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Car Trouble
The other day, a warning sign flashed on my dashboard in big, red capital letters, that read, STOP. This happened once before and I pulled over immediately and called AAA in a panic. A friend of mine who is good with cars, told me afterwards, that I didn’t need to stop, but should instead drive calmly to a mechanic. So that’s what I did. My car is now in the shop and I’m still freaking out, but tooling around town in a rented VW bug.
Photo from newyorkshitty
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Good luck with your car! How do you like the bug?
Still waiting for my car. The mechanic promises it by noon tomorrow. I did not love the bug.
I find car abnormalities scary (that Check Engine light that comes on when you still have 120 miles to your destination!) That, and the odd sounds and occasional weird smells–almost certainly coming from outside, but STILL–seem to jar some primal fear embedded in my brain. And after I’ve calmed down and thought rationally, the real fear kicks in:HOW MUCH IS THIS GOING TO COST ME?
I hope all is well with the car, Wendy!
As I know absolutely nothing about cars, it raises my panic level even more. (With computers, on the other hand, I’m very calm.) I’m waiting to hear the final tally from the mechanic tomorrow, but it’s not going to be pretty.
I feel your pain. Cars such a necessary evil as far as I’m concerned.
I’m lucky to live in a neighborhood where I can walk to multiple food markets and take out.
I too find myself in a mild state of panic anytime I get one of those “blinky lights” as I call them on my dashboard. Now that my car is well over the 100k miles mark, the threat of finally having the one incident that can’t be repaired haunts me. To me, it’s also a subtle reminder of one more thing that is just harder to deal with when you’re single (not having a 2nd car to rely on in a pinch, figuring out how to get to and from the shop if not in walking distance, etc.). Sorry you didn’t love the bug…I’ve always found them so cute on the road, but wondered if I would actually like driving one.
My car mechanic is 2 blocks away. It’s so awesome.
Yes, what Lola said, exactly. I’m at 126K miles on a 13yo car and have been having cold weather issues with emissions and dashboard lights. It’s awful! Glad you have an awesomely close mechanic, Wendy, and I hope it’s all fixed up.
Ugh. My car is back in the shop, with one more thing to resolve. What a nightmare.