December, 2004

Oh Billy. Lots going on here! Perhaps the most exciting of which is that my timing belt broke yesterday. And I don’t mean my belt with the giant clock-face buckle either–I mean the one in my car. The mechanic to which I was pleasantly towed to by the friendly AAA tow truck driver Jarod is nowhere near as trustworthy as Mike in St. Helena. Since a timing belt only costs around $16, I was a little surprised when he mentioned the total cost would be a little over a thousand dollars. (HELLOW! A THOUSAND DOLLARS!! THAT’S AS MUCH AS I PAID FOR THE CAR IN THE FIRST PLACE!!) So, I told him to ONLY fix the timing belt, and the water pump, which also seems like an important part, so we’re back down to around $500. But still. It’s no wonder that auto repair people have bad reputations. Who sets the price standards in this business?! It makes me want to go back to college and learn how to be a mechanic. Not so I can switch careers, just so I can afford to have a car and not get hosed by people like Steve at Valley Automotive.