[mousepod]

For the last couple of months, we've noticed that our 2000 Honda Accord is having a little trouble with its automatic transmission. Specifically, when we slow down to an almost complete stop and then try to accelerate, the gear shift can be pretty jarring. Since we're at over 98,000 miles and 7 years - most definitely out of warranty, we were expecting the worst when we brought it in for maintenance.

So this morning, I bite the bullet and bring it to the Honda dealership for an oil change and ask them if they could check the transmission. It turns out that the problem was indeed what we had imagined.

The service guy goes to his computer and says, "You're in luck. There's an extended warranty on transmissions on your year and model. It won't cost you anything." They even threw in a free rental car for the few days it'll take to get the parts and replace 'em. My final cost estimate is for the oil change alone - less than $40.