Saving Some Dough

Munir borrowed my Caravan for a week, starting from the end of last year until the day he left. When I got the van back, I noticed the heater blower not blowing at lower speeds, but only at the highest dial.
I knew it was the variable control (rheostat?) which could have burnt out, since I remember having a similar problem with one of my vehicles years earlier.

So I read up on it to confirm the diagnosis and printed out the pertinent forum excerpts. Today, I went to Advance Auto to buy the heater block. Cost after tax was $13.00 plus. The lady at the counter warned me that the replacement will look a lot different from the OEM part, but that it should work...

Got back, took the glove compartment out, identified the part on the firewall,
and proceeded to replace it. After I'd disconnected the battery, I got the block out and put the new one in. It's only a matter of using 8 mm and 10 mm sockets...
Old part..
Connected the battery terminal back on, started the engine, and tested the blower speeds from low to high, front and rear. The air blew at all settings, proving that a little research and elbow grease can save me a few quids...

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