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silverthorneSo, the saga of the car finally comes to a close, for now (Cue maniacal laughter!)
So, when we last left the car, it was mostly OK. Still needed a carb scrub, and still needed a tune up. Left it be for the time being, because, well, yeah. Car was running okay and I was getting tired of leaving it in the shop every other Saturday morning. The 'check engine' light never came back on, and the fuse was fine, so I felt there were no worries.
And then The Cold Front threatened Texas.
Why is this a big deal, do you ask?
Well, here's the story. Don't drool on your keyboard when you fall alseep reading it. :)
Two years ago, when the car's AC ate itself, Anne took it in to get fixed (OMG, $1,000!!!! *Weeps!*). Well, they fixed it, all right. What Anne didn't figure out though, for two weeks, because it had still be spring and Anne didn't actually need anything except the fan, was that they had managed to break the rod connecting the knob to the switch inside.
And of course, by the time Anne figured it out, it was way past the time where she could take her car back and go 'hey, assholes, you broke my car when you fixed it, now fix this and don't charge me money for it."
So, not having any more means to fix her car on her own (was still with ex at the time), she left it alone and spent two very scary winters with basically no defroster and no heat (and let me tell you, trying to drive when your windshield is frosted over is no fucking fun at all).
So, this year, Anne, now having her control over her own money, decided to get this fixed before the next frost (She had actually decided this weeks before, but wasn't in a rush because, yeah, not that cold yet). Asking her Engineer friend about where to find a good place for parts, she was rewarded both with that info and an offer to fix problem for free. Since this was the same guy who'd fixed her tire beautifully (still hasn't any problems since), and messed with a few other things, she knew she could trust him.
So Anne spent a few weeks on the internet and calling local parts stores going 'do you have this part?', and the answer each time of course was no. It was beginning to look like Anne might have to go to The Dealership to get said part, which was not cool for Anne. After The Dealership had broken the knob in the first place, she dreaded what else they would break (and charge her for).
In the meantime, the Engineer got an idea--which was to solder the piece back on. Anne, now dreading that this hard-to-find part would cost a hell of a lot (there was talk that the whole assembly might need to
be replaced :/!), agreed to the attempt. After all, it wasn't getting fixed as it was, and it couldn't get any more broken, either.
And thus, soldering was attempted. And Worked! And there was much joy...until it was found that the knob still would not turn.
There was the sound of a few grey hairs popping into existance on Anne's head. The Engineer had not succeeded. A trip to The Dealership was inevitable.
With heavy heart, Anne called The Dealership, knowing that evil awaited her there. But, if she were to save the car, it had to be done. A deal with the devil had to be made.
Tom was the man she talked to, and although he was distant, he was also A Good Man. He listened to Anne's woes, and instead of telling her to bring the car to The Dealership, told her that all she needed was a switch, that he would sell her for $14 dollars, and that the Engineer would be able to put in himself. With a much lighter heart (and a little nervousness), Anne went and got the switch from Tom, and brough it home, triumphant in the knowledge that the next day, Wednesday, she could bring the switch to The Engineer, and he would fix the car.
But alas, evil is sneaky and has bad breath, and when Anne went out two hours later to get her mail, she saw that her faithful car had its brake lights on. Confused, Anne went to look at her car, to check and see if somehow, she had turned the lights on and forgotten about them.
But, no matter what she tried, the lights stayed on. Anne knew this was dire--if the lights stayed on all night, her beloved car, and the brand new battery within, would die, and she would not be able to move the corpse. Slightly panicked, she ran next door to The Mechanic in his shop, and told him of her new woes. The Mechanic followed her back to her ailing car, checking it gently as he asked Anne questions.
Finally, he shook his head.
"It's the brake switch. Easy enough to fix, but you'll have to go get the part. I can disconnect this until you get it, so the battery doesn't run down, but you won't be able to drive the car."
Anne nodded and thanked the man, but quietly dispaired. Although she could get the brake switch that very evening if she could find another with a car, or if she were willing to take a two hour walk, The Shop would be closed long before she returned. With heavy heart, she appealed to her supervisor. There would be no driving the car Wednesday. The cold would arrive before even the temperature switch could be replaced.
But all hope was not lost. Anne's supervisor was kind--both driving her to and from work the next day, and taking her to get the brake switch. That evening, the Mechanic replaced the brake switch. All become semi-right with the world again. Friday, Anne knew that the Engineer would fix the rest once she found him at work.
Friday arrived, and Anne found the Engineer. It had been cold, but not bad enough to make ice on the car, for which Anne was grateful. She knew that once the switch was in, that would no longer be a worry. She gave the switch to the Engineer, and waited.
A few hours later, the Engineer came back. He asked if Anne wanted the good news or bad news first. Her heart sinking, half-expecting another thing to be broken, she asked for good, than bad.
The good was that it was indeed the right switch. The bad was that the Engineer could not get the dashboard open enough to get the part on. The switch remained unfixed. Anne thanked the Engineer, for he had tried. Now, though, her hope would have to lie on the Mechanic. And if the Mechanic could not get in...then it would have to be The Dealership.
After work, Anne drove her car to the Mechanic, and told him all that had transpired. She also realized that it was likely that if she did not fully trust the mechanic, the car would likely founder and go lame again sometime soon. So when the Mechanic told her he could get the switch in, she gathered her courage and asked him to also look at the rest of the car and fix whatever needed fixing. He had until Saturday night, and she would pay the price with her magical credit card. The Mechanic agreed, and Anne walked to her home to await the Mechanic's offer.
Forty Five minutes later, the Mechanic called. He had a list. Anne nodded, quietly asked for the damages, and prepared herself for the selling of a piece of her soul to the credit card devil. She knew this would be bad, for the car had not seen a mechanic for many, many years, except when broken. Surely, the damages would be horrific.
To her surprise though, the Mechanic said that he could do the switch, and that there weren't many other things wrong with the car. He read the list, and the cost, and Anne felt hope again. It was much less than she thought it would be, and she agreed whole-heartedly. Within an hour, the mechanic called again--the car was ready to go home.
Delighted, Anne made her way to the Shop, reuniting with her car, that no longer growled in pain now that the carborator had been cleaned out, that didn't catch and stall after adjustments and new spark plugs, and, best of all, was nice and toasty and warm when Anne got inside.
The Mechanic had fixed the car, and all was well with the world.
Moral of the story? Trust your mechanic, and get things fixed as soon as possible. *g*
So, when we last left the car, it was mostly OK. Still needed a carb scrub, and still needed a tune up. Left it be for the time being, because, well, yeah. Car was running okay and I was getting tired of leaving it in the shop every other Saturday morning. The 'check engine' light never came back on, and the fuse was fine, so I felt there were no worries.
And then The Cold Front threatened Texas.
Why is this a big deal, do you ask?
Well, here's the story. Don't drool on your keyboard when you fall alseep reading it. :)
Two years ago, when the car's AC ate itself, Anne took it in to get fixed (OMG, $1,000!!!! *Weeps!*). Well, they fixed it, all right. What Anne didn't figure out though, for two weeks, because it had still be spring and Anne didn't actually need anything except the fan, was that they had managed to break the rod connecting the knob to the switch inside.
And of course, by the time Anne figured it out, it was way past the time where she could take her car back and go 'hey, assholes, you broke my car when you fixed it, now fix this and don't charge me money for it."
So, not having any more means to fix her car on her own (was still with ex at the time), she left it alone and spent two very scary winters with basically no defroster and no heat (and let me tell you, trying to drive when your windshield is frosted over is no fucking fun at all).
So, this year, Anne, now having her control over her own money, decided to get this fixed before the next frost (She had actually decided this weeks before, but wasn't in a rush because, yeah, not that cold yet). Asking her Engineer friend about where to find a good place for parts, she was rewarded both with that info and an offer to fix problem for free. Since this was the same guy who'd fixed her tire beautifully (still hasn't any problems since), and messed with a few other things, she knew she could trust him.
So Anne spent a few weeks on the internet and calling local parts stores going 'do you have this part?', and the answer each time of course was no. It was beginning to look like Anne might have to go to The Dealership to get said part, which was not cool for Anne. After The Dealership had broken the knob in the first place, she dreaded what else they would break (and charge her for).
In the meantime, the Engineer got an idea--which was to solder the piece back on. Anne, now dreading that this hard-to-find part would cost a hell of a lot (there was talk that the whole assembly might need to
be replaced :/!), agreed to the attempt. After all, it wasn't getting fixed as it was, and it couldn't get any more broken, either.
And thus, soldering was attempted. And Worked! And there was much joy...until it was found that the knob still would not turn.
There was the sound of a few grey hairs popping into existance on Anne's head. The Engineer had not succeeded. A trip to The Dealership was inevitable.
With heavy heart, Anne called The Dealership, knowing that evil awaited her there. But, if she were to save the car, it had to be done. A deal with the devil had to be made.
Tom was the man she talked to, and although he was distant, he was also A Good Man. He listened to Anne's woes, and instead of telling her to bring the car to The Dealership, told her that all she needed was a switch, that he would sell her for $14 dollars, and that the Engineer would be able to put in himself. With a much lighter heart (and a little nervousness), Anne went and got the switch from Tom, and brough it home, triumphant in the knowledge that the next day, Wednesday, she could bring the switch to The Engineer, and he would fix the car.
But alas, evil is sneaky and has bad breath, and when Anne went out two hours later to get her mail, she saw that her faithful car had its brake lights on. Confused, Anne went to look at her car, to check and see if somehow, she had turned the lights on and forgotten about them.
But, no matter what she tried, the lights stayed on. Anne knew this was dire--if the lights stayed on all night, her beloved car, and the brand new battery within, would die, and she would not be able to move the corpse. Slightly panicked, she ran next door to The Mechanic in his shop, and told him of her new woes. The Mechanic followed her back to her ailing car, checking it gently as he asked Anne questions.
Finally, he shook his head.
"It's the brake switch. Easy enough to fix, but you'll have to go get the part. I can disconnect this until you get it, so the battery doesn't run down, but you won't be able to drive the car."
Anne nodded and thanked the man, but quietly dispaired. Although she could get the brake switch that very evening if she could find another with a car, or if she were willing to take a two hour walk, The Shop would be closed long before she returned. With heavy heart, she appealed to her supervisor. There would be no driving the car Wednesday. The cold would arrive before even the temperature switch could be replaced.
But all hope was not lost. Anne's supervisor was kind--both driving her to and from work the next day, and taking her to get the brake switch. That evening, the Mechanic replaced the brake switch. All become semi-right with the world again. Friday, Anne knew that the Engineer would fix the rest once she found him at work.
Friday arrived, and Anne found the Engineer. It had been cold, but not bad enough to make ice on the car, for which Anne was grateful. She knew that once the switch was in, that would no longer be a worry. She gave the switch to the Engineer, and waited.
A few hours later, the Engineer came back. He asked if Anne wanted the good news or bad news first. Her heart sinking, half-expecting another thing to be broken, she asked for good, than bad.
The good was that it was indeed the right switch. The bad was that the Engineer could not get the dashboard open enough to get the part on. The switch remained unfixed. Anne thanked the Engineer, for he had tried. Now, though, her hope would have to lie on the Mechanic. And if the Mechanic could not get in...then it would have to be The Dealership.
After work, Anne drove her car to the Mechanic, and told him all that had transpired. She also realized that it was likely that if she did not fully trust the mechanic, the car would likely founder and go lame again sometime soon. So when the Mechanic told her he could get the switch in, she gathered her courage and asked him to also look at the rest of the car and fix whatever needed fixing. He had until Saturday night, and she would pay the price with her magical credit card. The Mechanic agreed, and Anne walked to her home to await the Mechanic's offer.
Forty Five minutes later, the Mechanic called. He had a list. Anne nodded, quietly asked for the damages, and prepared herself for the selling of a piece of her soul to the credit card devil. She knew this would be bad, for the car had not seen a mechanic for many, many years, except when broken. Surely, the damages would be horrific.
To her surprise though, the Mechanic said that he could do the switch, and that there weren't many other things wrong with the car. He read the list, and the cost, and Anne felt hope again. It was much less than she thought it would be, and she agreed whole-heartedly. Within an hour, the mechanic called again--the car was ready to go home.
Delighted, Anne made her way to the Shop, reuniting with her car, that no longer growled in pain now that the carborator had been cleaned out, that didn't catch and stall after adjustments and new spark plugs, and, best of all, was nice and toasty and warm when Anne got inside.
The Mechanic had fixed the car, and all was well with the world.
Moral of the story? Trust your mechanic, and get things fixed as soon as possible. *g*
