An exciting game with fabulous prizes!

A wonderfully fun time for all those affiliated with Goodyear Tires, I am expecting a phone call any moment this morning. For last evening I took my beloved Saturn into their shop. Now, as has been documented before, these nice people manage to take a $20.00 oil change into a three digit bonanza. This time, though, I need more than an oil change. In fact, I need three additional things done to my car at a cost that is likely to equal Carl Pavano's contract.

1.) Oil change. This should be simple and $20.

2.) New windshield wipers. Currently, the rubber has split from the arm and when the blade moves across the windshield, there is a tail wagging wildly behind. This fix probably won't be too much, though I can see them upgrading to a super duper magic awesome blades that are costly and unneeded.

3.) The noise under the hood that sounds like a crank turning when the breaks are applied. This one scares me. This has potential for disaster with costs soaring rapidly with labor when they "can't seem to find" the root of the problem.

4.) The cigarette lighter no longer provides power. Of all the issues, I think this one is the most serious and potentially most expensive to correct. I heard talk of "electrical diagnostic," which I'm pretty sure is code for "cha-ching." But, this cost might be most controllable as it's a non-essential part of the car as I can suffer through having no car charger or no IPod if it means I can keep the already spiraling costs in check.

Total: ???

I'm going to play Price Is Right rules here where the closest bidder without going over wins. I'm estimating $421.13.

Photo from Northern Ireland Department for Employment and Learning