Greetings, All!

My car has failed to pass the California emissions test due to a worn-out catalytic converter.

This sorry state of affairs is due to my having put about 80,000 miles on it during my nearly 4 year-long work commute between Anaheim and Compton, CA.

I'm told by a reliable area mechanic that new parts will cost about $3,000! California has extremely strict smog check standards, which is a great thing, but someone like me who has been laid off from my main job since 12/18/2025, cannot even begin to afford this.

I did get hired by FedEx as a part-time package handler a couple of weeks ago but only lasted 3 days due to the heavy box load being too much for me. I did give it a try, but I'm 64 and not in as great a shape as I thought.

Since I voluntarily left that job, I am now getting the run around from CA EDD and will likely need to file an appeal.

If the repairs are not completed in one month's time (2 weeks remaining), one is required by law to "retire" the vehicle - which will make it more difficult to get to a job (if I ever manage to find one!) get kitties to the vet, or run other errands.

Even with my husband Greg still working, we cannot even begin to afford this costly repair bill.

In addition, I am facing repossession on the car as it's very unlikely that I'll be able to make my next payment, which is due in a couple of days.

So I'm asking for a bit of help here just so we can keep things rolling. I dread losing this vehicle, as I've worked so hard to get halfway through the payment program, and ironically, it's still running pretty good - but for how long, who knows?

A million thanks in advance for your kindness during these insane days with so many other folks struggling.

Any amount, no matter how small goes a long way.

Carrie-Ann Mohr