Okay, maybe I'm being a little melodramatic here. Druscilla isn't DEAD, maybe just in a coma. For those who don't know, Druscilla is the name of my car. Today, Dru' up and went kaput! I had to run some errands for work, so I swung by the house to pick up J and take him with me. He loves to get out of the house, I get work errands run, and everybody is happy. Just as we were pulling up to the office supply store and parking in a spot, I heard a big "BOOM!". At first, I thought someone had slammed a car door really hard and the sound echoed off the walls of the big box office supply store. But no, it was not so. The sound had come from my car, just as the smoke and steam we saw was rolling forth from under my hood!
Apparently, 2004 Chevrolet Aveos have a nasty habit of busting their thermostat housings, which results in the whole thing popping off, and all the coolant and water pouring out of the engine. Unfortunately, this is a part that can only be gotten from a GM dealership or ordering from some obscure parts website online. If I go to the GM dealership, they won't just let me buy the part. They have to be the ones to put it on (and charge me a gazillion dollars for parts and labor). I can get it relatively cheaply (>$30) from said obscure online parts store, but to get it here in anything less than 2 weeks would cost me double the cost of the actual part, just for the shipping. Unfortunately, these types of things only happen when I'm broke and desperately counting the days until payday or my student loans come through. So, for now, Dru' will just have to chill in the driveway (I got her towed here - TYJ for "roadside assistance" plans on the cell phone bill) until my school money comes in at the end of the month. In the mean time, I'll be catching the bus to work and praying Jamie doesn't have an asthma attack or other medical emergency in the middle of the night.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not (exactly) whining. More like I'm grousing about it, but subconsciously thankful that all appearances indicate it is something highly fixable. All indications are the engine was not ruined or needing replacement. If I can get one of the guys from work to install it for me, all told it should cost less than $100 to buy a new housing, install it and replace the coolant and water. But still, I'll be on pins and needles about J's health until Dru' is up and running again!
Stinkbumps the Wonder Boy: The rants, ravings and ramblings of a lunatic, overachieving single mom.
3 comments:
You can order it from OEHQ.com and receive it in 3 days for a total of $63.00. $51.00 for the housing and $12.00 for 3 day shipping.
Thanks for the heads-up. We have a 2004 Aveo, too. I used to drive it (mine is named Scarlett) and I pretty much hated the tiny, tiny car, except for the fact that it was super-easy to park.
Yup, just when you least expect it! Just found out today that our sewer line is shot: $6700 from the house to the middle of the street. Yikes! But, better that than poop floating in the basement. Be well!
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