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Astro Repairs
Dec. 19th, 2023 03:41 pmYesterday, the GM dealership in Yerrington called me back with a report on the state of the minivan. Somewhat to my surprise, the thing that worried me the most (the Service Engine Soon light and the EGR valve) was the least of the problems: a frayed vacuum hose was easy to fix. The muffler and associated parts definitely needed replacing and may have been the source of much of the noise we've been having. The air conditioner valve core was leaking; they replaced it and recharged the system and apparently the AC is working again, although they say that reconnecting it to the rear AC pipes is virtually out of the question. There should be no problem replacing the multifunction turn indicator so that the cruise control will start working again.
( Then the Other Shoe Dropped )
Including the stuff I knew was wrong (which turns out to be the least of my worries), the estimate to fix all of this is a whopping $5000!
Lisa and I discussed the matter, and we agreed that while this is a lot of money, it's still less than it would cost to find a likely replacement with a similar vehicle. Neither of us want (nor can we afford) a new car, and even a recent model used car would not only cost a lot, but would not be what Lisa wanted. So we worked through our finances. I figured that I could take another loan from my 401(k) plan. The interest is lower than commercial credit, and the interest goes back into my own account anyway.
I called the dealership back this morning and told them that they could start ordering parts and doing the work. Besides how much work has to be done, there are obviously holidays coming up. I shouldn't expect to see the minivan back until sometime in mid-January at the earliest. However, that's pretty much what I expected when I put it into the shop, which is why we had to put off shopping it until we could go without it for that long.
( Then the Other Shoe Dropped )
Including the stuff I knew was wrong (which turns out to be the least of my worries), the estimate to fix all of this is a whopping $5000!
Lisa and I discussed the matter, and we agreed that while this is a lot of money, it's still less than it would cost to find a likely replacement with a similar vehicle. Neither of us want (nor can we afford) a new car, and even a recent model used car would not only cost a lot, but would not be what Lisa wanted. So we worked through our finances. I figured that I could take another loan from my 401(k) plan. The interest is lower than commercial credit, and the interest goes back into my own account anyway.
I called the dealership back this morning and told them that they could start ordering parts and doing the work. Besides how much work has to be done, there are obviously holidays coming up. I shouldn't expect to see the minivan back until sometime in mid-January at the earliest. However, that's pretty much what I expected when I put it into the shop, which is why we had to put off shopping it until we could go without it for that long.
