Bad Car, Ma
The automobile accident I mentioned in an earlier post has produced a cascade of related failures, all costly, and at least one them was potentially very dangerous for my wife on her long commute to work:
1) Original repair: I had the cracked aluminum rim and damaged left-front tire replaced for $250.
2) Next, I took the car in on Tuesday to have the front and rear end re-aligned for $60. The mechanic warned me to listen for the wheel bearing going out, which often results from these kinds of accidents.
3) Then, Mrs. Bali Hai had a tire blowout on the way to work yesterday. Fortunately, she was able to get the car under control and pull off the road. Road service installed her spare, and she drove to a tire store. Since it's a bad idea to have different kinds of tires on an all-wheel drive, we decide to replace all 4 at a cost of $350.
4) Today, Mrs. Bali Hai heard a humming noise from the left-front wheel on the way to work and took it into the shop. Diagnosis: bad wheel bearing. Shop can't replace it until Monday. Cost as yet unknown.
I'd try to predict what's going to happen next, but I don't want to jinx it. All I can say is that Son of Mr. Bali Hai is going to have a large percentage of his allowance garnisheed to pay for this over the next couple of years.