More car drama.

Yesterday morning, I set out to run a bunch of errands. I needed some stuff for work, some groceries, some Target time and I wanted to look for some good summer shoes.

I bought the beauty supplies first, since I figured that would be the least fun and I was saving the Target time for last since I didn't need any perishables from the grocery store. I chose to use the southside suburban sprawl for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that I needed to do a drive-by of a place I have a thing at later this weekend.

Alas, when I came out of DSW, I was empty-handed. I hate shopping for shoes. Because they are so expensive, I want them to last forever. But somewhat reasonably priced shoes (which still seem expensive to me) are always so trendy and have a certain throwaway quality that I know they won't last 3 months. I want shoes to last years.

As I made my way out of the parking lot, I noticed that my steering wheel felt funny. When I turned down the new Joy Electric CD that was blasting, I took note of a peculiar groaning sound that my car made whenever I turned the wheel.

Remember, friends, that I just barely have recovered from my last "car strange noise" fiasco that ended up costing $500. I decided to head straight home, skipping my drive-by and sadly skipping Target. The grocery store was on the way home, so I figured I may as well stop there anyway, rather than just have to walk the mile or so to and fro later on.

When I came out of the grocery store, I noticed a greenish river flowing from beneath my car. All I could think was, "Well, sh**. How much is this going to cost?" The car started fine, but when I tried to pull out of the parking space, the steering wheel just didn't want to move. I knew that there was such a thing as power steering fluid and surmised that the stuff trickling, nay, flowing from beneath my car must be that.

The drive home was an excellent shoulders and arms workout. It was also a great time for spiritual discipline. I didn't even feel like I could ask God to fix my car. I mean, he knew what was up. I almost felt like praying about it would be insulting. I just chanted over and over, "I love you Jesus." I think he knew that what was really on my mind was getting my car fixed without having to sell plasma.

It seemed to me that if I had figured out as much as I had on my own that I should be able to fix it myself. I consulted the manual. The only mention of power steering fluid is that I need to have the levels checked every 40,000 miles. I still have about 30,000 to go before the next time it's due. The manual also failed to mention how one might go about checking these levels.

So against all my better judgment, I called the dealership. I even called the VW dealership I hate the most, West Broad Volkswagen, because it was closer. The good news is that their service department had already closed for the day. I know from experience that they would not have been able to see me for three weeks anyway and that a diagnostic alone costs about a billion dollars. I think I was just hoping to find out that it would be OK to drive without power steering fluid and that I could do it indefinitely until I felt like having it fixed. Deep down, I knew that would not be what I would find out.

So I consulted Google. Nothing. So I consulted Craigslist and found several technicians who made housecalls. I chose the one with the most intelligently worded ad. This one, to be exact. I first spoke with Frank at about 4:30 and by 6:15, I was on my way to Five Guys for a cheeseburger, the luxury of power steering fully restored. Both Frank and his partner (whose name I did not catch) were smart, courteous, personable and generally very good guys. I don't know if they're christians or not, but I felt the love of God around them. The fee was ridiculously reasonable. It was $15 for them to come to my house and check it out to see what the problem was. He estimated their labor at about $40 (I'm guessing that's hourly, again, very reasonable). They also went out to get the part they needed, which was about $7 and change and for which they produced a receipt. Not only that, but they really seemed to enjoy doing it. I'm all for supporting someone to earn a living doing what they love to do.

So if you live in the Richmond area and need car work done, call Frank at 804-386-4758. He said they were just getting their business started. They both have day jobs, but do this in the evenings and on weekends and seemed like they hoped to gradually work into doing this full time.

Those of you in California, I don't know if they'd come out for $15...probably not. But you could ask. It never hurts to ask. Just don't tell them I told you to ask.