My daughter’s car’s check engine light came on last month and started idling really rough. So, being the mechanic that I am I decided to fix it on my own. First thing I did was order a fuel filter, spark plug cables, and new plugs. Changed all those things, and then reset the check engine light with my code reader. After a few days the check engine light comes on again with the same code; “cylinder 3 misfire”. I start the car and let it idle, stick my head in the engine compartment and start listening for any odd noises like a vacuum leak. I hear one!! get some WD40 and spray it were I believe its coming from, the engine starts to rev up telling me that I’ve got a vacuum leak! I then grab a flash light, and notice a hole in the air intake manifold gasket! Thinking it’s going to be a hard job I start calling around to get estimates for the repair. Two shops both said it was a 2.8 hour job and that it would cost $230 for parts and labor! I call NAPA and find that they’ve got the gasket for $6! I order it and they say it’ll be in the next day. I go to NAPA to find out that they cashier accidently sold it to a service garage because the girl I was talking to didn’t put my name on it!! reorder, next morning I pull the old gasket out in one hour flat! But it took me another hour in a half to find the one lousy nut that I dropped and couldn’t find!! After all that! I start the car and it idles perfectly!! Man, I love saving money!! Especially when it’s from a service station!!
Now the kicker!! After I called around to get a quote on the repairs I decide to call the dealer to find out if the repair would be covered on the extended warranty that we got with the car. Well, it would have been! Had I brought it to them right when the check engine light first came on, back at the beginning of October! The warranty expired on the 17th!! Don’t you love extended warranties!!
Al.
