Wait, you mean there are people who DON'T get a deposit? I just did a huge custom order last month, like hundreds in materials, and the idea of starting that without at least half up front makes me feel sick. What if they just change their mind halfway through? You'd be stuck with all this stuff made just for them.

My buddy Rich did the same thing with his truck (he's a vacuum line purist, you know the type). He chased a rough idle for two days, cleaned the throttle body twice, even redid the intake gaskets. His cheap code reader showed nothing, so he assumed the computer was fine. Borrowed a real scan tool and found the throttle position sensor was barely sending a signal at idle. All that work over a five minute data stream check. He won't even open the hood now without plugging in first.

I saw your thing about tiny movie changes. My friend Mike used to read every online argument about Marvel stuff, like why a costume was the wrong shade of blue. He finally just stopped clicking on those posts. He only watches the trailers now and goes in cold. Says he has way more fun at the movies.

People usually aren't trying to wreck things on purpose. They just don't think. They take a shortcut across a field for a photo or let their dog run through the brush. That casual stuff adds up. It flattens ground cover and crushes insect homes. The damage happens because people are careless, not because they're actively trying to destroy a nest.

Wait, mechanics are ACTUALLY talking about feelings now? That's wild to me, it was always just planes and deadlines. Hearing about real check-ins instead of just coffee breaks is a huge change.