April 5th, 2009

So I was able to get my car repaired this weekend. My uncle was kind enough to help me and get back up and running. What was the problem you ask, well I had a wheel bearing go on my front passenger side wheel. Fun times. Not really, it was really noisy and the possibility of long term damage to the right wheel did not sit well with me. So I got the official diagnosis Friday when I got my oil changed. The car place wanted way more than what I had in pocket and I called my uncle. I had to purchase the part, which wasn't too bad.

I called the Chevy dealer first to find out how much the part would be if I purchased through them, $130. I laughed and hung up the phone. I then called the local car parts store, and their price was $55. That was more like it! I'm pretty sure I could find the part online cheaper, but I am a do-er not a waiter.

So Saturday I drove to my uncle's and pulled the car into the back driveway. We got to work getting all the tools together and what not. As the morning progressed and we got the old wheel bearing off, my uncle noticed something odd. He asked if my wheel bearing had been replaced before, and I said no way because I know every repair on this car, because when I drove it off the lot it had 14 miles on it in 2004. The car now has more like 68000 miles on it. Not bad, still fairly low mileage in my mind. So what was so odd? Well, there is this seal that is supposed to go on behind the bearing and bearing hub to prevent dirt and water getting into the bearing, and it wasn't on the car. It was never put on during the assembly of the car in the factory! Now I have a few choice words for GM, but I feel my friend Mary put it best when she said, "Sometimes when I think about my 04 Monte Carlo and get to missing it, I think about my friends who have GM cars and think thank goodness I don't have those issues anymore. I love my Hyundai, but seriously, maybe GM should stop asking for stimulus funds and get back to making a car that is reliable. If they had made reliable cars in the first place, they wouldn't need stimulus money!"

Good point Mary, and I totally agree. I can tell you right now, I may believe in buying American, but after this car, my next one will be something foreign, because I don't trust what we are producing car wise.

Ok, enough about my car adventures, here is a picture I took this weekend. It's some lovely spring violets at the base of a tree.