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So when I returned from the Peace Corps, my father said he would give me his old car. It's completely paid off. One day we went down to the DMV title office and transferred the title under the gift rules. So said car has been completely in my name since. Dad also promised me that he would help me with maintenance issues that arise while I am in school. He has been excellent at following through with this promise too. It is a bit amazing to me because my dad didn't often make promises when we were growing up and so I never really expected him too. My mom on the other hand made tons of promises that were never followed through on (along with loads of blatant lies). So it's been a bit of a shock to have a parent who actually acts like a parent. Mind-boggling really.
This whole thing has really been highlighted the last few months as my car has needed a bit more maintenance (mostly standard stuff for a car with such high mileage). I needed new all season tires as I only had snows (one set studded and one set non-studded). The non-studded set bald or nearing bald and so could not be used as my "summer" tires. So I got a basic set of all weather to run in the summer and will put my studs back on this winter. Again this is fairly routine maintenance and not unexpected. I had hoped to get another year out of the other tires, but I at least got what I did. Then, shortly after I got home from a road trip to visit friends in Buffalo (very fun trip, and a much needed vacation) my power steering started acting up (by acting up I mean not working at all). I forgot how much muscle power it used to take to drive cars. It was like driving my dad's old Dodge pickup. My car is a Saturn Ion and that particular model uses an electric power steering system, so no fluid. So it wasn't a simple matter of I'd let the fluid run out or something like that. Nope, the power steering motor was shorting out the fuse and needed to be replaced. Didn't cost as much as I feared and I went about my life.
Now I've been hearing off and on for a couple of days this grinding sound that could be any number of things (wheel bearing, alternator, brakes, etc) and was planning on taking it in this coming weekend to have it checked over. Fate decided it needed checking sooner. As I was driving home from a trip across the Green Mountains my check battery light came on. No other indicators came on, just that lone little battery. I wasn't too far from home and really uncertain about what to do. So I drove it home. Came in and called my regular maintenance place, which is a good distance from where I live. Very nice mechanic said "We want to keep your business, but not at the cost of your safety. If you can get your car started again, it is not likely that it would make it all the way here. You might want to see if there is someone closer who can identify the problem for you. We don't want you to get stuck in the middle of the cell dead area in 80+ degree heat."
So I turned to the phone book (surprise sometimes they are still useful) to find a service station nearby. Then praying that my car would start and make it all the way there (thankfully it really wasn't far from my house) I called to see if they could check it out (provided I could get it there). Car started fine, and made it all the way to the shop. A couple of very nice guys checked various things to try to rule out the cheaper solutions (bad battery, loose belt, etc); but alas it was the altinator, a pricey bit of machinery. My car will be in the shop for a few days while they await the part and do the work.
As frustrating as it is, it could be so much worse. My dad have been super about helping me where I needed it, and I have the ability to tighten my belt in a few other ways and not be in too bad of shape. Other than this spate of maintenance the car has been fabulous, and at 298,000 miles a bit of maintenance is too be expected. If I can continue to make needed repairs and do the routine maintenance this car should last me quite a while yet. The cost of the maintenance is still cheaper than the cost of a car payment. I have alternate transport to school and work (feet and bike). A friend is giving me a ride to my dr's appointment on Wednesday.
This whole thing has really been highlighted the last few months as my car has needed a bit more maintenance (mostly standard stuff for a car with such high mileage). I needed new all season tires as I only had snows (one set studded and one set non-studded). The non-studded set bald or nearing bald and so could not be used as my "summer" tires. So I got a basic set of all weather to run in the summer and will put my studs back on this winter. Again this is fairly routine maintenance and not unexpected. I had hoped to get another year out of the other tires, but I at least got what I did. Then, shortly after I got home from a road trip to visit friends in Buffalo (very fun trip, and a much needed vacation) my power steering started acting up (by acting up I mean not working at all). I forgot how much muscle power it used to take to drive cars. It was like driving my dad's old Dodge pickup. My car is a Saturn Ion and that particular model uses an electric power steering system, so no fluid. So it wasn't a simple matter of I'd let the fluid run out or something like that. Nope, the power steering motor was shorting out the fuse and needed to be replaced. Didn't cost as much as I feared and I went about my life.
Now I've been hearing off and on for a couple of days this grinding sound that could be any number of things (wheel bearing, alternator, brakes, etc) and was planning on taking it in this coming weekend to have it checked over. Fate decided it needed checking sooner. As I was driving home from a trip across the Green Mountains my check battery light came on. No other indicators came on, just that lone little battery. I wasn't too far from home and really uncertain about what to do. So I drove it home. Came in and called my regular maintenance place, which is a good distance from where I live. Very nice mechanic said "We want to keep your business, but not at the cost of your safety. If you can get your car started again, it is not likely that it would make it all the way here. You might want to see if there is someone closer who can identify the problem for you. We don't want you to get stuck in the middle of the cell dead area in 80+ degree heat."
So I turned to the phone book (surprise sometimes they are still useful) to find a service station nearby. Then praying that my car would start and make it all the way there (thankfully it really wasn't far from my house) I called to see if they could check it out (provided I could get it there). Car started fine, and made it all the way to the shop. A couple of very nice guys checked various things to try to rule out the cheaper solutions (bad battery, loose belt, etc); but alas it was the altinator, a pricey bit of machinery. My car will be in the shop for a few days while they await the part and do the work.
As frustrating as it is, it could be so much worse. My dad have been super about helping me where I needed it, and I have the ability to tighten my belt in a few other ways and not be in too bad of shape. Other than this spate of maintenance the car has been fabulous, and at 298,000 miles a bit of maintenance is too be expected. If I can continue to make needed repairs and do the routine maintenance this car should last me quite a while yet. The cost of the maintenance is still cheaper than the cost of a car payment. I have alternate transport to school and work (feet and bike). A friend is giving me a ride to my dr's appointment on Wednesday.
