need help with a car? i'm your gal.

so. a few days ago my blinker started making this funny noise. it usually makes a funny noise when in use, but this new noise was just like the old one except it was twice as fast. i don't like the noise my blinkers produce, it's annoying. and yes, it's twice as annoying when it's going twice as fast.

after some investigation (getting out of the car, walking to the rear and looking) i realized my right rear blinker wasn't working. i had heard, maybe on car talk or somewhere, that when your blinker is blinking twice as fast, it's an indicator that one of the bulbs isn't working. something is burnt out.

so i bought a bulb. two for $5. and decided to fix it myself. my dad told me i should find some man to help me, or to have someone that works at the auto parts store help me. but. i wanted to do it myself. i want to be able to fix stuff myself when it breaks. so. i went to work.

i uncroed the first screw:


and then after five minutes of trying to pry the casing off of my car, i realized i must be missing something. i found this thumbscrew. and uncroed that one:



things got a little tricky after that. i tried. and tried. the stupid thing wouldn't come off. and the guy who does all of the care/maintenance for my li'l neighborhood of townhouses stopped by as i was cursing under my breath. and then a kid that lives in my 'hood came by (he works at best buy and has a car that's all fast and furioused out. ) and told me i'd have to take off the panels on the inside of my car to get at a third screw. so i did that.

ever want to see where your seat belt goes? now i know.



and while i didn't take any photos of the inside of my car all disemboweled, because i was kinda worried about the whole thing, seeing as it's not something i have ever done before and also something i know nothing about, i did realize after i had it all taken apart that it wasn't helping. there wasn't a mysterious third screw. so i had taken it apart for nothing. but. it's all back together now. and i got the casing off of my car.

this is what's underneath:


thrilling, isn't it?

here's the culprit:


and while the following photo doesn't capture it very well. i did get my hands dirty:




and much like This Day it was a very rewarding feeling.

now i can indicate turns! i can stop throwing out arm signals that no one recognizes or pays attention to!

and i did it Myself. woo!