Today I took my 2007 Hyundai Entourage minivan to the Humble Hyundai service department to have a couple of things looked at:
- The air bag light came on about 10 days ago and never went off. This is a big deal because the air bag won’t deploy in an accident when the light is on.
- The a/c was cycling a lot and not really gettting cold. In some climates, you might not care to have it checked. In Houston, at the beginning of the summer, it’s a must-do. I spent several summers in old cars with no a/c here, and swore to never do it again.
The service manager told me it would take about two hours to check everything out, so I waited. There is a comfortable waiting room with free bottled water and a big screen tv, so it wasn’t a hardship.
At about two hours, the manager came to give me the lowdown. The air bag is fine – the sensors are all working, so they reset the computer. The a/c is not that bad – needed a new cabin air filter and a system flush. Total cost $300.
Then he said “BUT” – while examining the engine, the technician saw that the valve cover gaskets were leaking oil onto the alternator. And the oil pan gasket is leaking. Replacement of all the said gaskets and the alternator, another $1200.
I need my van, so it has to be fixed. Comparing $1500 to fix it vs. $5000-7000/year for 5 years for a new vehicle is a no-brainer. We don’t have car loans and we’re not interested in a new vehicle for another 2-3 years. We are not mechanically inclined folks – so neither my husband nor myself is going to fix it. So my van is in the shop for one-three days, depending on when the service techs can get to it. There are a lot of flood-damaged vehicles ahead of me.
I did get a loaner car from the shop. Very nice, a 2015 Hyundai Tucson with a lot of bells and whistles, only 220 miles on it. We were thinking about buying this model in a few years to replace our other vehicle, a 2005 Ford Escape. My 6’1″ hubby and 6’6″ son checked out the leg- and head-room in the Tuscon tonight and were pleasantly surprised that there was plenty of both. So this might be our new vehicle, later.
I don’t love the Tucson – it’s so small compared to my van that I felt like I was driving a clown car. But that’s okay, since I don’t drive the Escape unless I have to. :)
This repair expense has me on edge, wondering what’s going to hit us next. This week has been expensive – CT scan, cremation bill, hotel reservation, car repair… still have to pay for the kids’ x-rays tomorrow. Having to add more debt to what we are already paying down is depressing. But we’ll get through it.
