Heat Hits Hard

Is it a bad sign when there is a loud squeal from under the hood of your car as you accelerate? Yes, it is. But I'm afraid to have it checked out. Will probably be very expensive to fix. Most things on a car are. But, not fixing whatever it is now, will probably cause more damage, making it more costly to repair later. "rock and a hard place"
My daughter's car needs some fixing up too. Changing the oil, the technician pointed out one or two things which might "last awhile" or might "break anytime." So to a repair shop that can do the work. The parking lot at the shop is full. Owner says, "hot weather makes things break", so with temperatures around 100, auto repair stores are seeing more business. Meaning a slower turn around.
But in this economy, many folks are having little things fixed, instead of buying a new car or truck. Although, there are pretty good deals on cars and trucks right now. Dealers are wanting to sell.
By the way, the noise in my car only happens when the air conditioner is on. And the a/c can be really expensive to fix. Just have to drive with the windows down.