I’m frustrated.

It’s not the political world about which I comment on this blog that frustrates me today. It happens to be the day-to-day life of someone with a motor vehicle that has me pulling out my hair.

I discovered this morning the headlight in my 2011 3/4-ton pickup was out. Easy fix, right? Go to the auto parts store, pick up the replacement bulb, lift up the hood, find the fitting, pull it out and insert the new bulb. Close everything up, turn on the lights and all the beams would come on.

That’s how it’s supposed to work. Right?

Wrong!

The auto parts store clerk informed us of how easy it would be. We bought the bulb for 16 bucks and change. We came home. I lifted the hood. Then I looked and looked some more for the place where the clerk said I could access the headlight. Couldn’t find it. I looked everywhere. I even looked on the other side of the massive engine compartment, thinking it might be in a special place, connected by long wires.

No luck.

So … I went to another auto parts store — same company, different location — and asked one of the sales reps there about how I access the headlight. He came out, took one look at the headlight and informed me I had to remove the entire headlight assembly to get to the bulb.

There you have it.

I’ll admit right up front that the Almighty did not bless me with automotive maintenance skills. I have learned to rely on others’ expertise for such things.

I had hoped, however, that I could repair what appeared to be a simple problem all by ownself. Alas, it’s not meant to be.

We’ll take the beastly truck this afternoon to the dealer who sold us the vehicle. The service department will spend, oh, maybe 10 minutes to replace the bulb.

I just hope they don’t charge me for the whole hour.

There. I feel better already.