May 5, 2013

About Cars: Issues

It all kind of started last week. And it wasn't funny back then either. Well, as you all know - or should know (I did post about this, haven't I? *checks her filofax because she's actually too lazy to check the blog-log*) - I moved to another department within the company. Oh, I see, I did made a mention but haven't told you what my life has been in the new place. Oh, it's wonderful! But back to the car, thing is that two weeks ago on Monday I went to fill the tank of Sookie because she was running low on gas. At my new place I start my day at 7 a.m., like all regular human beings, not at 6 a.m. as in my other office, like all human beings who live in another province and rather get to the office before the traffic jams. Well, since at my new office the parking space is scare and precious, when I take the car to the office I normally get there around 6 a.m. That was my luck.

On that faithful Monday morning, after filling Sookie's tank, her battery died on us. Just plop! died. I was stressed out, scared (Freaking Hell! Now what? How do I revive my car!?) and called my dad to help me. In the mean time, because God is Big and He always has an eye on me, an old man in a rusty car came by and helped me restart my car. First time I've got to use those electric cords with dented clamps in the ends. That day, also I learned that you must check your battery's water level, and if it isn't full - and I mean to the brim - the you must add to it. The water you shall use is distilled water or Club Soda (the thing you use to mix with whisky), but never regular water.

I still had my Dad take Sookie to the mechanic to see her over. The mechanic said she's fine and her motor was perfect. This was Monday of last week.

When I got her back I did notice her a bit different, more potent, the way she used to be before she got all anemic on me. Well, I was happy like a clam.

On Saturday (not this past Saturday, but the one before it) I decided to go to the movies. Everything was nice and dandy until Sookie started to heat up, and heat up bad. I was in a traffic jam, in the middle of the city where streets are very narrow and deep, open sewers separate the road from the sidewalk, so I couldn't pull over. I turned off the car on every red light, but didn't made it to the Movies. At one point she refused to ignite. Well, there I could pull her over, called my brother and asked for assistance. He told me to let her cool down and then fill the radiator and the water tank with water. Sookie was dry as a stone. It did surprise me that she would be out of water and the mechanic didn't notice on Tuesday, when Dad took her to him, not five days before. Anyway, I cooled her, filled her and then drove home. On Sunday I went to the movies - also to test her - and everything was ok.

Then came Monday. I drove to the office, and when getting to the office she heated up. Not as much as on Saturday, but she hit the red. Called my dad and told him. During the day I checked the water and filled it. Before leaving I checked again and filled her again, and this time I notices water leaking from the side of the motor. This couldn't be good. I drove carefully and when she started heating up - not in read yet, but half way there - I stopped and waited for her to cool down. So far so good. Except that then she wouldn't start.

Oh shit.

Called Dad, hoping he could help me push her to get her started. Except he called me back and told me to get a tow car with the insurance. That's how I pulled my car on a two truck for the first time in my life, and got my baby home like that.

Yesterday we took her to the mechanic, again with a tow truck, and now she's there. I don't expect her for at least a month, and I can only hope the fixing won't be too expensive, though I'm already expecting a rather large bill. Now that I've been battling with my projects and my card (they all pull me in different directions and I'm trying to balance them all), and right now, on top of everything comes this surprise. Yeah, this sort of things come always in packs, I guess. However, heads up, we can manage and we will!

Talking with my Dad, I managed to get him to lend me one of his cars so I can drive to the office. Dad has two for reasons only he can understand (it's the kind of things people do at first when they get retired, don't have kids to worry about, still aren't taking that much medication and need to fill a void). He has a little one and a big one. I was rooting for the little one, though I don't like that very much (no car is like my Sookie), but I've got the big one, one I've never driven in my life. Since I'll have to use it tomorrow, I worked up some nerve and took it out today for a drive. Well, the clutch isn't in very good condition, and the shitf stick is rather problematic. I took it for a short ride and my arm already hurts! Dad said he will take it to the mechanic for fixing one of these days. Yeah, we all know when one of these days is. It's sometime around never-day.

What's most amazing is that my Dad really dislikes my car and has been using the happenings of these last days to start pushing his "lets buy a new car" agenda. Currently he's on the party of "I'll buy you a new car", so if you think that I should say "sure! if you buy it!" that won't help my cause. Dad buying me a new car means that he expects to pick it, but the main issue for me is that I actually love and I'm very satisfied with my car. She's 19 years old and has been holding up really well, the taxes I pay for her are rather low due to her age and market value, and even if this fixing goes up through the roof I would have spent less on her in total that I would have spent on a newer "better" car in the same period of time. Yes, Sookie's wheeldrive is a but harder than any of my Dad's cars', but it's still smooth, and her shift stick and clutch are fenomenal. Plus she sounds like a real car... and I love her.

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