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A week of repairs

I am sitting here waiting for the oven repair guy (or gal) to show up. Earlier this year, our oven, which looked brand new when we bought the house 10.5 years ago but was probably several years old, would randomly shut off during baking. Fortunately, if we turned it back on, it was fine, so we chose to ride it out. Then, a few weeks later, it would not light/start (whatever happens with a gas oven). So hubby scheduled a repair and mentioned only that the oven would no longer light/turn on. The repair guy fixed that, but within a day or two, the oven would shut off again. Since hubby failed to mention the randomly turning off issue, we knew we would have to pay for another appointment, so we, once again, ignored the problem. Unfortunately, it has gotten worse, and the oven hardly stays on now. And that is why I am waiting for the repair person and hoping beyond hope it won't set us back more than $150. Wall ovens are not cheap to replace!

But wait, there's more. Back in July, my car key, at random intervals, would not turn in the ignition. I was not even able to turn the steering wheel as that too was locked up. Thanks to Google, hubby found a boring video of a guy explaining that replacing the worn-out key would solve the problem. So off I went to the dealership, paid $8, and the problem was greatly reduced. I also went on Edmund's to see what else I could find, and some guy in the Saturn Vue forum suggested putting your foot on the brake when the key would not turn. So whenever the key would stick, I would try that, which usually worked.

Since then, hubby, whose work car is a Chevy HHR, was sent a recall notice for, wait for it, the key sticking in the ignition. Hmm, both of are cars are GMs. Seems like a GM problem to me. But since Saturns are no longer made, getting GM to issue a recall is going to be next to impossible. I know because I went to Edmund's and suggested that very thing. The response I got from the GM media adviser was no recall, but I could take it to the dealer to see what they had to say. I asked if I would have to pay for the dealer visit, and my GM person said, not surprisingly, yes. So I called up my local GM dealer, explained the problem, and was told assuming it was the ignition cylinder that needed to be replaced, the cost would be approximately $640. What?!!!!

I promptly called my mechanic, who works for Jesus and for you (this used to be printed on his receipts), and explained the situation to Josh. Although he won't know until he actually looks at the car and gets the parts, Josh thinks it will cost me around $230. Here's hoping!

So I continue to sit and wait and hope. Oh, do I hope I can end the week with spending under $400 in repairs. If not, maybe I should go out and buy my second lottery ticket of the year...

Comments

Facie said…
Well, so much for hopefulness for the oven repair. It is going to cost over $500 to repair our almost 20-year-old oven, and the repair is guaranteed for only 90 days. So it looks like we will be replacing our oven. Sigh.

Still holding on to hope for tomorrow though!
mel said…
we found a great oven, barely used, on craigslist--an older guy who'd hardly used it. much nicer than old one, gas, closed burners so easier to clean, etc.--it is possible! but the searcher needs to have a clue... good luck. and re: cars, yep, that happened with my Saturn too (I blogged about it). had to get a replacement key. ugh and double ugh. it all comes at the same time, these repairs. hang in there and just pray and give thanks.
Facie said…
Well, Mel, I barely have a clue!

I have come to discover 24" gas wall ovens are harder to find. I called the three Sears Outlets (aka scratch and dent) in the area, and none have what we need. I looked on Craigslist this morning after reading your comment, and nothing there either, though for something like this I would be hesitant to buy used.

We are more likely than not to go with Sears; so far they have the best price. But our oven does work intermittently, so maybe we can hold out for a bit...

As for the Saturn, my mechanic is going to try graphite, but I don't have a lot of hope; he looked at my newly replaced key and did not believe it was only about a month or so old. I think the ignition cylinder is killing my key(s), and I would almost rather replace it. It is not a big deal now when my key won't turn for a few minutes. This could be a problem in the winter!

Thanks!
Anonymous said…
Oh, that sounds so frustrating! We had a lot of severe weather this summer and the repairs to our siding have been eating into our budget. I think the lottery ticket idea is a good one!
chris h. said…
Geez -- rains-pours at work. (Seriously, though, I have always wanted a wall oven and separate cooktop. The key thing sounds WAY more frustrating and not nearly so fun to replace.)
Facie said…
Thanks for your comments, Kirsten and Chris.

God bless my mechanic, who did not charge me for the graphite fix, which he hopes will at least buy me a month or so (although I almost wish he would have replaced it, rather than risk my key not turning).

We have decided to put off replacing the oven for now, since it does still turn on. Hopefully we can shop around for a good deal. My guess is I will be writing another post about at least one of these issues before the end of the month. Here's to hoping not, though.

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