess it’s back in the box for the dinos.  See you guys in another couple years.   

How To - Make some extra cash by selling your old textbooks

If you're like me, you still have some old textbooks laying around from your college years.  I thought I might need some of the advanced science or engineering books for use in my career, but as it turns out I haven't even cracked one of them yet.  For that matter, I haven't even thought about looking anything up in them since I graduated a little over 4 years ago.  So when Pamela and I were cleaning out our office recently I decided to get rid of these books that were taking up valuable closet space.  Instead of just throwing them out I thought I would take a minute and see if they were worth anything, because I remembered paying quite a lot for them when I first bought them.  I guess textbooks dealing with science and engineering don't change all that often so there was still a market for them.  I was surprised to find that the lowest price for some of the books online was close to $100.  Don't get me wrong, some of the books could be had for $.75. 

The best way I've found to get rid of old textbooks is to sell them online through Half.com.  There are many places to buy textbooks at a discount online but not many places to sell yours for a decent rate.  Several websites I found would buy the books at an extremely discounted fee.  Think like the on campus bookstore where you could sell back a book for $10, that you bought the previous semester for $100.  Half.com is run by the same people as eBay but there are no auctions and the things you can sell are limited.  It's sort of like eBay's version of Amazon.com.  Anyway, you can enter the ISBN number from your textbooks and see what the going rates are for them.  If that book is selling for a decent amount you can go ahead and try to sell it. 

If you have an eBay account and PayPal account you are all set to start selling, otherwise you'll have to create those.  They are both free to create and maintain and only takes a few minutes if I remember correctly.  The PayPal might take a little longer if they need to confirm your bank account.  But don't worry PayPal is very trusted and safe, giving them your bank info will not open you up to internet scams or anything.  Once you have your accounts you can use the link on Half.com to sell your books.  A thing that I like to think helps me sell my books is actually writing a description with my book.  When buyers are looking at the books for sale they can either see the bland, auto-generated, description put in by the book warehouse or a detailed description of the actual book you will be selling and why they should buy it instead. 

Once you have listed your books it's then a waiting game.  The Half.com website will let you know by email when you have made a sale, and the next steps to take.  The email lets you know where to ship the book to, and the Half.com website has options where you can pay for your shipping right there.  I usually ship it on my own or have Pamela mail it for me, but you can use their methods if you like.  Half.com works as an escrow service and collects the money from the person buying the book so you know you'll receive the money.  They will however take a healthy cut of the book sale, somewhere between 10%-15% I believe, but in my opinion it is definitely worth it.  I don't think I could sell the books as easily for as much anywhere else. 

UPDATE:  I listed 15 of my books at Half.com that were worth anywhere from $8.00 to $110.  I tried to list it as cheaply as possible so they would be the first ones sold if anyone is actually trying to buy that book.  The total listing prices combined for all the books was around $700.  So far I've sold 4 books and after the Half.com fees I've made about $170.  Not bad for some old textbooks I had laying around.