Things were going really well at first. Got the tire off with no problem. Took off the screws that were holding the...caliper housing thingy...off. Got it all apart and took out the old brakes. Got the new brakes into position and got to the part where I had to compress the caliper (the thing that squeezes the brakes in order to stop the car). At this point, I had been working on the brakes for about 5 minutes. On previous vehicles, I used a C-clamp and squeezed the caliper open, and everything worked well.
Not this time!
I put on the clamp and started to squeeze....nothing.
I twisted the clamp harder...nothing.
I applied some WD-40 to my clamp (maybe it was stuck)...nothing.
I tried to use heavy metal tools and other objects to force the C-clamp to work...nothing.
I took a break...went back and tried it all again...nothing.
Then, I tried my age-old, work EVERY time solution to any mechanical problem...I swore at the caliper. It didn't work. I was deflated. (We are now about 2 hours into this process).
So, I swallowed my pride and headed to Auto-Zone. I explained my predicament to the 17 year old at the counter and he just looked at me and said, "Yeah, you gotta spin those!" (As if I understand what that means). He took a few minutes and explained why I had been unsuccessful and then gave me a Caliper Compression Kit (apparently, they make a tool for this specific problem...who knew?)
I took my new tool home...10 minutes later, I was done with both of the rear brakes.
Valuable lesson learned...You have to use the right tool for the right problem!!!
We get all sorts of patients who come into our office. During our examination and consultation, it's my job to determine what the patient’s problem is. Then, we have to determine the best course of action to help them with their problem.
If the patient has subluxations (bones that are out of position or not functioning properly), then chiropractic care is exactly the right tool for that job. If the patient has strained muscle tissue or damaged particular ligaments, I will typically refer them to another provider who is better suited to deal with those issues. If they are suffering from a systemic issue, I refer them to their MD for a medical evaluation.Over the past few months I have had patients with kidney & bladder infections (sent them to their MD), strained/torn rotator cuffs (sent them to PT or Orthopedist), and spasming muscles (sent them to a massage therapist).
The point I am trying to get across here is that each patient has a specific problem. It takes the right "tool" to help them with that problem. Is chiropractic the right "tool" to help you with your problem?
Come in and let’s see if we can use chiropractic to help you!
~ Dr. Michael Hill
