I skipped across traffic and pulled into the little garage in the triangle.
I didn’t know what to expect, but I was hoping whoever was there could at least give me some guidance or maybe even do the work for a lot less. I didn’t quite believe the dealer’s assessment of my problem (i.e., the entire right front wheel structure was bent). Plus, I didn’t have the $1700 that they wanted anyway.
I needed a different solution.
As I cut the engine and got out, a youngish guy with a grey shirt, nametag, and a smile on his face came out to greet me while wiping his hands on a greasy rag.
“Hi! I’m Dan. Can I help you?”
“I sure hope so…”
And I proceeded to give him the rundown of my predicament and the fact that I didn’t really buy the explanation.
“Well, I got a few minutes now, pull it in the garage. Let’s pop the hood.”
As we stood in front of the car with the hood up, I stayed silent. Dan leaned in, pulled on a few things, touched a few others, and said “hmmm” several times. Then he told me,
“Get in the car. Let’s start it up. I want to watch it while it’s running.”
I did as told. After 30 seconds or so, he yelled at me over the engine noise, “OK, now hit the gas.”
Five seconds later, I see Dan’s face poke around the hood to look at me with a giant smile.
“I know what the problem is.”
