I have to say that ever since I got the hood of my car fixed, it has run very well. A month ago I listed all the things wrong with it, but I have to admit that, even though the paint job on the hood and the left side of my car is different that the original finish on the rest of it (I think the new finish looks like a matte while the right side and the trunk have a wet satin look), it looks as good as new. Moreover, the left side included a dent on the side of my left taillight, which I got on my way to getting my car serviced at the dealership. Looked like the body shop looked at it, banged out the dent and smoothed over the scratches. It's not perfect; you could still tell that the car was in an accident. But it looks a hell of a lot better. Oh, and before that I did get the power steering leak fixed. Turns out there was a hole in the power steering pressure hose. No leaks on the driveway since.
And I've got to admit that The Mechanic Around The Corner is earning back my trust again. This ties into my paranoia about my car, namely the cold start problems, the "second sound," the slow acceleration and the vibration and noise while driving. A few weeks ago I brought the car in because it was getting to be way too much. But after a quick drive around the neighborhood, the guy who regularly works on my car says that it probably wasn't worth worrying about.
Nevertheless I wasn't convinced. So when it was time to bring in the car for an oil change, tire rotation and transmission flush, I decided to have them take a thorough look at it last week. My parents are still away, so I had their car to use while they had the run of my car; I just wanted them to fix all the noises and driveability issues. I even had a guy there ride with me as I had him hear the loud noise emanating from my car after I got there. Both he and the manager (who took the car behind their shop to store it overnight so they can try to start the car cold in the morning) heard the "second sound," which assuages my fears that I'm the only one hearing things.
But the next afternoon they told me that after leaving it overnight they could not reproduce the "second sound." And, at least I guess, if the problem isn't consistent, it ain't that much of a problem. That, or they can't really fix what's wrong if they can't hear what's wrong. And I actually feel OK with that "sorry, can't diagnose" conclusion. I take away the assurance that they know exactly what I'm talking about. Besides, the car's working just fine (even though the low oil level light popped on starting the day after I got it changed and it's been on and off since). And without extensive work on the car, I didn't have to pay the hundreds of dollars that I was girding myself to shell out for it.
Finally to yesterday (Tuesday), when I tried to use the windshield wash-and-wipe mechanism. No fluid came out of the nozzle. Looked at the tank under the hood; it was full. Then I remembered that when the hood flew off of its hinges, I saw two stray hoses that basically were the only things connecting it to the rest of my car. Didn't give it a second thought until I couldn't spray down my windshield. That's when I put two and two together: Oh, they had to cut off those hoses in order to fix my hood, and those lead to the wiper fluid. Like with the hood shocks, the body shop did not replace everything I thought they would, but then again, they don't do mechanical things like that, do they? Maybe it was too much to expect out of them, maybe not; regardless, I thought today was the best day to, once again, bring the car in and have whatever needed fixing or replacement. This is after bringing it in less than a week ago. Hey, winter's coming, and I can't go without wiper fluid, right? Besides, they said they needed to retorque my wheels. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.
Well, once again I overestimated my car trouble. I brought it in the last hour of operation, intending to drop it off and pick it up the next day or the day after. But The Mechanic Around The Corner first retorqued the wheels nuts without me even turning off the car. And then he popped open the hood real quick and quickly saw that the hose running from the tank to the nozzles were cut off so the body shop could fix the hood. I was OK just getting an estimate, but this guy got to work immediately. Within five minutes, his supervisor gave me back my keys. Apparently the guy rigged a segment of hose lying around the shop to reconnect the two segments of the original hose. This guy, whom I thought was in over his head last year, has now looked into and quickly diagnosed two problems with my car in a matter of minutes -- both times for free. And the washer mechanism works again.
So instead of bitching about my car, I have to admit that it's safe and reliable right now. And The Mechanic Around The Corner may be someone I can bring my car back to for reasons beyond being walking distance from my home. Peace of mind is a great thing, and I should count my blessings.
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