Mufflers

Why a post on mufflers? My muffler has been the bane of my existence this week. Last week, I pulled out from a green light and I noticed that my car sounded like a race car. I knew instantly that something had gone awry with my muffler. How did I know that? Well I'll tell you.

I bought the car I drive 4 months before we got married. My faithful college car had finally died with $4000 worth of damage. My dad suggested that we go look at a small lot where a man fixes up totaled cars and re-sells them. We looked and decided that it was a much better deal to spend $4000 to buy a car instead of fixing the old one. Not only did it keep us out of debt, but it has been a terrific car. It does have some "quirks" about it.

For instance, the front driver's door was replaced so the automatic locks are only on that door. The lights on the radio and air conditioning sometimes work, but that is more inconvenient than necessary. We have to stuff a paper in the console to keep the blinker from constantly blinking, but it works. Of course we've had a few "muffler incidents."

The first one occurred while we were in California about 2 weeks before we moved to Washington D.C. for the summer. I took it in to a muffler place and they estimated a $600 charge plus muffler costs to replace the whole thing. So I did what any cheap person obsessed with staying out of debt would do, "How dangerous is it?" I asked. Oh, not very the man replied. So I left it and we drove to D.C.

While in the D.C area I took it in for an oil change. The man who changed my oil told me about my muffler and gave me the same estimate because "Your car won't pass the inspection for registering it in Maryland." I think I really annoyed him because I left with a broken muffler and no desire to change over my plates.

Then we drove home to California stopping in my home town. At that point the car was becoming nosier and we could smell the fumes. It was time. I took it into a friend of my dad's who was trustworthy and he sent us to a small town shop. I took it in fully expecting the worst. The man came out and said, "We can just weld a part in and the cost will be $15." Done.

Then last year as the husband was pulling away I heard the sound return. So, we went through the whole routine and sure enough, the trusty fellow from my home town, just welded that piece right back on.

Then it happened again last week. I was sure that we were going to have to cough up the cash by this time so I procrastinated. Then fearing for my baby's safety and imagining all sorts of horrible ways he could get exhaust poisoning, the husband graciously found a nice repair shop here (it was too far to drive back to my home town for muffler work.)

Oh, how the South has risen again. The kind man said we really didn't need a new muffler, just to fix the pipe. So 2 hours and $30 later my car is a quiet car once again. I love the South. Long live Texas!