Automobile Maintenance

Just a few days ago I posted a report on this Blog about the great fuel milage this automobile achieved during a recent road trip to the Great Upper Midwest. Last Thursday my Bride was going on some errands and as she achieved normal road speed on Tucker Road here in West Bibb County she heard a funny sound like the front air dam falling down and rubbing on the road. The check engine light came on and the engine stopped. The automobile had enough speed to coast to a stop well off of the road on a broad wide shoulder.

The evaluation of the automobile's problem indicated that the tensioner for the timing belt had failed and that the belt jumped and caused a piston to receive major damage. The cost to repair and/or replace the engine was greater than the value of the ten year old automobile so the decision was made to donate the entire automobile to "Goodwill Industries" here in Macon, Georgia.

Lesson Learned: Listen to your Bride when she tells you of a strange sound from the car. It could be a major problem. In this case the Flower Child was told of a frequent strange sound but chose to ignore the comment.