Exhaust-ing

One of the annoying things about having car work done is that no one really appreciates it. Sure, you're not a hazard to your fellow drivers anymore, but do they care? I guarantee if I dropped $550 on a new outfit, or a couple spiffy pairs of shoes, or a haircut and highlights by an artiste, I'd be getting compliments for weeks. I expect my readers to toss at least a few compliments on my shiny new exhaust system, part of which can be seen here.

Anyway, my story is a sadly familiar one. I brought my car to my buddy Oakie for the state inspection. The brake fluid displayed a distressing propensity to leak, so they jacked the car up and discovered that I needed new rear brake cylinders as well as an entire new exhaust system. If only I'd had my camera with me I'd have gotten pictures of the old one - it was pretty well rusted through. I had a good three-hour wait in the shop. I am a big fan of Sportsman Car Care in Chester for a number of reasons, not least of which is that their decor suggests . . . well, that all of your money is going back into parts and labor, not cushy chairs and cable TV.

It was a long morning, and since it was Monday there was no one I could call to relieve the boredom. On the plus side, there were no tow trucks involved (as there were last year) and no telephone interviews took place from the cabs of said tow trucks (again, see last year). I must count my blessings, especially as there is no longer any money left to count.