And This is the Part That Failed

The husband, having done a whole lot of research before he started taking things apart, knew what he was looking for in the transmission and he found it:

There are supposed to be grooves on the inside of this piece. They are almost entirely worn away. I would butcher whatever explanation I tried to give you for why that is, so suffice it to say that we both think this is a bit ridiculous from a brand that bills itself as “the ultimate driving machine.” Hello, German engineers! You could do better. I put over 120,000 miles on my Volkswagen Jetta without a major failure like this.

This piece is part of the transfer case. He could replace the entire transfer case. A replacement transfer case, new from the dealer, is $3300. (No, there aren’t any decimals missing in that number.) He could replace the transfer case with a used one off another car for about $800, but that brings with it the possibility that the same part is going to fail eventually. He is wondering if it’s possible to replace just this piece. That’s going to take more research.

We’re haven’t made a decision yet about how to proceed. I have the luxury of having another vehicle to drive, although the BMW is taking up space in the garage and that’s inconvenient. He said he wished the car had waited to self-destruct until the new shop was finished to the point where he could work on it in there.

It is what it is. We deal with it and move on.

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I didn’t get any sewing done yesterday, nor did I get to go to quilting day at the church. I had one of my twice-yearly visits with my naturopath to make sure all my numbers are where they need to be (they are). We spent a fair bit of time talking about PTSD; half a dozen of his patients were involved in the same deck collapse we were two years ago. He is seeing that people are still struggling with that and he was wondering if I had any lingering effects. I told him that no, that event was totally eclipsed by being in the ICU for a week last February. The one thing I have to watch out for is the claustrophobia I feel from having my face covered. I told him the story of me cleaning out the chicken coop a few weeks ago and how I had to keep stepping outside to take off the mask so I could avoid having a panic attack.

I really do love the fact that my naturopath addresses care of the whole person. So many physicians nowadays concentrate only on the numbers or a single pathology without considering a person’s mental health or overall wellbeing. (I also know that many physicians would prefer it be otherwise; that is largely a consequence of the current system.) We could do a much better job of addressing mental health issues and helping people to develop emotional resilience.

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My friend Cristina of Bumbleroot Design is releasing her first bag pattern today! It’s called the Leelana Crossbody Bag. She put out a call for testers a few weeks ago. I would have loved to have been one, but life got away from me and I didn’t have time to make the bag. (I am rather amazed by the testers who produced multiple versions in just a few days.) I did get to see some preview versions of the pattern, though. I am hoping this is just the first of many designs. Congratulations, Cristina!