Bad News, Good News: more about products

OK. So, after saving and slaving I got new shoes for the Tourmobile#2. #1, may it rest in peace, and peace be upon it--as they say--met it's untimely demise almost a year ago and I still get teary eyed at the thought. So, this newer one is the focus.

The new tires made a tremendous difference and I thought alignment was in order. Discount doesn't do alignments, and I've never been too thrilled with tire place alignment work anyway. I took it to a good specialist shop recommended by my friend the ex body shop mogul, and infallible source for where to go in SD county. Hell of a singer and classy guitar player as well.

***special note: Discount Tire in Poway gets an A. Poway has the best Home Depot, best Ace Hardware, pretty good Dixieline Lumber, and A grade Discount Tire shop. People drive like hostile dorks but they have the good supply houses***

***for the record: Yokahama xk520(?) something like that. Couldn't quite go up to Michelin but these seemed good for the money and had the "best" rating. I like them and may even marry them.***

East County Alignment did a great job but informed me that the left rear strut "is blown". Yikes. It is not the sort of thing of which you just replace one, and it costs a bundle on this Subaru. Not wanting to do all four because A) I don't have that much money, and B) I can't afford it, I was almost ready to arrange to have the rear two done--a stretch of the finances, but theoretically doable.

Then it hit me: maybe it is still under warranty. So, I called the dreaded dealer. Sure enough, it probably is covered but the service guy was afraid to commit because people come in after accidents and everything else trying to get warranty coverage on what's broke. Since I have no such condition, I expect it to be covered, and I know they don't replace just one. I'm pushing for all four. If that's the case, then I can afford the big 60K service which is hundreds less than I thought.

It cost a lot more on the 2004 one when I had that service in Memphis. How confusing. It may be they made some changes that reduced labor or they figured they wouldn't do as much. My favorite private shop in memphis estimated about what the dealer charged so it wasn't out of line, just how it goes.

The whole process actually left me feeling encouraged. First point of encouragement is that I had the oomph to actually do a bit of research rather than blindly throw money, very hard earned money, at the issue. Secondly, to find out this big service is over $400 less than expected.

If all goes perfectly, that means I get the struts fixed, and I get the big service done which means the Tourmobile will be ready for my next big journey which I hope occurs by early autumn. Once it is in ready condition, then all there is to it is to save up the dough for fuel, road food, camping and etc. It is just crazy enough it may work.

I'm still not too happy with those hell child garage doors with the gas soaked tar and wax on them, so next week I will see what I can do. I hate it when I work like crazy for a hundred hours or more and do not like the outcome. I shall prevail. That's all I can say.

Anyway, I give these struts a B-. Probably the car underwent abuse before I owned it, then my dirt road did not help matters. It is a good car. All things considered, even having to deal with a few items it was not a bad deal. I've abused the interior to the point of guilt. Much of it work related. The rest can only be attributed to neglect and too much hermit lone wolfery.

For the record, I highly recommend East County Alignment in Santee.

They did check and clean the brakes and figure I have lots of life there. I'm easy on brakes. Why stop if you don't have to?

Now let's keep fingers crossed that this warranty bit works out. If not I guess I'll go back to East County and put off the 60K hooplah. If they did not deal with things I'm not so set up to do, I would do it myself. Sometimes it is better to trade refinishing teak furniture for auto maintenance than to try to do both myself. Oh, or saltillo tile resealing, or creating clever and unusual solutions to problems only found in houses like those owned by all the president's men.

I'm so glad I have heard only excerpts of recent speeches and nationwide demagoguery lately. It poisons the mind. And boggles all sense of honest reason.

++I should soon publish a post devoted to my friend Jonathan, someone I met in second grade who has recently been in touch. Another bohemian sort who understands the impossibility of traveling to any but the different drummer. I never met a more consummate ladies' man. Or anyone who seemed to share my inability to grow up. Another who has done graduate work at the School of Hard Knocks and still has a sense of humor. One of the few from early South Miami youth with whom I don't mind re-establishing communication.