Bad Things Always Happen In Threes??!

At least that is the old wives tale...however, very true for us this week. We have three older vehicles (at least we don't have a car payment!) and all three needed repairs this week. My Mazda had it's timing belt replaced a month and a half ago but the tensioner (?) was bad and so it was slipping - not good for the engine. Dan tried to fix it but he needed a special tool and so when he put it all back together, it would not even start because the belt was off position. He rented a car dolly and took it in...belts, tensioners, pulleys and labor later it will cost us four days with out that vehicle and around $700 later we will be getting that one back tomorrow.

Dan's tracker would not start when he was at the airport parking lot - his brother went down and hauled it home and he figured out that his ECM (Engine Control Module - or the computer) was down. He looked on line and called some junkyards but that part is very hard to find for his vehicle. He went to a Chevy dealership - they wanted $2400.00 (!!!!) for a brand new one. After he picked his jaw up off of the floor and told them to take a flying leap - that was 2.5 times what he paid for the vehicle - he did some more research online. He can get his rebuilt with a year warrantee for $80 plus shipping but it will be 24 to 48 turn around time. He is going to send it out tomorrow...

And tonight - picking up the loaner car from the garage where the Mazda is getting fixed - I guess Dan was trying to get my attention by honking the horn and flashing the lights on the loaner at me. But driving in the big truck with the mud tires that sounds like a jet taking off and landing you can not hear anything. I pulled up by the garage in the driveway and Dan was muttering under his breath. I asked what was wrong and he asked if I could hear him - "You've driven the truck - can you hear ANYTHING when you are driving?" Here the back rear tire was completely flat! I noticed it pulling a little but would not have thought that the tire was flat. He tried pumping it up again but air was just blowing out of the hole - at least making it very easy to identify where it was leaking... Dan did a quick patch on it and it is keeping air in but I will need to take it into a shop and have them do a better patch job on it. Shouldn't cost too much but with everything else this was just icing on the cake for Dan.

Then I read my emails and Pam my heart goes out to you and your family in the loss of your Father! Life just doesn't seem so bad with a few minor car problems. We need to keep things in perspective...our vehicles will soon be fixed and at just under $1000.00 for all three. Your Father has now met his FATHER! May HE comfort you in your grief and loss!!