As I wrote elsewhere, when we drove into the Bay last Friday, the ENGINE warning light lit up on the dashboard. The hastily called NRMA breakdown mechanic plugged in his computer and diagnosed an "EGR VALVE" problem.
The hastily consulted car mechanic - who shall remain unnamed - told me, "Your car needs a new EGR valve. I won't be able to get one in until next Tuesday, and it'll take several hours to fix. That'll be $660, thanks!"
Thanks to the internet, these days we can always get a second opinion to keep the bastards honest. In this case I was able to find out that the price of an EGR valve was anywhere from $45 (postage paid) up to two hundred dollars. So how did my unnamed mechanic arrive at his $660?
After this second opinion I rang a second mechanic and was quoted $400. I dropped the car off with them at 8.30 a.m. and they rang me at 9.30 a.m. to say it was ready again for pick-up. That's an hour's work!
I reflected on this over a second glass of chardonnay after a very satisfying lunch of lambs fry and bacon at the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club. I don't eat any awful offal except for lambs fry which brings back memories of my mother's cooking, and this one really hit the spot.
Having just saved myself $260, I could treat myself to lambs fry and bacon for the next two week. Thank you, Batemans Bay Tyre Service!
