Need Quick Help With Car Decision

[Hugh Jass]

hey everyone

I've recently put new plugs and wires, brakes, tires, etc... into my mazda 626 over the last year. Now my clutch needs to be replaced. Estimate is $1200.

I want to pay to fix it. Wife wants a new car. New car would be about $250/mo.

The Mazda has 90K miles, it actually runs ok but the clutch problem comes into effect only when I go about 55mph on the freeway. Lower gears seem to work fine, but my car is definitely affected I'd say.

Please let me know what you think I should do. I'll post a poll, too.

TIA, AOers.

[Interesting Post]

Year of car?

Estimated miles driven per year going forward?

[Loner]

Tell your wife okay, but you have to get a car that's big enough to have sex in. Win win.

[Hugh Jass]

new car would be something like a Honda civic type of car. Nothing fancy.

[erosewater]

Who's the breadwinner, you or Mrs Jass? How much additional snorkeling would you get from fulfilling her wish for a new car?

[1695814]

@ $250/mo you really only need to get 5-6 more months out of your old car to make it worth it.

[ElDucky]

Fix the clutch and buy a new car.

[Hugh Jass]

Year of car?

Estimated miles driven per year going forward?

2001. 90K miles so far.

8000 miles a year going forward. Slow city traffic mostly, lots of stop and go.

[Hugh Jass]

Tell your wife okay, but you have to get a car that's big enough to have sex in. Win win.

A van WOULD be pretty cool. But probably not in my price range.

[HatCapitol]

Who knows what more problems will come up with the old car? Don't throw good money after bad, just scrap it and start over. Unless of course you have emotional attachment to it. Then I agree with the numbers guy.

[Deano]

I like the 626, and you should have many more miles left on it.

Do you like the car?

[Hugh Jass]

Who's the breadwinner, you or Mrs Jass? How much additional snorkeling would you get from fulfilling her wish for a new car?

I am the bread winner. Mrs Jass is a SAHM.

Not much more snorkeling. She always does the best she does as it is, life gets in the way sometimes (period, kids, moving, etc...) So to answer your question, not much.

[Hugh Jass]

@ $250/mo you really only need to get 5-6 more months out of your old car to make it worth it.

that's what I was saying to her.

She just feels that I'm going to be dumping money into this thing from now on.

I feel like this is the last repair I'll have to make for awhile. It's worth the deferral option, imo

[Interesting Post]

2001. 90K miles so far.

8000 miles a year going forward. Slow city traffic mostly, lots of stop and go.

It makes more financial sense to keep the Mazda.

But my philosophy is "when momma's happy, we're all happy" and would not only get the new car but let her pick it out.

That sort of stuff goes a long way with chicks. They are not rational.

[Hugh Jass]

Fix the clutch and buy a new car.

please send a check for 50K to:

Happy Dude
America, USA

[the BS method]

how long does that car usually last? has it been a lemon so far?

i think you fix it and keep using it if the alternative is another piece of shit.

miss ya & burn in hell

[the BS method]

afaik most new cars last well beyond 90k miles now.

hell, my 2003 f150 is up to 145k miles and i've only had minor problems. i just do the normal service. i hope i can take that son of a bitch another 100k miles.

shit cock balls

[Hugh Jass]

I like the 626, and you should have many more miles left on it.

Do you like the car?

I like it, but it's by no means my dream car.

I am a typical cheap actuary and I :qunq: get off :qunq: on driving an affordable vehicle that I've owned forever.

I agree it should have many more miles left, I feel that the recent repairs I've been making are typical repairs that do not indicate anything fundamentally wrong with the car.

So to all you readers out there, the correct answer I am looking for it for you to tell me to keep my car.

[Hugh Jass]

It makes more financial sense to keep the Mazda.

But my philosophy is "when momma's happy, we're all happy" and would not only get the new car but let her pick it out.

That sort of stuff goes a long way with chicks. They are not rational.

very true.

Momma won't be happy when we're living in a cardboard box though, because of the new car payment.

[Hugh Jass]

how long does that car usually last? has it been a lemon so far?

i think you fix it and keep using it if the alternative is another piece of shit.

miss ya & burn in hell

dunno

prolly like 150K or something. No idea.

Nope, it's been an ok car. I changed the oil as recommended and took it in as soon as the check engine light came on for the spark plug thing.

Miss you too, see you in hell.

[Hugh Jass]

afaik most new cars last well beyond 90k miles now.

hell, my 2003 f150 is up to 145k miles and i've only had minor problems. i just do the normal service. i hope i can take that son of a bitch another 100k miles.

shit cock balls

have you had to put any $$$ into it during it's life like I have?

[erosewater]

It makes more financial sense to keep the Mazda.

But my philosophy is "when momma's happy, we're all happy" and would not only get the new car but let her pick it out.

That sort of stuff goes a long way with chicks. They are not rational.

You gotta keep momma happy with a good stiff rogering, not buying a car.

[Hugh Jass]

You gotta keep momma happy with a good stiff rogering, not buying a car.

oh, I excel at that

[Len Myers]

Does your wife want a new car for her, or for you?

[the BS method]

i have gotten all of the recommended tune ups. i dont know how much all that cost

some rubber line tore and leaked fluid, it sent my gas mileage a little crazy for a little while. i think it was from off-roading, though.

other than that there was this typical issue where the front tire ball joint things get noisy because something that keeps them lubed up cracked and let that junk out.

non-normal maintenance is probably like 1k in total

[the BS method]

i just googled the 626. damn that is one ugly car man

[Hugh Jass]

Does your wife want a new car for her, or for you?

I think she mentioned she would be driving the new car

Our other car that she drives is also an older car that currently has no known problems. It's a chrysler cirrus, 1998, with like 60K miles on it.

So please consider that with this decision.

[Hugh Jass]

i have gotten all of the recommended tune ups. i dont know how much all that cost

some rubber line tore and leaked fluid, it sent my gas mileage a little crazy for a little while. i think it was from off-roading, though.

other than that there was this typical issue where the front tire ball joint things get noisy because something that keeps them lubed up cracked and let that junk out.

non-normal maintenance is probably like 1k in total
you lucky *******

[Hugh Jass]

i just googled the 626. damn that is one ugly car man

your mom likes it

[the BS method]

it's not luck

it's magic

[Hugh Jass]

it's not luck

it's magic

send some of that goddamn magic my way then dude

[the BS method]

ok i will now post what i was originally going to post but censored myself.

it's not luck

it's your wife's pussy juice

[erosewater]

I think she mentioned she would be driving the new car

Our other car that she drives is also an older car that currently has no known problems. It's a chrysler cirrus, 1998, with like 60K miles on it.

So please consider that with this decision.

Hey that's a rebranded Dodge Stratus. Are you a division manager in charge of 49 people?

[the BS method]

i have only gotten like 10 hours of sleep this week

pardon me

[Hugh Jass]

ok i will now post what i was originally going to post but censored myself.

it's not luck

it's your wife's pussy juice

...of which there is plenty

[Hugh Jass]

Hey that's a rebranded Dodge Stratus. Are you a division manager in charge of 49 people?

rn


and no

[Hugh Jass]

i have only gotten like 10 hours of sleep this week

pardon me

you have injected funniness into this serious thread like you are injected beef into a sausage casing

[IMP]

according to edmunds, a good rule of thumb to estimate when it's time to throw in the towel is if the cost of repairs is greater than either the value of the vehicle or one year's worth of monthly payments.

[the BS method]

hey imp whats happnin

[IMP]

you and me babe, you and me

[Hugh Jass]

according to edmunds, a good rule of thumb to estimate when it's time to throw in the towel is if the cost of repairs is greater than either the value of the vehicle or one year's worth of monthly payments.

ah, thank you.

looks like my car is still worth a couple thousand and the repair is worth less that a year of monthly payments.

[Interesting Post]

ah, thank you.

looks like my car is still worth a couple thousand and the repair is worth less that a year of monthly payments.

Congrats, you just came to a logical conclusion based on facts and numbers.

And the opposite of what your wife wants.

If my wife drove a Chrysler, I wouldn't blame her for wanting a new car.

[Hugh Jass]

cool

you guys just helped me convince mrs jass to make the repair.

thanks everyone

[Hugh Jass]

Congrats, you just came to a logical conclusion based on facts and numbers.

And the opposite of what your wife wants.

If my wife drove a Chrysler, I wouldn't blame her for wanting a new car.

hey, I wish I could afford to buy her whatever she wants. She picked out the chrysler.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

hey everyone

I've recently put new plugs and wires, brakes, tires, etc... into my mazda 626 over the last year. Now my clutch needs to be replaced. Estimate is $1200.

I want to pay to fix it. Wife wants a new car. New car would be about $250/mo.

The Mazda has 90K miles, it actually runs ok but the clutch problem comes into effect only when I go about 55mph on the freeway. Lower gears seem to work fine, but my car is definitely affected I'd say.

Please let me know what you think I should do. I'll post a poll, too.

TIA, AOers.

Look for a lower estimate. This isn't a freakin' Porsche. $700 max.

Do note that this clutch has less than a week of life left.

[Descalzo]

90k is still low mileage.

[IMP]

yeah i was gonna say, that's a high estimate.

[Hugh Jass]

Look for a lower estimate. This isn't a freakin' Porsche. $700 max.

Do note that this clutch has less than a week of life left.

internet said 1100 was not unreasonable for a front wheel drive vehicle. This shop had 15 reviews and a rating of 4.5/5 stars. I'm in a high COL area, too

which clutch? my current clutch or the new one? Please say currrent...

[Dr T Non-Fan]

internet said 1100 was not unreasonable for a front wheel drive vehicle. This shop had 15 reviews and a rating of 4.5/5 stars. I'm in a high COL area, too

which clutch? my current clutch or the new one? Please say currrent...
Drive out of town. See what happens. Or a shitty part of town. These places should be begging for a somewhat easy job like this. Try a transission shop with workers who can do it blindfolded.
Oh, and get a better clutch than the original, which, btw, you've treated pretty well. I blow through mine every 40K or so.

[WhyAndHow]

@ $250/mo you really only need to get 5-6 more months out of your old car to make it worth it.

That's not true, he would be delaying the payment, not getting rid of it completely, so he would really only be saving the interest portion of the difference.

[WhyAndHow]

Drive out of town. See what happens. Or a shitty part of town. These places should be begging for a somewhat easy job like this. Try a transission shop with workers who can do it blindfolded.
Oh, and get a better clutch than the original, which, btw, you've treated pretty well. I blow through mine every 40K or so.

My car is at 115K on the original clutch and it's never slipped on me. WTF are you doing to yours?

[erosewater]

cool

you guys just helped me convince mrs jass to make the repair.

thanks everyone

Do we get to share in the snorkeling then?

[ElDucky]

That's not true, he would be delaying the payment, not getting rid of it completely, so he would really only be saving the interest portion of the difference.

Not if the eventual end point of car ownership, say age 90, is static.

[Hugh Jass]

Drive out of town. See what happens. Or a shitty part of town. These places should be begging for a somewhat easy job like this. Try a transission shop with workers who can do it blindfolded.
Oh, and get a better clutch than the original, which, btw, you've treated pretty well. I blow through mine every 40K or so.

I'm new to this area and I don't know crap about cars. How am I supposed to know what place has good mechanics or not?

I chose this place because it had so many reiews and an overall good rating.

I'm willing to pay a little more to find a good trustworthy place that does a good job.

[erosewater]

My car is at 115K on the original clutch and it's never slipped on me. WTF are you doing to yours?

You didn't know DTNF is a drifter?

[Hugh Jass]

My car is at 115K on the original clutch and it's never slipped on me. WTF are you doing to yours?

?? Nothing crazy. I don't drive like a mad man. maybe you drive more highway miles than me?

DR T non-fan said 90K was pretty good.

[ElDucky]

My car is at 115K on the original clutch and it's never slipped on me. WTF are you doing to yours?

Depends how you drive. I went through one in 20k km.

[erosewater]

I'm new to this area and I don't know crap about cars. How am I supposed to know what place has good mechanics or not?

I chose this place because it had so many reiews and an overall good rating.

I'm willing to pay a little more to find a good trustworthy place that does a good job.

Sign up for Angie's List

[Hugh Jass]

Do we get to share in the snorkeling then?

yes

[WhyAndHow]

You should also be able to pay off the car faster than 5 years if you make early payments. I'd say that repairing the car is the riskier option. You should repair the car and add $250 to your budget now to save up for a bigger down payment. I remember your wife was nagging you about getting a new car about a year ago, so by now you should have an additional $3000 saved up for a down payment. A 2001 626 should fetch you $2500 on trade in. Pass a few exams in the next two years and you can own that Honda civic outright in no time.

[WhyAndHow]

?? Nothing crazy. I don't drive like a mad man. maybe you drive more highway miles than me?

DR T non-fan said 90K was pretty good.

I was asking DR T non-fan...

I suppose 90K is reasonable. I do a lot of highway.
Do you use the clutch to sit on hills? or engine brake?

[Hugh Jass]

You should also be able to pay off the car faster than 5 years if you make early payments. I'd say that repairing the car is the riskier option. You should repair the car and add $250 to your budget now to save up for a bigger down payment. I remember your wife was nagging you about getting a new car about a year ago, so by now you should have an additional $3000 saved up for a down payment. A 2001 626 should fetch you $2500 on trade in. Pass a few exams in the next two years and you can own that Honda civic outright in no time.

I have the 3K but now I have other stuff that came up that I need that money for (potentially). Hopefully I won't and then I'll have that 3K still.

I only have a couple of exams left. Need to find something else to juice my income after that gig is over.

[erosewater]

I was asking DR T non-fan...

I suppose 90K is reasonable. I do a lot of highway.
Do you use the clutch to sit on hills? or engine brake?

I had a girlfriend who drove a stick, and every time she took off she'd practically floor it and then just ever so slowly let up on the clutch for like 5 seconds.

[WhyAndHow]

I have the 3K but now I have other stuff that came up that I need that money for (potentially). Hopefully I won't and then I'll have that 3K still.

I only have a couple of exams left. Need to find something else to juice my income after that gig is over.

The last few are the most lucrative.

Good luck with hanging on to your 3K

[Hugh Jass]

The last few are the most lucrative.

Good luck with hanging on to your 3K

I know. there's like 16.5K left on the table.

thanks.

[QMO]

Sign up for Angie's ListI started to sign up for Angie's list, then found out they charge.
It didn't seem worth the money because:
(a) it seemed unlikely that the service would be very helpful in my (fairly rural) area and
(b) I could figure things out by talking to people that have lived here for 30 years,


Since then, I've learned (by receiving spam) that Angie's list is a spammer. As I don't like to fund spammers, I won't pay Angie's list any money ever.

[1695814]

That's not true, he would be delaying the payment, not getting rid of it completely, so he would really only be saving the interest portion of the difference.you make a good point.

Not if the eventual end point of car ownership, say age 90, is static....so do you...I think...:scratcheshead:

[Dr T Non-Fan]

I was asking DR T non-fan...

I suppose 90K is reasonable. I do a lot of highway.
Do you use the clutch to sit on hills? or engine brake?
I have a high-performance engine with a six-speed transmission, and I shift a lot. I also use neutral a lot to coast, as there are lots of hills around here. No clutch-burning-start hills, though, but a lot of slight downhill opportunities.
No to engine braking -- I take this to mean downshifting without throttle-adjusting, which slows down the car with an incessant whine? Brakes are good enough on car.

My car guy says not to touch the clutch with the foot AT ALL, unless shifting, and then it's all the way in or all the way out, and no place in between. He tells me this while replacing the first clutch, of course. Still on my second.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

I'm new to this area and I don't know crap about cars. How am I supposed to know what place has good mechanics or not?

I chose this place because it had so many reiews and an overall good rating.

I'm willing to pay a little more to find a good trustworthy place that does a good job.
I ask people that I know and can trust on a matter such as this. I have a guy that we are recommending to anyone who asks, and we haven't heard anything bad.
My car is at 115K on the original clutch and it's never slipped on me. WTF are you doing to yours?
It's not me. It's the clutch. I swear!

You didn't know DTNF is a drifter?
Funny.

[Dreamer33]

Look for a lower estimate. This isn't a freakin' Porsche. $700 max.

Do note that this clutch has less than a week of life left.

Big difference in labor to replace a clutch in a FWD vs. RWD car. Clutch replacement in my 420hp 6-speed RWD vehicle costs less than replacement in my friend's Mazda 3.

[Sean Archer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ANak8V7bo0

[Flower]

Depends how you drive. I went through one in 20k km.

Do clutches really go that fast? I think the car I drive had the original clutch with 80K something miles on it. It has 150K with that same clutch now. No problems either, maybe getting a little stiffer but nothing big.

[DeepPurple]

you lucky *******




Tangent..... I don't think this is terribly lucky. Ford knows what the heck they are doing when they make an F150. They are the #1 selling vehicle in the world for good reason. They are capable and dependable and solid. I have had cars both foreign and domestic. Any dude who has the mantra "don't buy American" has been drinking too much kool-aid. There are some American vehicles that can compete with anything Jap or German.

[cohomology]

get it fixed, I have 250,000 miles on an original transmission (its automatic)
shifts like brand new. (although if i ever had to replace the flexplate it would be a b#tch.)

I think people overestimate the cost of repairs, you could have the whole engine replaced for 3500 then its like having a new car (after sensors are replaced).

[3rookie]

Get it fixed. Then, buy a car later this year when convenient for you. The wrong time to buy a car is when you NEED a car.

[Klaymen]

They are two separate decisions. A clutch replacement costs money but isn't necessarily a sign that your call is falling apart on you any more than a brake job. It's stuff that sooner or later may need to be replaced, and your driving habits affect it.

Whether you get a different car is separate. If you keep the car obviously you want to replace the clutch. And ease off it. If you're going to sell the car, you have to decide if people are going to notice that it needs a clutch, because like updating your house you aren't likely to get all that money back. I might try to let the next person pay for it, and making lower the price in your head that you intend to get for the car by several hundred (<$1,100) if need be.

[Hugh Jass]

so I got the clutch repaired. Seemed to work fine when I first got it. It had a different feel to the pedal, but otherwise it was a big improvement over before.

But then I noticed my car kinda starts funny now. Like, it makes a big noise when it first comes on. But otherwise it is fine after that.

Then, about 3 days ago, I noticed my stickshift felt "squishy" when I move it around.

Now, this morning, it's making bad noises when I shift it, so I drove it home to have it taken in again and looked at it. As I'm driving home, I can hear and see pieces of my car falling off into the road as I'm driving it home.

Someone please tell me that this car place will 1) tow my car in to them and 2) fix all their poor worksmanship for free.

This it total fikcing bullshit. Why does this kind of shit always happen to me? Can't believe they charged me $1200 for this bullshit.

[ElDucky]

Hey, for $1,200 you are going to be getting everything fixed. Good deal!

[Hugh Jass]

Hey, for $1,200 you are going to be getting everything fixed. Good deal!

please explain how that will be the case.

[ElDucky]

Because, they ****ed up your car so they have to fix it now, for free dagnabit.

[Hugh Jass]

It's almost like the idiots at the car place forgot to screw everything back together or something. Like, they "finished" the job and had a handful of parts/screws left over and thought, "huh, oh well, it'll probably be ok without this stuff."

One of the pieces I saw fall off from under my car was like a little wheel looking piece. I'm going to go see if I can find it in the road.

[Hugh Jass]

Because, they ****ed up your car so they have to fix it now, for free dagnabit.

well, that is true that they effed it up. What leverage do I have, though? what if they try to say "it was an unrelated problem to whatever we did" or some shit like that.

[Jigsaw]

Notice I said to get the new car.

[Hugh Jass]

Notice I said to get the new car.

yeah, like you knew with 100% foreknowledge that this would happen :roll:

[Jigsaw]

yeah, like you knew with 100% foreknowledge that this would happen :roll:

I know everything. It was obvious this was going to happen.

[remilard]

Hey, I replaced a 175,000 mile clutch a while back (in good working order, but doing another repair allowed me to do this with very little marginal labor cost) and my car didn't fall apart the next week.

What about this situation made it obvious?

[Simply Brilliant]

well, that is true that they effed it up. What leverage do I have, though? what if they try to say "it was an unrelated problem to whatever we did" or some shit like that.

I've had that happen where they made my car worse. They said that they fixed what I brought it in for, but didn't notice the part that failed the day after while repairing it. I asked a mechanic friend what his thoughts were, and he said they pretty much chose not to address it or contact me about it while fixing it, since to get to one part you have go through the other.

It got a lot better after that, they held my car when I brought it in a second time, and I had to call the cops to get it back (Completely illegal, but they knew there way around the rules and knew they could get away with just holding it to piss me off for a day, since I wasn't paying for them to fix it again).

After that I decided to look into getting a lawyer, at the time I lived in a small town, there were a handful of shops and a handful of lawyers. I go in to talk to the lawyer about trying to recover some of my expenses, go through my story and then the shop I was dealing with. His next statement was, yeah I've dealt with that repair shop several times with different clients. I didn't have much of a case, and ended up selling the car.

[Simply Brilliant]

After that, I always avoided the non franchise and franchise places completely, and only took my car to the dealerships, or pepboys (I think that they are all corporately owned). The dealerships bend you over but have stood by there work, and do put in the higher quality parts. Pepboys uses the lower quality parts, but I had a clutch that made funny noises after 2 months and they replaced it for free, and they have also stood by there other work regardless of the town it was done in vs the town it was brought back into. I've heard bad stories about Midas, Firestone, and goodyear places and would still avoid them. I've also had a bad experience at Sears and would also avoid them.

[Jigsaw]

Hey, I replaced a 175,000 mile clutch a while back (in good working order, but doing another repair allowed me to do this with very little marginal labor cost) and my car didn't fall apart the next week.

What about this situation made it obvious?

That is a different situation. My advice to remilard may be different than to the OP. You need to consider the specific situation and not apply a hard rule to everything. That is where my unparalleled expertise comes in handy.

[smekta]

Is 250/month really that big of a deal for an actuary? Peace of mind is priceless.

[PhildeTruth]

Is 250/month really that big of a deal for an actuary? Peace of mind is priceless.

$250 is a huge deal. Some actuaries won't even pay $10 a month for HD for their 55 inch TV.

[smekta]

Some actuaries won't even pay $10 a month for HD for their 55 inch TV.

If only actuaries made decent money...

[ShebaPoe]

hey, I wish I could afford to buy her whatever she wants.

That day will never come, regardless of your income or career path.

[the BS method]

That sucks Hugh. An honest mechanic is worth his weight in gold.

At least give them the chance to do the right thing.

If you find the parts, keep them, maybe you could produce them in small claims court if necessary.

[johnny storm]

That day will never come, regardless of your income or career path.

^
Wisdom

[PhildeTruth]

That day will never come, regardless of your income or career path.

lol Sheba.

What did she want?

[IMP]

when did u have it repaired? write a detailed log of all the problems you have had since the repair. pick up the parts that have broken/fallen from the car. contact the place and talk to the manager. be polite but strong.

[Ragdaddy]

The $1200 at this point is a sunken cost, sell the Mazda to a Mexican for $800, combine that with $500 from savings and buy a decent used car (1200+800+500). My (most)mechanic(s) charges $100 to check any potential cars out I'm interested in. Out of 5 so far, I think I've only rejected one per his recomendation.

[Jasper07734]

Fix the clutch if you think you can go more than 4.8 months afterward without another major repair.

[Ragdaddy]

Fix the clutch if you think you can go more than 4.8 months afterward without another major repair.

Yes, but Grasshopper, "if" is a dangerous word for married man to live with. It can grow into "I told you so."

[IMP]

also, what is the shop's gaurantee on work performed?

[Hugh Jass]

Imp, I just had them fix it 1 week ago. not sure about the guarantees, but I don't think it's unreasonable for me to expect that my car function safely for more than a week

[IMP]

agree. just wasnt sure the timeframe.

[ShebaPoe]

lol Sheba.

What did she want?

It's not what they want today. It's what they want in the future. Today's neurosis is tomorrow's psychosis. Probably best to find women who think your income is $4 per day.

[IMP]

Today's neurosis is tomorrow's psychosis.
is that what your shrink has helped you discover about yourself? ;)

[The Drunken Actuary]

I am the bread winner. Mrs Jass is a SAHM.

Not much more snorkeling. She always does the best she does as it is, life gets in the way sometimes (period, kids, moving, etc...) So to answer your question, not much.

Periods should never get in the way of snorkeling. In fact, they are a reason to have more. We call it blowjob week in my house.

[The Drunken Actuary]

That's not true, he would be delaying the payment, not getting rid of it completely, so he would really only be saving the interest portion of the difference.

By that logic you should buy a new car every day.

[Hugh Jass]

So I called the guy and told him that my car was falling apart and how the shifter felt squishy. He seemed genuinely concerned and asked me if I could drive it in. I told him I didn't think it was safe to drive it. So he ends up towing it back to his shop for me and fixed it. Of course I didn't pay a dime extra. Seems to be working fine now.