Perfect timing

I am more likely to say, "So much for that plan," than I am to say, "I love it when a plan comes together." Every once in a while, I have a convergence pattern, when things happen at the same time to my benefit.

I have known for a while that my Chevy Cavalier would require a replacement of the timing chain at or around 85,000 miles. Within 250 miles now I am less anxious about needing this repair than I was at 75,000 miles, when the extended warranty I purchased through the dealer expired. With the extended warranty, I was only required to pay a deductible of $100. I only required two repairs under that warranty: a water pump and the tensioner for the serpentine belt.

Of course, the anxiety I felt was over the possibility of an emergency repair I could not afford. Reports are mixed about the Cavalier; for some, it is reliable, and for others unreliable. The main problem about which I read was the failure of the fuel pump, worse was the failure of the fuel pump at highway speed, which was the failure I experienced this year at 11:38 p.m. on Friday, January 8.

Only a few factors mitigated this failure from being a catastrophic failure. I was driving in the far right lane (considering K-32 highway has only two lanes going in each direction, how far right the lane is, remains debatable), traffic was light, and I was able to retain control while coasting to a stop.

This type of catastrophic failure was the basis for an investigation the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (N.H.T.S.A.) began June 28, 2007, expanded November 1, 2007, and closed October 28, 2008. The N.H.T.S.A. concluded that the probably of failure was not high enough to dedicate further resources on a recall.

With my mother's financial help, my father brought a new fuel pump assembly fro $263, as the fuel pump was only sold as part of a fuel pump assembly. My father and I replaced the fuel pump on Sunday, January 10. The process took six to seven hours, saving us at least $500 in labor costs.

So why I am less anxious about the timing chain? Well, right now I actually have the money to pay for parts and labor, approximately $1200, since I just received my tax refund with the help of H&R Block. I also know about problems with the timing chain, both first-hand and anecdotal.

In 2000, I was driving a brown and beige, 1984 Buick Skyhawk sedan. Driving home one evening passing Oak Park Mall on Quivira Road, the engine started running rough. I stopped into one of the parking lots, and looked and listened. My father later concluded that the timing chain needed replacement; then he was not quite 50, and took off two days to do the work himself.

A coworker had a bright red 1992 Chevy Lumina sedan with the 3.4-liter V6 with the dual overhead camshafts (DOHC) . The car had been idling rough for a while, and the timing belt finally broke at 91,000 miles. The car was scrap, which I can say with confidence, as my father and I actually hauled the car to the scrapyard.

Presently my car is running smoothly and after more than $12,000 spent on repairs and payments on an auto loan, I am not going to let that happen to my car. I cannot afford $4000 to replace an engine. I am so glad that for once I have the money for this repair right when the repair is required, like your girlfriend.