I actually have a patient who this exact scenario happened to and the officer replied that he was having a bad day and since the patient cracked him up he was for the one time only letting him go with a warning !
This same thing happened to me and also on a car several years ago which was a lemon (before the lemon law was passed). I agree with the other commenter in that it is cheaper to purchase a new unit then to get the extended warranty on this item.
So sorry to hear of the Bender’s retirement. You both did a great job on the strip !