You would think, being the geek that I am, that I would be on the ball with the routine maintenance of my Jeep. Far from it, sadly.
The rear brakes started making an awful, tortured squeal a week or two ago. At first I thought that it was just moisture that got into the pads, after a week-long monsoon over the midwest. I finally accepted that I couldn’t blame the water and took the Jeep into get looked at.
Besides being horribly overdue for an oil change (nearly 1 year and 10,000 miles, hello McFly) and the death cry of the brakes, one of my rear tail lights was out. I dropped it off and walked down the road to Panera Bread to partake of the free wireless and eat some food.
After an hour or so the mechanic called with the damage; rotors and pads on the rear brakes are shot beyond repair, the front brakes are in better condition but need to be replaced soon. The two left-side tires are worn down and need to be replaced. Finally, the engine coolant was dirtier than the Chicago River (and trust me when I say, that’s pretty darn dirty).
I can get away with not replacing the front brakes and tires. They’re good for at least another month or so (and another payday away). Now I can sit here, keep drinking my infinitely-refillable iced tea, work, and hope the dogs don’t tear up the house. I’ve got a good two hour wait, minimum, until the work is done.
Being the son of a mechanic and technically-inclined myself, I really should be more cognizant of car-related issues. At the very least, I have no excuse for not getting routine maintenance done. At least my tags aren’t expired.
Cars are a nuisance. I don’t know whether it’s just bad luck, but no matter what kind of money I spend I always seem to end up with a lemon. Even when I buy a car under warranty, and things go wrong, the cost of getting taxi’s to work while it’s laid up for a week is a nightmare. Not to mention the inconvenience.
My current car (Only four years old) seems to break down on a regular basis. Four years is a funny age; pads, discs, cambelts and whichever other part of the car which feels like breaking need replacing in quick succession. I refuse to pay full price for parts from my dealer, so I tend to get used parts. I’ve been using carsparefinder.co.uk, which is pretty useful, but nevertheless each car I own makes me just want to catch the bus even more.
I remember being 17 and thinking about what a weight off my shoulders owning a car would be. Young naivity, I suppose you can call it. When you’ve failed as many MOT’s as I have, the dream comes crashing down.