So, my car got worked on yesterday and for a car that seemed to generally be running okay, it had a lot wrong with it. The mechanic cheerfully broke it down for me.
1. Brakes – in terrible, terrible shape. Pretty much everything that could be wrong with them, was.
2. Exhaust – holes in the pipes, things falling off.
3. Air filter needs replaced.
4. The service light indicated a problem with the daytime running lights – and I had a headlight out as well.
5. Several other things were wrong as well, but by this point I was too numb to pay attention. Oh, something about rear tires.
Grand total – had I decided to get everything fixed – $2,100
And that’s the point where – if my knees hadn’t thankfully chosen to lock – I would have fallen to the floor.
I recovered and the mechanic and I talked through the repairs into two categories: Danger to myself and others vs. Annoying.
So, I go the brakes repaired and that was “only” $770. I had expected “stop on a dime” kind of results, but they are just “ok”. Grumble.
I really like my car but I can’t keep throwing money at it. It’s got 125,000 + miles on it, guess it’s time for me to start looking for a new ride.
In funner news… I went out to dinner with some friends and got some really excellent sushi. Also had a little seaweed salad and some sticky rice with mango for dessert. Sort of made up for the car repair bill.