Car bucks...boat bucks.

I say, That's a pretty expensive part, there.

He says, Well not really.  It's under five hundred dollars.  

I say, Oh, that's right. 
I think, Who made that rule up?

Ah, the way the auto mechanic thinks!  $499 here and $299 there.  That's cheap!  Each part is under $500 bucks.  Hardly counts as anything!

I've taken my car into the Audi repair shop the last two Thursdays.  I knew I bought a high performance car in 2003.  Now I'm thinking it's high expensive!

It started with new tires last month.  I had a flat.  But it was time to get a set of four.  Big O Tires only sells me tires.  They don't do alignments.  And there was no way I was going to the dealer.  I stopped that silliness years ago.

So I called Audi Eddy.  He's my go-to guy.  Way back, my daughter suggested I look up Audi mechanics in the Berkeley Parents Network.  He was the guy to use.  He said they did alignments now so bring the car in!   

 He says, Everything else okay?

I say, Sure....well, there are a couple of things.  

The speakers are cutting out on the left side.  Can you fix that?  

 He says, Sure we can. 

I think, Sure you can...wonder how much?

I say, Oh, and I noticed that the sun/moon roof opens on it's own.  

That would be a problem if it rains.

   He says, Yes it would.  Or if somebody wanted to 
rip off that real estate stuff in your car.

I think, Ut oh. Here it comes...

 He says, We'll have to order the part for the switch on the moon roof. 

 Can you come in next week?  And we also suggest 

you want to remove the left front suspension strut 

assembly and replace the upper control arms & hardware. 

It's about time.

I think,  Suggest is another word for 'do it'.  In my mind I have

pictures of my car loosing altitude as it crashes into the road when the 

left suspension thingy decides to quit.  That would be bad. 

I say, Okay let's set a date for next week.

As I drove away from Audi Eddy's shop today, the car felt like it drove a bit 'tighter'.   It felt good.  

Then I recalled my husband and his yacht design clients referred to work done on their toys as 'boat bucks'.  $1000 was one boat buck.   It only cost me about three boat bucks, for my little car, over the last three weeks.   It's a good thing I like how the car looks and feels.  And that I forget how to multiply.

Live richly,  marilyn  (and Audi Eddy)