THE manager knew that he had an easy time with me, granted the kind of unnecessary trouble they had put me through for almost two weeks.

But on the last day that I left Auto Village, on the Diego Martin Main Road, he smiled and actually said that he hoped I would not pass and “leggo some bottles” at the building.

He was joking.

Of course I would be the one to end up in jail looking like a real criminal if I had chosen to vent my absolute frustration at the run around -- all paid for by me -- they had given me in the past couple of weeks.

With that, I also smiled and made a hasty exit and as I drove off, the irritating, knocking sound that I heard each time the right front wheel passed over a rough spot, was back to haunt me.

Still, I was wrong for ignoring the warning signs on the first day that I stepped in there, in what eventually unravelled to be a car-soap-opera of sorts.

On that morning, while I waited my turn to tell the manager that I need the shocks changed, and also to give him the keys to the car, since I could not wait around for it, I heard another man grumbling under his breath.

He was a regular customer -- they see about his car all the time, but this time, something went awry and he had to cut the chassis of his car to fix the problem that was created, apparently by what he alleged to be a botched job.

Well, on the morning that he and I exchanged a few words, he was told to return because the man who knew where he had to go to get the chassis cut did not come out to work.

Even though they made the mistake in the first place, they seemed not to have any value for his time.

Poor guy.

Several other people were turned away, because that same man was responsible for the alignment, etc.

So, I left, too.

The next day I showed up and left the car.

By mid-afternoon, they called to tell me that both front shocks needed changing, the back shocks were all right and that a right side ball joint also needed to be replaced.

It is noteworthy to add that this precious vehicle about which I am writing is a 12-year-old local used -- in good condition -- Toyota Corolla.

At home we call her Golden Girl, because of her reliability and usually hit the mechanic as soon as we hear any deviant sound or anything like that.

Anyway, I gave them the go-ahead and paid my bills in full when I collected the car in the afternoon.

But, one day later, there was a kind of knocking sound and I returned to Auto Village where they assigned a man to check the car.

Would you believe that while I was waiting another man came in complaining loudly about some thing that was loose in his car after the repairs?

They all ignored him while he ranted and raved but quickly moved to put the car on the ramp to fix the problem.

That was the second warning sign that I had ignored.

Well, the man gave me an okay, after driving through some parts of Diego Martin and said that the car was working good and that I was all ready for a South run.

In fact, while driving around with him, he even suggested that a door must have been loose somewhere and made that sound -- almost as if he really thought that as woman, I was born to be stupid about cars!

Yuh know I ain’t say nothing.

I just chill out. God really give me patience, yuh know!

Well, need I say that two days later the knocking sound intensified and as advised by a good friend, maybe it was better for it to get louder, they would have been able to identify the problem easier.

Breds, I decide to take the car back, again.

This time, they kept it all day on a Thursday and by afternoon handed me the keys and told me that the steering rack needed changing.

Well, yuh know that meant a trip to the Bamboo, because the original part from Toyota would have cost me nothing short of TT $6,000 which is small thing for some people, but not me.

Thankfully, my breds Alan, was around to make the trip with me on Saturday morning and I got the part at Bamboo Marketing, for TT $500.

But that did not stop Alan from loudly complaining: “That is why they have crime in this country”, noting that the used part I paid hundreds of dollars for was really worth next to nothing.

Well, when he heard that the warranty was just for four days, he was more than ready to kick butt.

So, I did not use the car afterwards on the weekend, afraid that some thing would fall apart, and bright and early on Monday morning went to Auto Village again and told them I had the part.

And acting on advice, I asked them to keep the old rack for me.

Yuh know by mid-morning, I got a call, telling me that I do not need the steering rack after all!

And yuh know, with all of that I eh get vex yet.

All I do is protest, mildly, about the fact that I went all the way to the Bamboo to buy a part which they are now telling me that I do not need.

At the end of the day it turned out that they changed the left side ball joint -- which they should have done about two weeks before when they changed the right side.

Hey, average folks were telling me, so yuh know I wonder how come the mechanic could be so lame that he ’ent know that is common sense ... and the manager even worse!

Well, the man who eventually took charge of the car was a good soul and even took a drive with me and show me that the car was running good and thing, and that he ’ent hear a sound.

Breds, I could have still heard the knocking, occasionally!

But I pay them for the part and labour, promptly.

I doh like to owe nobody at all!

So, the next run was back to Bamboo Marketing to give them the steering rack and pray that I could get back meh money.

Thankfully, prayers does wuk!

Them fellas in the Bamboo were merciful.

They look at me with a big sorry expression on they face because I know they are accustomed to people getting make up by mechanics of all different colour, creed and class.

So, they decided that I would get a credit note for $250 and get back the other $250 in cash, which is a pretty decent arrangement.

But they had no cash on Tuesday morning when I returned the part and I am supposed to go back there on Saturday to collect the money and the credit note.

Well, that is not the end of the story, Golden Girl is working like a dream, but that occasional knocking is like a nightmare.

Because my number one mechanic is located quite a distance away, I have chosen Auto Village to do some small work, now and again.

But, yuh know this weekend I am going to cover the distance and get him to check it out.

In the meantime, because there is no recourse for frustrated customers like me, thankfully I can express myself in this column, instead of pelting bottle or big stone and ending up in jail, when the real criminals are the folks who had me knocking from pillar to post and spending money unnecessarily.

There will be a day when I may return to Auto Village to have some work done; apart from the dread mistakes, the fellas are decent folks.

Most importantly, however, I have a forgiving heart.

Thanks Be to God.