Grrr, I just hate this year and the bombardment of all the ads on TV for Black Friday Sales. leading the pack with running very many times the same few ads this year to me are WalMart, Target, and Best Buy. They only have a couple of variations, and they run them to death. We get it already! Their ads are so annoying. Almost every commercial break the same ads run over and over.
One other gripe for me to air. It is bad enough all the advertizing for Black Friday, but also, one local radio station in Erie has gone to 24/7 Christmas Carols. This started over a week ago. Already, am sick and tired of all the Christmas Hooplah. BAH! HUMBUG
I will stand down now from atop my soapbox. Thanks for allowing me to vent. This is my version of screaming out the window at the top of my voice. I will now allow others to vent theirs.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Hiccup and Scare To Clear
Last week, I had gotten the front end-alignment that was needed as well as an oil change. You know that when you get the oil changed, for a day or so, you smell the fresh oil. Must be the small amount spilled on the engine block. Anyway, I did not give it a second thought as I drove away.
Anyway, it was a little strange that I still smelled the oil smell a few days later. Thursday evening, i had to run to Meadville. Only bad thing about that was that we had a storm. Roads stayed pretty clear, but snow was coming down hard at times. Once I got off the road, and slowed to city street speeds, the oil smell increased. Did not give it much thought. Afterwards, the same thing happened on the return trip. Just as I got back into Erie around 9:30, and was driving back down at 25 MPH, the smell got so bad, I had to open my car windows.
Friday afternoon, I go out to the car, and I find a puddle of fluid under my car. I gasped and wondered if it was a gas line. It was very near dark, but I had to check it out. popped the hood, and went out to release the catch to fully open the hood, and as I slid my fingers under the hood, immediately my fingers were soaked. When I removed them, I found them covered in oil. Not Good. This was just after 5 PM. I tried to call General Tire where I had the service done, but was after closing. I had found that I had no oil cap on the motor, and whole engine cavity was covered with oil, and it was oil and not gas under my car.
So, very first thing on Saturday morning, I drove down to General Tire, and went to front desk. It was only 8:30 AM and already there were a number of people in there. I went and told them what I had found and said WE have a problem. The listened to me, and said that they will take care of it. They took my keys and I settled in to wait. Even though I did not have an appointment, They took my car right in. I knew that they are only open half days on Saturdays, so is why I went in early so that they could fit me in someplace. They took it right in out of turn, and by 9 AM the lead mechanic came to me and said it was all fixed. He had said that they had found my cap atop the engine in back, and they checked my oil levels and topped me off and cleaned out the motor area, and I was ready to go. As I was getting up to go, another mechanic came up to me, and said he was the one who worked on my car earlier in the week, and that he was sorry that this happened and he shook my hand. Wow, I did not expect that! I would have been ok with them replacing the oil cap with a new one, and refilling oil to where it was supposed to be. That was a step up and beyond to have the mechanic come to me to Apologize. KUDOS for the step up and beyond.
Anyway, it was a little strange that I still smelled the oil smell a few days later. Thursday evening, i had to run to Meadville. Only bad thing about that was that we had a storm. Roads stayed pretty clear, but snow was coming down hard at times. Once I got off the road, and slowed to city street speeds, the oil smell increased. Did not give it much thought. Afterwards, the same thing happened on the return trip. Just as I got back into Erie around 9:30, and was driving back down at 25 MPH, the smell got so bad, I had to open my car windows.
Friday afternoon, I go out to the car, and I find a puddle of fluid under my car. I gasped and wondered if it was a gas line. It was very near dark, but I had to check it out. popped the hood, and went out to release the catch to fully open the hood, and as I slid my fingers under the hood, immediately my fingers were soaked. When I removed them, I found them covered in oil. Not Good. This was just after 5 PM. I tried to call General Tire where I had the service done, but was after closing. I had found that I had no oil cap on the motor, and whole engine cavity was covered with oil, and it was oil and not gas under my car.
So, very first thing on Saturday morning, I drove down to General Tire, and went to front desk. It was only 8:30 AM and already there were a number of people in there. I went and told them what I had found and said WE have a problem. The listened to me, and said that they will take care of it. They took my keys and I settled in to wait. Even though I did not have an appointment, They took my car right in. I knew that they are only open half days on Saturdays, so is why I went in early so that they could fit me in someplace. They took it right in out of turn, and by 9 AM the lead mechanic came to me and said it was all fixed. He had said that they had found my cap atop the engine in back, and they checked my oil levels and topped me off and cleaned out the motor area, and I was ready to go. As I was getting up to go, another mechanic came up to me, and said he was the one who worked on my car earlier in the week, and that he was sorry that this happened and he shook my hand. Wow, I did not expect that! I would have been ok with them replacing the oil cap with a new one, and refilling oil to where it was supposed to be. That was a step up and beyond to have the mechanic come to me to Apologize. KUDOS for the step up and beyond.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Another Day In the SHREKmobile
The saga continues. I had hoped that almost all car problems had been cured. Alas, I was mistaken. After the last big hit with the timing chain, I had figured I had some room to breathe. I acknowledge, the car is old. I have 189,000 miles on it, and I expect some hits. After all the work done on the front, i knew I had one damaged tore, but, like was like a musical. Even with all the idiosyncrasies of the car, It was feeling near normal. I still have some troubles with the acceleration. I have learned to adjust. I had a bit of a vibration in the front end steering. With the one tire, I had a little vibration in the wheel. At different speeds, the vibration changed from minor, to bad, and then to almost nothing. Even with the vibration, the car never pulled to one side of the road or the other. I could hold it steady with just one finger on the wheel. My worst was at the frequency near the 55MPH zone. That is where the car would keep me awake when driving late at night. Thankfully, when I would drive very late at night, it would be at highway speeds, and over the 55 shimmy. You just get used to it.
Anyway, Life was like a musical, a G-rated Disney, Chitty-chitty-bang-bang. The car just kept banging along. As all the changes happen over time, you grow to live with the demeanor of the vehicle. When my sister Cathie came for a visit in October, life was like Chuck Berry. " Ridin' along in my automobile.....Cruisin' and playin' the radio.....With no particular place to go. " That is what it was like. Ever so subtly, it changes into " Shimmy Shimmy Coco Pop" that is where the vibration comes in. But, being the always driver, you get into the groove.
It has been a month now since my sister was here, and I had the opportunity on Tuesday 11/08/2011, to approach the car from the front, and I noticed that there appeared to be a ring of mud on the inside edges of both front tires. That is weird, if I went thru a mud puddle, I should have had mud on both the inside and outsides of the tires. Upon closer inspection, It was not mud, but it was the steel belts showing thru. Not good! I called my tire place about getting two new tires for the front. This was at about 3:30 PM, and he said bring it in and he can fix me up with a new set. Once car was up on rack, they brought in bad news. Back tires had the same thing.
I kind of knew there was a problem with the one front, but, with after replacing both side ball joints at the same time, as well as the sway bar in front, with all of that, I just assumed that they would have re-aligned the front end. I guess not. If the front is out, it can affect the rear wheels as well, so, instead of two, I now have 4 new tires. Align job could not be done that late in the day, They close at 5, and it was already after 4:30. So, to continue on, I now also have an alignment set up for early Monday morning.
It was now after 5 PM and I needed gasoline. On the drive there, I happened to be going across E 12th St, and once you get by East Ave, those of you who know Erie, know that you can open the vehicle up to about 45 MPH. I felt like I was "Secret Agent Man" and my car was in stealth mode. No shimmy, no shake, and no vibration in the wheel. It has been so long, I felt like I was sneaking up on some prey silently! WOW, how I have missed that! Even though it feels good now, I have learned my lesson, and it still will get its alignment this time.
Anyway, Life was like a musical, a G-rated Disney, Chitty-chitty-bang-bang. The car just kept banging along. As all the changes happen over time, you grow to live with the demeanor of the vehicle. When my sister Cathie came for a visit in October, life was like Chuck Berry. " Ridin' along in my automobile.....Cruisin' and playin' the radio.....With no particular place to go. " That is what it was like. Ever so subtly, it changes into " Shimmy Shimmy Coco Pop" that is where the vibration comes in. But, being the always driver, you get into the groove.
It has been a month now since my sister was here, and I had the opportunity on Tuesday 11/08/2011, to approach the car from the front, and I noticed that there appeared to be a ring of mud on the inside edges of both front tires. That is weird, if I went thru a mud puddle, I should have had mud on both the inside and outsides of the tires. Upon closer inspection, It was not mud, but it was the steel belts showing thru. Not good! I called my tire place about getting two new tires for the front. This was at about 3:30 PM, and he said bring it in and he can fix me up with a new set. Once car was up on rack, they brought in bad news. Back tires had the same thing.
I kind of knew there was a problem with the one front, but, with after replacing both side ball joints at the same time, as well as the sway bar in front, with all of that, I just assumed that they would have re-aligned the front end. I guess not. If the front is out, it can affect the rear wheels as well, so, instead of two, I now have 4 new tires. Align job could not be done that late in the day, They close at 5, and it was already after 4:30. So, to continue on, I now also have an alignment set up for early Monday morning.
It was now after 5 PM and I needed gasoline. On the drive there, I happened to be going across E 12th St, and once you get by East Ave, those of you who know Erie, know that you can open the vehicle up to about 45 MPH. I felt like I was "Secret Agent Man" and my car was in stealth mode. No shimmy, no shake, and no vibration in the wheel. It has been so long, I felt like I was sneaking up on some prey silently! WOW, how I have missed that! Even though it feels good now, I have learned my lesson, and it still will get its alignment this time.
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