The shop I had my car towed to called, and the results are MUCH better than feared.
It is NOT the engine like they feared.
It is NOT the AWD like my husband feared.
Instead, my little bro is the winner… it’s the alternator!
A bearing seized in the alternator and it threw and damaged the belt. This would be why no amount of jumping got my car to start again.
They’ll be replacing the alternator, the damaged belt, and the battery that we beat up trying to jump. It’s an ancient battery, so I’d rather be sure we aren’t stranded again shortly.
It will come out to ~$800, but the shop always estimates way high, so I’m relieved.
We can pull that from savings. I’m not happy, but that’s SO MUCH less than what we feared that it’s all good.
They’ll fix it on Wednesday, and I should be able to work again by the end of the week.
So, huzzah!
And just in case you’re wondering, our preferred auto shop is 710 Diagnostics. They LISTEN to me so I don’t have to have my husband repeat everything to them (THANK YOU!) and they’re very straightforward about whether or not something is worth fixing or if you can live without it.
Plus, they like Subaru, and that’s what we drive.
Honestly, just the fact that I can call and set up my own repairs without being talked down to or ignored is amazing. The last place we went to, they’d ignore what I told them, do a random repair without an estimate that didn’t fix the issue, and would only listen to my husband. It was INFURIATING.
Like, I know my car. If I tell you X is happening, LISTEN TO ME. My car is OLD, so if I tell you to ignore X as not worth fixing don’t go behind my back, fix it, and then charge me!
My husband hates the phone, so I call in his repairs and such to 710 too, and everything is smooth and relaxed, and that’s enough to keep us coming and loyal. They’re patient while I take notes on what they say. (I don’t understand most of it, but I run the budget and my husband does understand so I take notes.)
Costs are reasonable too, but that’s secondary.
So, if you’re local, check them out!
