Well, I dodged a bullet and definitely will go back to changing my own oil. Getting under the hood every few months led me to be more observant of the car's condition in general, so I think I took better care of it overall.
Over the years I gradually moved away from working on my cars myself. The advent of fuel injection, computer controls, complicated emissions and restrictive warrantees have made it harder, and I'm no longer driving $800 beaters. Maybe this will re-kindle my interest in DIY.
You'll all enjoy this: I told you I drove to Indiana Friday w/o problems. Today I made a quick side-trip on my return to Iowa but currently find myself stuck in southern Wisconsin with a broken motor mount. But I still feel lucky: after the shuddering under the hood I feared my disaster last week had ruined an engine bearing. I got off the road pretty quickly, no collateral damage. Mazda picked-up the tow and is covering all repairs.
I'm also filing a claim with BP - they'll never notice one more in their mailbox...
