Reborn in 1982: I Became the Richest Man by Repairing Cars

"When tapping, be gentle and even. Don't tap only one side, or the bearing will become misaligned."

"Tap slowly, pressing the bearing completely into the bearing housing until it is flush with the wheel hub, then stop."

Jiang Hui then gently tapped one end of the sleeve with a hammer, applying even and moderate force.

Lin Yuanwu watched intently from the side, occasionally helping Jiang Hui hold the socket, afraid that he might knock off course.

After the new bearing was fully pressed in, Jiang Hui picked up the hub nut, aligned it with the half-shaft thread, and turned it clockwise.

"When tightening nuts, the force should be moderate, neither too loose nor too tight."

"If it's too loose, the bearing will wobble; if it's too tight, it will break and affect rotation."

As he twisted the wheel, he turned the hub by hand to feel the smoothness of the rotation. "You see, if it turns smoothly without any jamming or abnormal noise, it means it's turned just right."

These days, there are no torque wrenches, so you have to rely on your feel.

This is also one of the key reasons why there is a shortage of highly skilled mechanics in the current auto repair industry.

Unlike in later times, where many repairmen can get started with just a little training.

Most of the work can be done by following the basic operating procedures.

For example, when tightening a nut, the standard requirement is to tighten it until the torque display shows 20 NM, so just tighten it according to the requirement.

Unlike now, even after Jiang Hui finished speaking, Fan Weimin was still a little unsure about how much to twist it.

After installing the bearings and wheel hubs, Jiang Hui carefully put the brake drum back in.

Then I tightened the fixing screws and checked the brake cable and return spring to ensure that the brakes were working properly.

"After the brake drum is reinstalled, you must check the brakes. Otherwise, if it is installed incorrectly, the car owner will have a serious accident on the road. This step must not be skipped."

Finally, he picked up the tire, aligned it with the lug nuts, and gently put it on.

First, tighten the five screws diagonally to secure them, then have Lin Yuanwu help hold the tire in place.

He then personally tightened each of the lug nuts, saying, "When putting the tire back on, make sure the lug nuts are tightened completely."

"Diagonal turning ensures even force distribution on the wheel hub, making it less prone to loosening and safer for high-speed driving."

After everything was installed, Jiang Hui turned the jack lever counterclockwise to slowly lower the car body.

Only after the wheels landed steadily did Jiang Hui shake the tires vigorously to make sure they weren't loose before he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You two check again to see if any parts are missing. Test the brakes and wheels again."

For Jiang Hui, it was impossible for there to be extra parts after disassembling and reassembling.

However, such inspections are essential.

Many auto repair shop mechanics find extra parts sticking out after completing a major car repair.

After Lin Yuanwu and Fan Weimin had both confirmed...

Jiang Hui took off his gloves, walked to the driver's seat, started the car, and let Luo Xiehao try driving it around.

You can immediately tell whether the problem has been fixed or not.

Luo Xiehao drove Jiang Hui back and forth through the alley, his face full of surprise.

"Master Jiang, thank you so much!"

"There's not a sound at all, and the steering wheel isn't veering off course anymore. Your skills are truly impressive!"

For drivers, knowing a highly skilled mechanic is definitely not a bad thing.

"It's my duty to fix the car."

"If your car has any problems in the future, just come to me directly, instead of making those unnecessary detours."

Hearing Jiang Hui's words, Luo Xiehao nodded repeatedly, then asked, "How much will the repairs cost?"

"You know that wheel hub bearings cost 48 yuan."

"The labor cost for replacing this bearing at a state-owned auto repair shop is about 8-10 yuan, so I'll just charge 8 yuan."

"A total of 56 yuan."

This time, Jiang Hui did not intend to blackmail them.

【Xiao Jiang Auto Repair】is a business meant to be done long-term.

When repairing foreigners' cars, follow the charging standards of their country.

When repairing domestically produced cars, one should naturally benchmark against state-owned auto repair shops and follow domestic standards.

Otherwise, many people will be hesitant to visit your home casually in the future.

After all, nobody wants to be criticized.

"Okay, no problem."

"I heard that auto repair shops need to use solvent oil to clean parts and remove oil stains."

"Our factory produces this kind of stuff. If you need it, I can try to get you a few barrels."

"No ticket is needed, just pay the normal price."

Luo Xiehao was clearly very satisfied with his car repair experience today.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have offered to help.

For example, various kinds of oils are not something that ordinary people can easily buy with money.

That's wonderful.

"This has been a huge help to us."

Jiang Hui had no reason to refuse.

He wouldn't mind having a dozen more of these good things.

"I should be at the factory the day after tomorrow. Could you come to the factory gate around nine o'clock?"

Jiang Hui was just a little worried that the other party was just being polite.

Hearing this, you can tell that the person is genuinely trying to help.

"Okay, no problem. I will be at the entrance of Yanshan Petrochemical at nine o'clock sharp the day after tomorrow."

Luo Xiehao readily paid the repair fee and drove away happily.

Jiang Hui watched the driver's departing figure and breathed a sigh of relief.

This ordeal was thrilling but ultimately safe.

We've finally resolved the SH760 wheel bearing failure issue.

This can be considered as preserving the reputation of "Xiao Jiang Auto Repair," and who knows, it might even gain a new customer like Yanshan Petrochemical.

In particular, the issue of solvent oil yielded an unexpected benefit.

However, I still need to start thinking about the issue of various spare parts myself.

Spark plugs, distributor caps, distributor rotors, ignition coils, air filters, fuel filters, oil filters, piston rings, valves, valve stem seals, and other engine-related parts that frequently need to be replaced during car repairs.

Chassis parts such as leaf springs, shock absorbers, brake pads, brake shoes, steering tie rods, and ball joints are also prone to failure.

Other parts such as generator carbon brushes, taillight bulbs, horns, and relays should also be prepared without any missing parts.

Some models use interchangeable parts, making spare parts relatively simple.

For example, the main trucks in China are the Jiefang CA10 series and the Dongfeng EQ140 series.

80% of the key parts for these models are interchangeable, making spare parts very convenient.

However, some imported cars and sedans are more difficult to deal with.

The parts interchangeability between different car models is very low.

We need to start planning how to solve this problem.

"Xiao Jiang, are you hungry? Try this pork and cabbage bun."

While Jiang Hui was changing the wheel bearing, Lin Wanqiu had already returned on her bicycle.

Today is Sunday, so she decided to help clean the shop.

They even went out of their way to buy a few steamed buns so that Jiang Hui could fill his stomach after finishing the repairs.

"I'm really hungry."

Jiang Hui put aside his thoughts, turned around and went to Lin Wanqiu's side, directly offering his head so that she could feed him.

This made Lin Wanqiu blush, but she did not refuse.

Lin Yuanwu and Fan Weimin kept their heads down and worked, pretending they hadn't seen anything.