I love owning a car. Having the freedom to go where I want, when I want, how I want.


I hate how expensive owning a car can be. It's definitely true that the cheapest part of owning a car is the original purchase.

Take last week. My car's had a funny (as in troubling, not normal)tremor to it for a week or so. I don't have any idea where there might be a good garage to take it too. Definitely not by work. So, I figure, what the hell, the woman who runs the Auto Service dept at the Canadian Tire by work used to own a garage, so I'll take it there. FIRST MISTAKE.

So, I am explaining th problem to the guy first thing in the morning. And he's not letting me get the full explanation out before he starts with the questions. Pisses me off. I should've walked out, but didn't. The car does need to be fixed, after all. SECOND MISTAKE.

And that one costs me $630. For a tune up. New spark plugs, distributor cap, wires, etc. All things that, realistically, probably needed to be done anyway. Still, that's a lot of money on a car that's only worth $1200 to the insurance company. (replacement value, not insurance cost). Whatever. I grin and bear it. This should fix the problem right? WRONG.

Nothing has changed in the handling of the car when I get it back. So, on Tuesday, I bring it back in. Talk to the same guy- he must be the only one who works mornings. Tell him the problem isn't gone. He insists that it's because I described the problem wrong, and they looked at what should be causing what I described. OK. Well, this time, just look at the car, and tell me what's wrong.

They tell me it'll be ANOTHER $600 to fix the new stuff that's wrong. WHAT??? So, I go to pick up the car, determined that I will find somewhere else to bring it, and let them tell me what's going on with my car. When I go in to pick up the car, I'm talking to the girl behind the counter, and she's explaining things to me, and she mentions that, on Thursday, when the mechanic started the car, he felt "A" vibration right away, so he pulled it into the bay right off to have a look, and found the problem right there. THEY DIDN'T EVEN TEST DRIVE IT FIRST!!!

And then, she tells me that there's no way that they could've seen these other problems... even though the problems they're telling me about on Tuesday are ones that should've been caught with the inspection that is part and parcel of the oil change- THAT I GOT ON THURSDAY.

So, I have learned my lesson. Never, EVER, take a car to Canadian Tire for repairs. Even if they're the only ones in a thousand-mile radius.

The part that really bites is that if this was any other store, I would boycott the whole store. But I really love the other parts of Canadian Tire. It's otherwise a great store. Just crap auto service- unless it's for tires. They do still sell the #1 replacement radial tire in the country.

Anyway, I found a few garages near my place in Ottawa on Canada 411, and decided to drive by them on Wednesday before calling. Just in case they were really skeezy. Especially as a woman, driving an out-of-province vehicle, I wanted to feel I could trust them. And this place, McConville's Auto (blah blah blah- there's like 8 more words in their name, was great. I pulled in, just to talk to them, hopefully make an appointment for later in the week, and the mechanic I talked to, Russ, was really great. He went over some options for inspections with me, took a look at the car, listened to it, etc... all without me even saying I would for sure leave it with them.

And today, they've been prompt, courteous, all the things that mechanics are not so much known for. But, to get the car back into top shape, there's $3000 of work to be done. And when I laughed, the woman I was talking to asked me what I wanted out of the car, and then went and asked the owner to take a quick look and tell me what I'd need to do to get the car to last me until I drive home the next time (ie, 5000-7500 km's more than it's got).

I talked to him for a good while, and he was willing to give me a range of estimates, based on the absolute minimum work, and then going up through what he thought of as most crucial.

So, in the end, it'll cost me somewhere between $270 and $800 MORE to have the car on the road until Christmas/next spring (depending on my parking situation). I just have to figure out how much I can actually afford to spend. So much for a lot of things, in the mean time. Guess the library really will be my friend for the next week, instead of movies and things.

On the up-side, though, the garage I chose has a fleet of loaner cars, so I don't have to take public transportation to and from work while my car's being fixed. Yay! (tiny yay, anyway)

For the record, the upper limit to that will mean that I could've bought a newer vehicle for the price of repairs to mine, if it costs me that much.

But, most seriously, I am usually smart enough to know not to take any vehicle to Canadian Tire for work of any kind, ever. From now on, not even an oil change. I swear it on... something important.