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Car Trouble: Part Deux
So I'm now driving a green Mazda econobox with a crystal angel dangling from the rear view mirror and a selection of Vietnamese and Chinese CDs.
How this happened: yesterday![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
excessor delivered me to the shop over by 101 to pick up my car. The new solenoid/starter had been put in ($250) but the mechanic/owner wanted me to buy a new battery. I told him I had already bought a new one several months ago, so I would put it in as soon as I got home. He said he had tested for current drains and not found any, so there should be no problem. So they jumpstart the car and away I go.
About a mile later, I pulled into a left turn lane at a 6x6 lane intersection. I noticed the ABS and BRAKE lights were on, and flickering oddly as the turn signal clicked. Then the car died.
Now you car fans no doubt know that a modern automatic has an interlock to prevent you from changing out of park while the car isn't running. The override for this is usually somewhere near the shift lever. I know exactly where mine is, having used it the previous day, but I had nothing long enough to reach the override button a few inches deep. So I was locked into place in the middle of the street, and cars started coming up behind me. I waved the first few around and made the quick decision to run back to the shop as the quickest way of getting help, since I'd left my cell phone in my gym bag, which was in Paul's truck. About 9 minutes of running later, I arrrived at the shop.
The owner told me to get into his car and we'd drive over to mine. When we arrived at my car, he pulled out his jumper battery and started to work on the car. He told me to take his car and come back on Monday to pick up mine. So I did. I now drive a green Mazda with good luck charms and the smell of incense.
BTW, we're not going to make it to the city today to see various people as planned. I got almost no sleep last night, then discovered there were quite a few things I needed to do before the painters return to finish up tomorrow morning, notably sanding out some poor patching they did in the front of the house (yes, I'm compulsive about things I will notice every time I walk by them.) I missed the gym Friday because of the car problem, and got only half a workout yesterday for the same reason. So I'll go to the gym instead of trying to get up to the city for the remaining three hours of daylight. I'm sorry to disappoint everyone.
How this happened: yesterday
excessor delivered me to the shop over by 101 to pick up my car. The new solenoid/starter had been put in ($250) but the mechanic/owner wanted me to buy a new battery. I told him I had already bought a new one several months ago, so I would put it in as soon as I got home. He said he had tested for current drains and not found any, so there should be no problem. So they jumpstart the car and away I go.About a mile later, I pulled into a left turn lane at a 6x6 lane intersection. I noticed the ABS and BRAKE lights were on, and flickering oddly as the turn signal clicked. Then the car died.
Now you car fans no doubt know that a modern automatic has an interlock to prevent you from changing out of park while the car isn't running. The override for this is usually somewhere near the shift lever. I know exactly where mine is, having used it the previous day, but I had nothing long enough to reach the override button a few inches deep. So I was locked into place in the middle of the street, and cars started coming up behind me. I waved the first few around and made the quick decision to run back to the shop as the quickest way of getting help, since I'd left my cell phone in my gym bag, which was in Paul's truck. About 9 minutes of running later, I arrrived at the shop.
The owner told me to get into his car and we'd drive over to mine. When we arrived at my car, he pulled out his jumper battery and started to work on the car. He told me to take his car and come back on Monday to pick up mine. So I did. I now drive a green Mazda with good luck charms and the smell of incense.
BTW, we're not going to make it to the city today to see various people as planned. I got almost no sleep last night, then discovered there were quite a few things I needed to do before the painters return to finish up tomorrow morning, notably sanding out some poor patching they did in the front of the house (yes, I'm compulsive about things I will notice every time I walk by them.) I missed the gym Friday because of the car problem, and got only half a workout yesterday for the same reason. So I'll go to the gym instead of trying to get up to the city for the remaining three hours of daylight. I'm sorry to disappoint everyone.
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Mine still chugs along and worked fine today. Nener, nener, nener... :-P
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I am curious though… why are *you* sanding the bad patching? Isn't that what you're paying the painters to do? Usually, I put their nose into what they've done wrong and give them a swat with a rolled up newspaper. That seems to work ;-)
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