Reprieve and Delay

Dearest Rachel –

Well, the good news is that it’s not the transmission that’s wrong with my car (or, presumably, yours, were I or Daniel to take it in to get it looked at). The bad news is that all the little things that are wrong with it are going to cost as much as I thought the transmission work was going to, and it’s going to have to be in the shop for another couple of days.

The whole situation was something of a comedy of errors yesterday. I had been asked on Monday to come in to the dealership to ride along with the technician; I thought that meant I would be listening to and feeling the effects of the repairs they had already done, and be asked if that was sufficient for me to be willing to call it good and take it home. However, I had already left the ‘office’ on foot, and was headed in the opposite direction in order to pick up supplies for my evening meal, so I told them I would come in the next morning – that is to say, yesterday. I even told Daniel about it, so as to arrange transportation to get there (and maybe have him look around the place, to see if they had anything that would be more “him,” so that your car could go into preservative storage).

However, I woke up at a fairly early hour yesterday; nothing too unusual, but enough that I could get myself ready and still have enough time to walk the distance there on my own, without bothering to wake Daniel. So, that’s basically what I did. And while I arrived there maybe ten minutes later than the appointed time, it was still fifty minutes before the showroom officially opened, so everything was all good.

After waiting at the service desk for a few minutes, the mechanic who had been assigned to work on my vehicle came over to take me to it. He told me that when he had examined it the first time around, he thought that the issue was more of an exhaust leak than a transmission problem; it would have caused the engine to sound so much louder within the cabin than usual, giving the impression to those inside that it was revving harder than before. “No one looks at the tachometer” otherwise, he said, and I had to agree with him; it’s not something I had paid much attention to until it started to (seemingly) act up like this.

However, when I had turned it in to be looked at, I had told the service desk that it basically went up to 2000rpm whenever I pulled it into traffic, and that it had trouble getting shifted to a higher gear without a certain amount of manual effort; pressing hard on and laying off of the accelerator, that kind of thing. By the time my description got to him, he had taken it to mean that it wouldn’t so much as move until it was revving to such a degree, which was problematic in a confined and crowded space such as the dealership parking lot; hence the request for the ride-along. Obviously, it moved just fine, and he even demonstrated to me that it idled below even a thousand rpms, which was essentially normal; only the sound I was hearing was the problem.

All of which was good news to me, as having to replace the transmission would have been an expense I wasn’t willing to spend on a car that, old as it is, isn’t really worth that kind of money. To be sure, getting a new car would be an expensive proposition – and I’m still not sure what I’d be looking for in terms of one (Lars does not like his sedan, for instance, when I mentioned downgrading to one, and suggested that I stick to SUVs like I’m used to, even though I only use the front seats on any regular basis. Meanwhile, the folks keep recommending Fords, with a dedication that I don’t have; I’ve driven enough other brands that I’m not wedded to this one. Then again, for the sake of family harmony…) – but as I’ve mentioned before, it would be less than the average monthly change to our portfolio (which is still a weird realization), so at the end of the day, it’s not that big of a deal. All the same, it’s not a transaction I feel I’m ready for, so I’m pleased to give the one I have a reprieve.

At the same time, now that he and I are on the same page as to what’s wrong with the machine – and what I’m willing to fix (there have been some idiot lights that have been going on intermittently regarding the anti-lock braking system for the past year, but with winter being over without incident, it seems to me to be a repair too much, both in terms of time and expense) – he’s still got to go on and do the work. This means that your car is going to have to be put through its paces more than usual for at least another day or so, much to Daniel’s alternating irritation and resignation. I’m actually surprised that he uses it as much as he seemingly does; I always assumed he stayed home almost all the time. That he objects to being stranded here – even if he doesn’t actually use it every day – suggests a willingness to get out on his own that I wasn’t aware of, and I’m kind of pleased with.

And as for what kind of car would he like to replace yours (although I assured him that we would still keep it once we got one for him)? Well, I had to get him to pick me up after having all this explained to me about my car – it was clear I wasn’t going to be able to drive it home, as there was still plenty of work to be done. We walked around the lot, and I think I have a handle on the electric blue shade he prefers in a car (he attributes it to his fancy toward Ellen’s car, back in the day, when he first became aware of it – you know, the one she covered with various vinyl spots to cover up the rust and other discolorations). He doesn’t, however, want an SUVs – “too boxy,” he says, adding that “curves are friendlier,” to which I have to agree, although I wouldn’t be referring to cars – which is basically what Ford seems to sell, so I think we’ll be going further afield for his vehicle. But it least I’ve got him considering the idea – having him think about it in terms of “smash or pass” struck him as amusing, rather than as something objectionable – as less of a chore.

Still, if you could keep an eye on the both of us (and maybe the mechanic, while you’re at it), and wish us luck, we’d appreciate it. After all, we’re still going to need it.