Living in a whirlwind

That’s what my life has been like lately.  I have no time for anything, which is sad to say, or even think about.  I haven’t been on this computer for about two weeks now.  I haven’t had time to write anything to post, although there’s plenty going on that I could write about.  My problem is that I’m working way too much.  I hate to think that the holidays haven’t even started yet!  Yikes!  There are times when I feel I’m too old for this much work.  There’s no energy left over for other things.

Plus, we have a lot of home projects in the fire at the moment.  There are several of those to tell you about, as well as my trips to the mechanic with my car again.  I spent four hours there on my only day off last week.  I know I’ll have to wrap my head around getting another vehicle soon.  That will be a sad day indeed.

Hubby has cataract surgery tomorrow.  I’m off work to drive him about and be there for support.  I sure hope all this goes well.  But, as some of you know, men aren’t always the greatest patients in the world.  One can only hope for a mellow day. 

Bear with me.  I’ll be posting again soon.

Here we go again - Round Two

Loaner car number two is a Plymouth Grand Prix

Last week my car decided to die again, so I have a second loaner car until the issue in mine is found.  The mechanic told me it was only a matter of time.  It did last about a month before this electrical situation reared its ugly head again. 

Mike, my mechanic, was kind enough to bring me another loaner car so I could get to work.  This one is in slightly better condition, but is very smoky.  I guess all those guys at the shop must be smokers.  Thankfully they don’t smoke in my car.

I feel a bit more comfortable driving this car, although I have to sit on folded towels so I can see over the steering wheel.  I could adjust the seat forward but not any higher.  This engine has a throaty roar so I don’t know if it’s just the big engine or it needs a new muffler.  It sounds like the Mustang convertible 5.0 that I used to have years ago.

The heater in this car is fantastic, which is good because we had snow the other day and it’s not very warm.  We finally saw blue sky for the first time in week today.  That’s unusual for here.

I think this car is a bit of a gas hog though.  I put some gas in it today and was wondering if I’d make it to the station as I don’t know this car and how far it will go once the fuel light comes on.  I sure wouldn’t want to call Mike for that.

This loaner car also has a broken windshield, so if mine’s in the shop very long I imagine he’ll give me a different car.  Until then, I have this car for a while, or at least until they find the electrical problem with mine.  I suspect it has something to do with the passenger side mirror because it seems to operate itself.  Worst case scenario the fix will cost me from $500-$700 this time.  Ugh!  I’m investing so much in this car, I’ll have to keep it for the next five or so years.  It’s a good thing I’m not tired of it.  

I hope your new year is starting off better.

A ray of sunshine in the dark clouds

I’m still plagued by car problems and now hubby also has to have a windshield replaced in his vehicle.  It had a pit in it from his trip to Oregon in October and a few days ago it split all the way across due to the cold weather. We had to scrape a quarter inch of ice off the windshield before we could get on the road.

I just got my car back out of the shop again, this time for an electrical problem that the mechanic thinks is in the front door panel.  This could be up to a $700 repair but he replaced a fuse and so far it’s working.  I’m crossing my fingers it continues to do so for the long term.  The tech told me he didn’t know how long it would last, a week, a month or a year or longer.  There was no way to know since everything showed up fine when he scoped the car on the machine they use.

The ray of sunshine in all this is that the guy came to my house to get my car and take it to the shop about ten miles away.  That evening he gave me a loaner car that he delivered to my house at 8:30 PM.  I would like to know what other mechanic does this?  He made sure the car was an automatic too and had gas so I could get to work and back while he had my car in the shop. 

 This is the loaner car, which reminded me of a demolition derby car

 

Now I have to say this loaner car was like driving a tank and not the prettiest thing in the world but it was wheels and got me where I needed to go.  Beggars can’t be choosy, right?  Also the car was definitely a smoker’s vehicle.  It about knocked me over to stick my head in there so I emptied half a bottle of Fabreeze in the car and let it sit overnight so I could breathe driving to work and back. But again, beggars can’t be choosy.  I was extremely grateful he loaned me the car because he didn’t have to do that.

 This thing had dings everywhere and you could view the trunk from inside the car

 

Be thankful for all your blessings, big or small.  There’s always something to be grateful for, even when a dark cloud hovers over your head.

More of life’s issues

My Caddy - I love this car and I'm going to have to love it a lot longer

As the old saying goes – when it rains it pours.  That seems to be the case right now with my car issues.  Of course, it is a sixteen-year-old car so I don’t expect things to be perfect.  I just hope this is the end of an expensive list of repairs for a while.

It all started out with the A/C, which had to be repaired this summer.  I could have let it go for a while if it wasn’t in the triple digits here.

Things went smoothly for a month and then the starter went out.  That happened when hubby was in Oregon taking care of his dad’s affairs, so I borrowed my neighbor’s car so I could get back and forth to work.  Thankfully, she has two vehicles and one sits in the garage most of the time.  After three days in the shop and about $500, I was able to get my car back. 

Now the car still had a shifter issue, which I’ve been nursing along for a year or more.  I wasn’t ready to shell out another couple hundred to have that looked into, so I’ve been putting up with it, although it’s getting to be a very sore spot having to fight to get the car out of park every time I get into it.  I think this is a brake switch and not a solenoid, which is a good thing because the brake switches are the cheaper of the repairs.

So back up a couple days ago when we were running around town and I had hubby drive my car so he could see how bad the shifter was.  He was getting pretty frustrated trying to get it into gear.  It smelled hot when we came home, but he couldn’t smell it, assuring me all was fine.

So the next day I went to work and noticed I left a trail of wet splashes and drops after I locked my car.  I touched it and it looked like water on my finger.  My car had the hot smell again, plus this time my heat gauge was slightly above the center spot, which it never is, so I knew there was another issue.  Things weren’t just fine.

Hubby brought a gallon of water and filled up my radiator.  The oil was fine.  I called the shop on my break and asked to bring it over after work.  The guys are so good over there and said they’d stay late so I wouldn’t be stranded and would take a look at it for me.  They even offered to give me a ride home, but hubby picked me up.

The verdict is it needs a new radiator and new radiator hose.  The tech pressurized the radiator for me, it was leaking in the front, and the main upper hose is almost worn to the point of having a hole in it.  So this problem is now being fixed, leaving me without a car again for a few days.  The shop ordered the new radiator right away, but they sent over a defective one and the mechanic can’t get another one until Monday.  That seems to be the story of my life, but things happen and it could always be worse.  Thank goodness, that’s my philosophy in life or things could get depressing in a hurry.

So I’m also having the shifter fixed as long as the car is in the shop again anyway.  Actually, hubby suggested it after his round with the car the other day.  I don’t have the estimate on that repair yet and am crossing my fingers because the radiator job is going to cost me $480.  Yikes!  You can see where my paycheck is going.

If things happen in threes, maybe this is it for a while.  I’m keeping a positive mind.