Smokin; not just bad for people

So I go out, a few errands to run. The last of which is head across the river to Kentucky to pick up some cigarettes for MsP and myself. 3/4's there, I am driving down the highway smokin a cig and I notice, something is smelling funny, like something in the car other than the cigarette in on fire. If you know the set up of a Ford Probe you know the ash tray is in a possition making it utterly worthless. As I drive, I am looking to the floor, the smell was rather plastic smelling, perhaps I lit the carpet on fire. Still driving I drag my foot back and forth across the floor hoping I would stifle what ever was burning. Next thing I know there are billows of smoke coming from the steering column. I pull over to the side of the highway, thinking this is not a good thing. Well I stop and turn the car off, get out with the hood released and look, smoke = fire
right?


well nothing in the engine compartment is on fire, this is a good thing. Well I had just sent my car to the shop a few months back and the phone info was still in the "phone book" of my cell phone so I give the garage a call, "how much to tow back to your shop?" "$75 but you will have to wait about an hour" well I am a reasonable man, I say "ok" and I wait. During the wait I try a few things, key in acc position no smoke, key in on position, no smoke, start the car, no smoke...
Well maybe the Ford "kicked the habit" I wait a few mins with the car running and no smoke. So I decide, call the garage back and cancel the tow, continue my errand (I was close to out of smokes) and head home. "thats ok" says the dispatcher, "call back if you need"
So I get across the river on that nasty looking bridge they call Ben Sprence, off the highway at 5th St Covington and to the Tobbaco/ Liquor store and Ford started smoking again. Well now with the extra miles its gonna be $85; I tell the dispatcher where I am and say "well I'll be here".

Well this all went down on Friday "We probably won't get to it till monday" the tow truck driver says.

Tuesday I call and they got it fixed, or so they said, I go to get Ford and wouldn't you guess, I insert the key turn it and nothing, not even a half hearted whir like it wanted to start. So the mechanic looks again, says he started and drove and let it run to make sure the smoke wan't there. He's a bit baffled and me, I am not a mechanic so of course I too am baffled. Mechanic gets me a ride home and says he will look at it some more. So this repair just cost me $100 to not fix my car. I just may be in the market for a new mechanic.