Today I brought my mothers 2009 Grand Marquis vehicle to the dealer for a warranty recall for the steering linkage. While up on the lift the assigned mechanic performed a " complimentary safety inspection", also known as mining for repair work. I was in the customer lounge watching the news loop of where the Malaysian Airliner may be or what happened to it and how our President ( community organizer) is trying to intimidate the Russian President (former Lt Col of KGB) to leave the Ukraine . The mechanic came in the lounge where I was presented with a list of repairs that were needed to make the car safe.
This is the vehicle that my dad bought new in 2009 and drove for four years prior to his death last November. His last couple of years driving were quite worrisome for our family. Here is the list of items that needed repair.
1. Passenger side mirror needs replacing. The duct tape and bungy cord are fine, dad clipped the mirror off several times pulling up to his mailbox ( mailbox replaced twice, last time I set it in sand so it would fall,over easier when he ran into it)
2. Front and rear brake rotors and pads need replacing due to bent rotors. He would drive the car through the pasture to check fence line, probably struck a couple of rocks.
3. Exhaust loose and catalytic converted bent and squashed. That damage I'm sure occurred last spring when he drove around a police barricade set up about a mile from our farm due to a farmer digging a ditch that struck a natural gas pipeline. He drove the car down a steep embankment then through a hedgerow and an old cornfield to get home. Unfortunately the deputy came to the house and escorted both mom and dad out until the danger had passed.
4. Front bumper twisted and pushed in on side. That occurred last fall in a parking garage at an Indian Casino when he didn't realize that the ramp inside the parking garage was one way, he was going the wrong way.
5. Front hood pushed in against the air cleaner. Apparently my mother said he ran over a speed sign on the NY S Thruway and the sign " slapped " the hood.
All said and done the estimate was a lot. I would present the estimate to mom and see what she wanted to do.
All that considered, it got my mother and father out to see friends and relatives. It got them to church every week, got them to doctors offices, pharmacy, shopping for groceries all the while keeping them safe. He was a careful driver and never had an accident only at the casino parking garage. While I was driving the car back to the farm, I was thinking what an important piece of their life this beat up car was a what it meant to them.
Anyhow it goes in next week for repairs, on me dad!
)....ultimately I realised that the exceptionally wealthy are humans just like me, and some of them were actually really wonderfull people to know, but it always bothered me when a pair of carbon ceramic brake rotors cost $10,000.00 and my daily driver was worth less...finally three years ago I went back to working on daily drivers, my wallet has regained much lost weight and my sole feels normal again, especially when I read a post like the one above!! /\ ... Thanks FO!!
I will check it out 
