It could’ve been much worse…

…with the car. Turns out I did receive a silver lining, after spending $200.

John, the mechanic who worked on my VW discovered the culprit on the alarm system. I suspected it wouldn’t be anything as easy (or cheap) like a loose battery connection. Nope. Cut wires from the driver’s side lock (non-functional for at least three years) running to it. Having the whole alarm set up disabled was out of the question. However, John said it was only a matter of replacing the door handle which came with a new lock. The kicker? It was a five-dollar part requiring 90 minutes of labor, hence $200. As for the wiring, it was only a matter of soldering the busted ones back together.

Now I have three keys to operate the Golf. One for the trunk (the only lock the original set works with), one for the ignition (2001 and counting) and the latest for the door. But regaining the ability to secure the vehicle easily has been regained! It couldn’t have come at a better time thanks to the volunteer work I’m doing over two consecutive evenings in downtown Austin.

It may sound trivial yet I think only Somara has witnessed me doing the primary workaround I’ve had to execute twice in the airport parking lot when we return from vacations. Before we get on the plane, I would leave the passenger door open, hit the button to lock it down and then close it up, protecting it for the duration we’re gone. Upon our return, I open the hatchback, climb up to the front seats, press the internal button to unlock the doors and then we could go home. Even I know it resembles a WC Fields or Three Stooges routine.

I’ll redo the math on my car’s average yet I think it’ll still remain under $100/month because I paid it off eight years ago.

Somara and I will continue to talk to the Toyota dealership in Round Rock anyway. A new Yaris may be the stronger, more expensive and less anxiety-inducing option.

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