Teenager walked for hours to and from work – until a police stop changed his life(washingtonpost.com)
washingtonpost.com
Teenager walked for hours to and from work – until a police stop changed his life
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2016/09/30/teen-who-walked-two-hours-to-work-surprised-by-cop-who-buys-him-bike
8 comments
I love what was done for the young man as well as his dedication. My only question is why didn't they offer to get the car repaired instead of getting the bike?
A volvo white block is a real bitch to fix when this happens. It is what causes the death of most white blocks. Sure you can change the timing belt but you need special tools. Like a 3/4 inch square drive to release the accessory belt. How many laypeople have this? Many don't know there's a such thing or they can buy it at Harbor Freight. It's no wonder nobody changes the timing belt.
The head bolts like to break and the bottoms of the holes are 4 inches/100mm below deck. The threads don't even start til halfway down. You know what a six inch long M12 tap costs and how easy it is to get? Now try getting one for a screw thread insert. And a long version of the tool to set such insert.
Then you have Volvo Cars being tossed around from owner to owner and the new Chinese owner does NOT want you to repair your car. This is obvious from the ridiculous parts prices, when they decide they want to supply them. $14 head bolts, a six cylinder needs 14 and a five cylinder needs 12. Sure there is an aftermarket head bolt set. But nothing on the intake side of the block is covered by the aftermarket. How many $50 rubber hoses can a car have? My 960 has at least a dozen. There is not a SINGLE suitable aftermarket hose on the market. You better hope that if you need one that Volvo/Geely didn't decide to stop selling it. They are the kind of company that thinks you should scrap your car over a piece of plastic or rubber.
Volvo do not deserve their reputation for quality, reliable, safe automobiles. They may have at one time but those times are over. The hone marks on our engine look factory-sharp after 220k miles (350kkm) but what good is this if the headgasket is not durable enough to withstand contact with engine coolant? The only well designed safety feature our Volvo has is the rigid body. The airbags are primitive and so are the seatbelts, compared to my older 5 series.
On the other hand I have never seen better paint on a car. Wow.
The head bolts like to break and the bottoms of the holes are 4 inches/100mm below deck. The threads don't even start til halfway down. You know what a six inch long M12 tap costs and how easy it is to get? Now try getting one for a screw thread insert. And a long version of the tool to set such insert.
Then you have Volvo Cars being tossed around from owner to owner and the new Chinese owner does NOT want you to repair your car. This is obvious from the ridiculous parts prices, when they decide they want to supply them. $14 head bolts, a six cylinder needs 14 and a five cylinder needs 12. Sure there is an aftermarket head bolt set. But nothing on the intake side of the block is covered by the aftermarket. How many $50 rubber hoses can a car have? My 960 has at least a dozen. There is not a SINGLE suitable aftermarket hose on the market. You better hope that if you need one that Volvo/Geely didn't decide to stop selling it. They are the kind of company that thinks you should scrap your car over a piece of plastic or rubber.
Volvo do not deserve their reputation for quality, reliable, safe automobiles. They may have at one time but those times are over. The hone marks on our engine look factory-sharp after 220k miles (350kkm) but what good is this if the headgasket is not durable enough to withstand contact with engine coolant? The only well designed safety feature our Volvo has is the rigid body. The airbags are primitive and so are the seatbelts, compared to my older 5 series.
On the other hand I have never seen better paint on a car. Wow.
Perhaps because it was clear that he wasn't missing the car so much? The bike cut his commuting time without taking away what he had gained by walking, the challenge. Also maintaining the bike will be less than the cost of the fuel.
Good point, though a bike is a perfect vehicle for a short commute like this, since it requires no gas and much less maintenance. Plus it's good exercise!
or why he simply didnt opt for a$50 used bike.
maybe its like that 80's song - "Take the long way home"
maybe its like that 80's song - "Take the long way home"
Can still be a lot of money and if your friends don't have much either a working used bike is hard to come by.
If he lived in Russia, he would have ended up in jail for some crime that he didn't commit. That's what I expected after reading the title.
(2016)