Not as bad as it seems...

Last night, I get into Elizabeth and start her up, only to be shaken so badly that I slowly backed out (afraid of getting stuck in the garage) and then turned her right back off.

The shaking was not so bad next time, but still scary. So I took her into Pepboys today. You never want to hear "I've got bad news" from the mechanic. Apparently, the problem is my AC compressor. It is running. All the time, even when the AC is off.

Fixing this would involve a full AC job (?) of which the relevant bit is the cost: $1,200. Cue the !#$#%$&$ ohmygods on my part. Only not so much outloud.

Outloud, it was "Oh my god. I do not have that kind of money." Then, very sensibly I think, I asked the important questions : Is this going to affect the engine and does it have to be fixed?

Answers: Only if I run the AC, it might cause a belt to slip (? must research) and therefore, not really.

I am still slightly freaked out at the thought of those repairs. But since I don't need them, I'm also kind of relieved. Then, this solves the minor mystery of why the check engine light never came on, even with the continuing really horrible noises. Also, they didn't charge me anything. Which was decent, since they did have to spend some time poking around, I was there for nearly 3 hours. x.x

And I don't have to spend that money. So now I have a nice little overage, still, and I'm not so upset at what I did spend. -.-;

Must squee later over the cocoa and mints which arrived a day early, and the lovely packaging they arrived in. Also need to update my YGO squee, because. Seto!!! <3