Car Repairs!
I hurried myself along a little earlier this morning because I had made an appointment for the car to be checked over before this weekend trip to the reunion in Alberta.
I wanted to drive the car over to this Auto Service place where I had got a free oil change with a coupon last year. I didn’t know much more about them then that, and that it appears to be the home base for a whole fleet of taxis. Some friends had been giving me the names of their favourite mechanics, but most of them were across the city. This one, Atomic Auto Service, is only about 7 or 8 blocks from my home, and from there the walking distance to my office was about the same as from home.
Sure enough, I was out of the gate in good time, but before I’d turned the first corner I remembered that I had not brought along the spare set of keys for just the car that I take along when I leave the car in the care of others. I drove around the block, dashed into the front of my house and got the keys. Second start.
The men at the service desk were friendly enough and were happy when I handed them with a slip of paper listing the things that I thought would need attention. Upon mention of the windshield they wanted to see it. One man came outside with me to go look at my windshield. One of the pock marks could be patched, he said, but the other one was spidering. Besides that, he pointed out that some of the upper area cracks looked bad and one went from one side to another (not a bigger patch than my hand, really), however in this province such a crack does not pass inspection.
Oh dear! We went back inside and the other man called for a price on a new windshield. He quoted something like $220 plus taxes. And their labour is $90/hour. Ouch!
I told them to call me before they did any other expensive changes, then I headed out walking and praying towards my office here.