"Mike Rivers" wrote in message
news:znr1094299860k@trad

I was listening to NPR's Car Talk program while reading the newsgroup
messages this morning. A caller had a ball joint break when he was
driving, and he didn't want to pay for a tow, so he put the pieces
back in position, wrapped it in duct tape (he had a roll in the trunk
because it was an old car and he'd need the duct tape for something,
sometime) and drove it home.

The good news is that this work-around might even work for a while. Ball
joints are usually installed in such a way that only an odd combination of
loads and orientation will pull them apart. If you lose the bet, simply
putting them back together can be a viable short term fix.

He said he'd been driving it that way for about three weeks.

That's nuts, but possible. He just better watch out for potholes and steep
driveways, parking lot entrances and the like. IOW, he's betting on a sure
loser in the long term.