I Do Love Being Backed Into a Corner

Mme Metro and I were out on the weekend when there was a tremendous "bang" from beneath our car.
Quoth we: "What the hell was that?" But answer came there none.

It turned out to have been a large rock, three-quarters buried under the dirt road we were travelling. Somehow it had gone clean under the bumper, then been excoriated from the earth by the subframe of the car, to sit on the surface and scrape along underneath.

Being male, I naturally had to perform due diligence. I crawled under the car on a piece of cardboard I keep in the trunk for the purpose, I checked for leaks, and then the car stopped running and refused to be restarted. I couldn't identify anything especially wrong-looking, and didn't want to mess with the warranty (what an odd thing to say about any car I've ever owned). Otherwise we might still be there, with bits of car strewn about.

Or at least I might. Mme is not noted for her patience on automotive issues.

Thank Providence for the cellular telephone [hers] (we got it in Rhode Island. No, not really). We called the Ford roadside assistance service, and a tow truck tooled all the way out to the toolies to pick us up within forty minutes.

The local Ford dealer told me the next day that the fuel pump outlet had cracked off, triggering an emergency shut-off. The pump would cost about $300, all in.

Plus labour.

$266.00.

Ow.

I thanked the service manager and immediately began doing what I usually do--namely spend $50 worth of time to save $40 worth of money. But that's fine by me; time I have.

My local Canadian Tire quoted labour at $158.00. Quite a difference. But they had no listing for the pump. After a couple of other calls, I got a-hold of Lordco, who told me that the fuel pump is a "dealer-only" item. That is, it can only be purchased from the dealer.

Assuming (and it's a long assumption) that the towing costs only $50 between the dealer, where the car is now, and Can Tire, I'd save about $50--not inconsiderable. But since the tow is far more likely to cost $80, it just isn't worth it.

Besides, there's my relationship with the dealer to consider. I may need an actual warranty repair someday.

It's a great weight off my conscience to find I probably can't get a better deal elsewhere.

I notice I have nowhere here indicated that Mme Metro was generally opposed to the expedition from the start. She has expressed a desire that I should include in this post the phrase "She was right".

Done.