WORRY WORKS

I know nothing about the mechanics of cars. Dad tried to teach me. He and my three brothers talked cars but I always believed God created mechanics for things like that. So when I have a funny noise I do what any red blooded mechanical incompetent would do – I panic! I can’t just take the car in. I have to plan for it. While I call Costco the minimum $200 store, auto repair starts at $500. I don’t have $500. So rather than taking the car in right away, I worry about it. I know worrying works. My mother worried about everything and nothing she ever worried about came to pass. It’s a form of protection. I finally got a couple hundred dollars ahead and decided I needed to find out what the damage might be. You know — to plan ahead.

Taking a deep breathe and with fear in my stomach and probably the beginnings of an ulcer, I took it to the only place I know. My son-in-law recommended this place. It was a very slow day. So far so good! The owner came out, looked it over, listened to it, drove it around and put it up on a hoist. He sounded like a doctor. Humm! Ohhh! Ahem! I see. Then he talked with a flashlight and a screwdriver that doubled as a pointer. See this screw here. Yes. And this screw here. Yes. And this spot over here. Yes. Well, see this spot, there should be a screw here and there isn't one. It broke off. Nissans are notorious for having those screws break. My mind runs wild. You are going to have to have that fixed at some time. You are going to blow a gasket and then you are going to have to pull the air conditioner and lift part of the engine to repair that. Very expensive. Yes, expensive. Anything over $200 is very expensive to me, but those noises sounded like they were going to climb high over the typical auto repair minimum. I’m thinking $1,000 maybe $2,000. You know with this economy it is always better to fix a car than get another one. Yes and it is cheaper to have no car at all. But I want my car.

Now I’m afraid, very afraid. Sweat begins to run off my forehead. Of course we were standing in the sun on a very hot day. Maybe it was just the heat. But, He says, I wouldn’t do that now. There’s no leak. You can wait on that. The obvious sound of relief slips through my lips. My legs get weak. I reach for the car to hang on. I am relieved.

Now look over here. See what looks like wood chips. I hadn’t noticed until he pointed it out, but there were wood chips on top of my engine. They look fresh. That’s a mouse nest. You’re kidding. No, they climb up in there when the engine is warm. He fishes around with his flashlight and says I see a piece of a Starbucks cup, wood chips, paper bag, straw and part of a Costco bag. I had no idea mice shopped at Starbucks and Costco. I’ll tell you this. Mice must be highly over paid. OK, bad joke.

He dug around some more and finally said here’s the problem. This hose has been gnawed on and is leaking. It needs to be replaced. The mice were chewing through a water hose connecting to my heater. So that’s why my car would heat only off and on during the winter. You mean you are just now bringing the car in? Sheepishly I nod my head. I did not want to give an enthusiastic response to that question.

He called one of his guys over and told him what needed to be done and mentioned it would be done in 30 minutes. A hose. That shouldn’t be to bad, and it wasn’t. This shop has no such thing as a waiting room, so I sat in a chair next to the boss and he told me all about his fishing trips and the size of various fish he has caught. I did everything I could to seem interested. See, it’s not just cars I care little about; I have no interest in fishing either, but I will eat what you catch. I don’t know what he thought about me, but I was struggling to sound interested. Fortunately, as enthusiasm was waning, the job finished.

I now fully accept the one thing that my mother tried to teach me years ago. Worry works. I only spent $49 on that repair. Whew!