Loretta the Legacy is home. I picked her up from the auto repair shop yesterday. The mechanic's note says it all: "Tried injector, coil and plugs, all to no avail. Will need engine surgery."
It seems Loretta has a cracked ring. Short of rebuilding her engine or putting in a new one there is nothing more to do. She still runs, though her idle is high, and there is no way to know how long she will be able to make it from here to there. I will take her on short jaunts and hope she can be our second car for many months to come.
My first car was in another bumper thumper as my son headed back to Boston after Thanksgiving. The rear bumper took a harder hit than it did in May, so I will have the repairs made this time. My son also says it appears that "something fell off the front near the fog light" so I will have that looked at too.
Sigh.
The trouble with cars is that it doesn't seem to matter how well you take care of the outside, there will still be problems under the hood. I keep my cars clean ~ regularly vacuum the floors and seats, discard all trash, occasionally use a drive-through carwash, and clean the windows on the inside. I remember to check the oil and have it changed on schedule. I rotate the tires and check the pressure when they look low.
I pay attention when there's a new noise or something feels wrong. When a mechanic recommends that something be repaired or replaced, I do it; I've been fortunate to get good advice.
Still the cars demand repairs that I have no control over and don't understand. There are all those parts, some seen and some not seen, that keep a car in working order. Like so many other things, sometimes those parts wear out.
That's the trouble with cars ~ the workings on the inside have little to do with care of the outside.
Well, at least Loretta will look good in her final days. She's scheduled for a wash on Thursday.
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8 comments:
I am so sorry. It makes me wonder when my older truck and car will begin to have to have "surgery"
I do all you do and that is all I know to do.
My car expenses are the highest of all my monthly expenses, second only to my mortgage. That said, I am grateful for the freedom and independence it affords me though. There comes a time in every car owner's life when the benefits must be weighed against the costs, especially when those costs are undetermined. It's a sad time, indeed.
Hey Sharon- So sorry about LL's saga. Cars are like people- they can look good on the outside, but it is when you go under the hood when things get interesting. Too bad cars can't do yoga, or take deep cleansing breaths. It seems your are in a bit of transportation limbo. It is very hard to only have one trustworthy car. Sending engine love- hugs- teri
I'm with teri- about comparing it to maintenance of our bodies,the randomness of life can be daunting to those of us who like a modicum of control!
The trouble with cars? I can spell it this way ... CAR$ ;)
It is like the wholeness of being a human...we need to do more than exercise and eat right....we must care for our souls as well.
Glad you got wheels again;-)
Cars sound a lot like us. Thank you, Loretta for taking care of Sharon for as long as you did. Sharon, thank you for taking care of Loretta, even when she is not her optimal self.
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