We have already decided that we are not going to own a car in Mongolia at least for the first few years. We are apparently nearly alone in that decision, though. Mongolia Web News reports a massive increase in car sales this year. At the beginning of 2008, there were 26,123 cars registered in Ulaanbaatar; today, there are 120,000. Well, maybe there will be more room on the buses now. No wonder it’s hard to cross the street!
October 23, 2008
August 13, 2008
car repair
I was quite worried about the steering on our car. Lately, we’ve had a bad vibration in the front left wheel when we’re going 65-70 mph. On my trip to Chicago, a guy drove up next to me and yelled that my wheel was wobbling. I had taken the car to the garage to check on the air conditioner, and the service adviser had pointed out that the inner tie rod bushings were badly worn. He also pointed out that the rack and pinion was leaking. He gave me a quote of $1700. I’m not sure if that was just the tie rod repair or the whole steering system.
At any rate, I was thrilled that my talented brother-in-law James was willing to come over this morning and help me with the repair. Well, okay, he did the repair while I watched. The parts were less than $20, and James had the job done in less than 2 hours, including the trip to the parts store. Since none of my mechanically-inclined family members are going to Mongolia with us, maybe it’s good that we’ve decided to go without a vehicle for a few years.
