* Your warranty has expired.
* You've just received a tax refund that you planned to use for something fun.
* You've just gotten your other family car running good.
* Summer heat in Fresno has arrived.
It never fails. Cars have an uncanny sense of timing - last Friday, just ahead of what was expected to be the hottest weekend of the year so far, my AC went out.
I noticed it on my way in to work. And right after that, I noticed that my odometer and my speedometer had also ceased to function.
My husband tried replacing the fuse that controls all three of those things, and they came back to life briefly. Then the new fuse blew too, and they died again.
I think I can live without the odometer - it just stresses me out to know how much mileage is on my 7-year-old Ford minivan. The speedometer is occasionally necessary, like when I'm flying down the freeway on my way to work.
But I cannot live without my air conditioning. Not in Fresno. So after a weekend of greatly curtailed errands so I wouldn't have to drive in the heat, my van is in the shop. Let's hope the news isn't too bad.
I think that there's a mathematical equation for the breakdown of one's vehicle. Having recently lost my fuel pump suddenly on a well-maintained Jeep, I had to replace the entire gas tank with all the extras, flushes, and more totaling about $1,400 when done. I did get a lovely first-degree sunburn, weight loss (dehydration) bonus, all while waiting 90 minutes for the tow truck driver that COULD haul a 4-wheel drive vehicle.
The equation is:
The farthest distance from your mechanic/home
PLUS the degrees of heat or drops of rain,
MULTIPLIED by the number of times your estimate goes up
DOES EQUAL the total cost
PLUS minutes lost following up on missed appointments and errands.
I've also found saying the words "Wow, my vehicle really is performing well!" plus 20 minutes after that utterance, equals a breakdown giving you melted groceries, frayed nerves and irrational moments. It's a test of patience to the AAA driver when they arrive to find you've reassessed all the failures in your life to lead to this current crisis and that of course this is all some kind of payback. What goes around comes around and well guess you shouldn't have put that cheaper gasoline in it's tank. Bad, bad owner!!
When in college the folks were going to help buy me a truck but opted for the sports car as it had AC. Given that I lived on the coast, this was not an issue. However now back in this area, I wouldn't leave home without it. It's going to be 105 degrees for a few days starting this weekend with a cool down to 103 after that. I'm sure many will be able to catch a view of the tow truck armadas going out to those that took their vehicle to the limit, and lost.