Outreach and a Can of Olives

Unfortuately, it's not uncommon for single moms to be taken advantage of by some automotive repair shops.

Recently a repair-savy volunteer and I looked at a single mom's car. The motor ran rough and it was reported to have gas leaking on top of the engine. A repair shop told her there was a broken engine mount, the serpentine belt needed changed, and a fuel line needed replaced. The estimated repair cost, $430.

What we saw was unbelievable. A daughter's boyfriend replaced the spark plugs and noticed a vent hose with an open end. Thinking the hose should be closed up, he grabbed a can of olives from the food pantry, stuck it in the opening, and tighted a hose clamp around it to ensure it stayed there. With this he effectively stopped the necessary air flow through the air filtering system. Not good! No wonder the motor coughed and sputtered. This was all done before the car was taken to the repair shop.

The bottom line, there was no broke engine mount; the serpentine belt did not need changed; and the gas may have leaked a little as a result of the can of olives and a clogged air passage. What needed changed was an idler pulley holding the serpentine belt.

This one example shows the value our oil change outreach provides to single moms. This mom was was extremely grateful to the volunteer I brought with me that day. Her anxieties were calmed. I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for our volunteer team!