The Horrible Importance of Unimportant Things...and Why They Cost So Much!

"Fame changes a lot of things, but it can't change a light bulb." 
~ Gilda Radner

You're in for a treat today. My DH is guest blogging, so without further ado, I turn Round The World Writer over to him!

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We have a 2013 Chrysler Town and Country van that we really enjoy.  It is comfortable to ride in, and gets great gas mileage.  Most importantly the back seats are comfortable for my in-laws so they

are happy when we take them on long trips.

The other evening we went to our Community Choir rehearsal, and I noticed that the low beam headlight on the passenger side was out.  So the next day I contacted our local dealership to make an appointment to change the light bulb.

The receptionist (Shirley) said it would be no problem.  Typically it took 10 minutes for a lube tech to change a headlight, and it would cost less than $50.  So I made the appointment.

The first surprise came when I pulled in, and Shirley took one look at the van.  Suddenly, to change the headlight they had to take the entire front bumper and grill assembly off.  It was going to take an hour, and cost about $110.  I had to do it, so I said go ahead.

Then Shirley took me to visit with the parts guy.  He looked up the headlamp needed, and said it would cost about $30.  I said OK, and he arranged one of the mechanics to start working on it.

I had been in the waiting area for about 20 minutes when Shirley came in, and then walked out again.  She came back into the waiting area, and walked towards me with a disappointed look on her face.  

"I really hate to say this, but you have HD headlights, and the parts guy looked up the wrong one.  We have to get the headlight from the O'Reiley's downtown, and the cost is $130.  I am so sorry."  

By now they had the front end all apart, and there really was no turning back, so I told her to go ahead.

So in the end my 10 minute/$50 job took almost 2 hours, and $250.  All of that just to change a light bulb!  

At least now it is done, and the van should be good to go in case our daughter needs to use it while we are on the cruise. 

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Hi Gang! I'm back. Let me just end this by saying he waited a couple of days before he wrote this post. He was much more steamed when it happened.

But I think we have a good take-away from this that applies to our WC next January. Even though we've pre-paid a lot of it, there are going to be expenses that pop up, and things that cost more than we expect that we haven't planned for. I heard a wise man say we should pack half the clothes and twice the money.

If the DH's experience with a light bulb is any indication, that man was right.