$541.95

“Yada-yada-yada, ‘accumulator,’ yada-yada, ‘corroded,’ yada-yada, ‘AC,’ yada-yada, ‘drain installed.’”
I was at my Ford dealer where I bought my car five years ago.
The electric radiator-fan, which comes on if the motor gets hot, like in idling traffic, was on all-the-time.
Explanation was arcane: “Corrosion in the AC accumulator made it not drain well. So pressure increased, making it think it was working hard, so the radiator-fan switched onto ‘high.’”
“What are the damages?” I asked.
“$541.95; AC fully recharged, we installed a supplementary cowl-drain, so yer all set.”
“Except my bank-account is $541.95 lighter.”
I didn’t actually say that, but I couldn’t help thinking it.
Repair something on a car, and yer out 500 smackaroos.
And ya can’t repair it yerself.
My thinking was a heat-sensor went bonkers. If I replaced it, after tortured looking and disassembly, I’d still have an electric radiator-fan constantly running.
Cars are so complex any more the average shade-tree mechanic can’t fix ‘em.
Repair technicians hafta go to school.
Visit yer veterinarian = fork over $200.
Years ago I had a ’72 Chevrolet Vega GT. It came with a self-repair manual. I got so I could tune it myself. I even got so I could set the ignition-points by feel.
Them days are gone. I don’t even change oil any more. Farming that out avoids skinned knuckles. Beyond that I hafta make sense of all the obscure technology in current cars.
My house has a pit in the garage. I haven’t been in it in years. Why bother? Car-repair is well beyond my comprehension.
But ya better be loaded, enough that $541.95 doesn’t break the bank. I better not publish that, lest Donald and his cohorts drain me dry.
It’s every man for himself. No longer do we work together for the common good. No longer is it “make ‘em laugh.” Now it’s “make ‘em cry.”