Allyson, tommyrot might be another good person to ask. I don't have a phone number for him, but you might try e-mail or seeing if he's on the board.

Good lord, Allyson.

If nothing else, you could surely get one off of an actually totalled car, like from a junkyard? It might just take a while.

Or it may be that they're just being shitty with you, or their particular supplier doesn't have it but others do.

Oh, and did I mention it's her birthday today, and I'm meeting her for dinner in two hours?

Jesus. Any way you can warn her that something's up so she doesn't feel like you've been a total Judas tomorrow? Or would that seem too much like ruining her birthday?

Allyson, an independent mechanic (and hell, even dealers should be able to do this, I don't know why they haven't at this point! Except maybe dealers are reluctant to think creatively ) should be able to get aftermarket parts OR get one from a salvage yard. Jason will probably give you better advice, but if they can't give you a date, I'd start calling around to independent mechanic shops.

I agree with those who say they should be able to get one from a salvage yard.

Yikes, Brenda. I think I would either have to tell her or pretend tomorrow that you are SHOCKED.

No. The assembly has to be new. Both my mechanic and the dealership said without hesitation that a used assembly would be unsafe.

I spoke with GM. They don't have the part at all. Just no part. None.

Wow, that blows, Allyson.

And jesus christ, Brenda. Good luck with that.... And I agree with meara -- can you tell her something tonight? Yikes.

But that would mean I'm working when not in the office, which I try to avoid.

I am on this train as well -- my job would probably pay for an iPhone for me, but I don't travel enough to be willing to give them that much availability.

Honestly, most of why I'm not interested in a smart phone in general is that I really don't spend much time away from a computer, so I'm good with being off-line for those few hours.

Allyson, you really need to email me your issue, including the make, model, year, and VIN of the car to my firstname.lastname @ gm dot com. It could very well be a supplier problem, and if not, then I can get someone to tell me what the hell is going on.

Don't mention here. Your email is going to be forwarded to contacts in Detroit.

edit: My people should be able to tell if it's really out of stock or not and get me an ETA.

And once again, the hivemind springs into action.

God DAMN, I loves me some Buffistas.

Give me the internet and a board to post on and I can move the world.