The New Normal?

Ever since Saturday, on my way to lunch before the charity event, every trip longer than a mile has triggered the Check Engine light.  There was one exception: Thursday morning, from home to work, it didn't come on once.  My heart was luxuriating in peace.  Unfortunately, it came back on on the way home.

Wanted to bring it to one of my mechanics Saturday, when I have time.  Unfortunately, the one that Father referred me to no longer is open on Saturdays, and The Mechanic Around The Corner said that he would like me to give them the car overnight for a days' worth of tests, maybe more.  I can't afford to give him that unless I'm not working, and in the dumbest and cruelest of ironies, I'm working probably until Memorial Day Weekend.

With those complications, I asked The Mechanic Around The Corner, probably in a tone that made him think I needed to be reassured, whether I can still drive the car while it's on.  He says I could, even though I told him that it comes on whenever I accelerate, and he says that if my car does that I should bring it in, which confused me.

Nevertheless, my stress level has come down at least half a step whenever I see the Check Engine light come on.  Partly is that the decision's out of my hands; if I can't do anything about fixing my car, why worry?  Besides some more problems with acceleration (and that might be because it's been windy since Saturday) and some extra noise under the hood (the wind again?), it's driving fine.  I haven't seen the low oil level light as much since the Check Engine light became a regular on my dashboard, either, so I that's a plus.  With all these things coming together, and no sign yet the engine will just shut down on the highway (touch wood), maybe the Check Engine light's on because of a sensor, and not because of anything more dire.  I mean, I hear there are a lot of people who drive with their Check Engine lights on, and they just either ignore it or put duct tape over it so they don't have to see it.  Hell, this evening my ATF ***e* said she's driving her car with it on.  How bad could it be?  So I guess I'm living with it.

At least for now -- but there are two outs I have.  First of all, Mother told me that my parents are finally going to Las Vegas, for the first time in at least a couple years, in a month.  That means I can use their car while my car's in the shop.  And there's a chance I can bring it in even sooner, if my current testing project ends before my next one begins in a couple weeks.  There's a possibility that I might have one day, two days, or maybe even a week between assignments.  That would then mean I could surreptitiously bring it in to see the exact cause of the Check Engine light -- and hopefully they'll be able to fix it the same day.

Oh, by the way, I did have it checked out once, when it was on only intermittently, by The Mechanic Around The Corner, and the code reader said it was a knock sensor code.  Hope it's only that still now.