It kind of felt like the guy was admonishing me for not checking the oil level in my car, sort of the way a dentist tsk-tsks you for not flossing regularly. Not to say he was wrong, though. I didn't check the oil level. I don't. I still might not after this. But in my defense -- and I understand I am pleading ignorance, which means I'm not testifying from a source of strength -- I didn't the rattling and squealing meant that I had little oil left in my car. Never thought it was a sign. Now again, that doesn't excuse me from checking the dipstick. But let's be real here: I think the vast majority of people don't check the oil level in their car whenever they fill up. So I cannot be the only person this has ever happened to.
And come to think of it, my car is modern enough that it should have a low oil level light indicator on the dashboard. That never came on. Why didn't it?
The guy said that when he changed the oil filter he didn't see any leaks that would explain why it was nearly dry. My car is getting up there in age, but never has the level of oil in my car dropped so precipitously. So, beyond the fact that that damn low oil light should've come on, I am dreading one possible reason as to why it had no oil in it: The mechanic I went to screwed up. I remember this blog post back in August, the first I went to this shop, that I went in for service and came out with a knocking noise that came out of nowhere. They fixed it, and I had gone back there a second time for another thudding sound that turned out to be loose and/or missing lug nuts. I tried out this new guy because I wasn't feeling the customer service of this first place. I am now wondering if this first place screwed up the oil change.
Talked to my therapist yesterday/Wednesday afternoon. When I told him about my day with the car, he recommended I go to the dealership to make sure this oil change was done correctly. I don't want to do that: They will probably charge me for the diagnostic, and I feel awkward about going back to a place for service that I left not too long ago. But if the dealership knows my car better than even an independent shop, maybe, for peace of mind, I should, say, wait a month or two (checking the oil dipstick all the while -- yeah, I guess I have to check from now on) and then bring it in to make sure there are no leaks or anything.
I should probably have them make sure there's not catastrophic damage to the car, either, and that's where I loathe myself. I can say that I didn't know to check. But my, uh, lack of proactive maintenance means that this car has a lot of wear and tear that it didn't need. And for tonight, at least, I actually feel scared to drive the car because I'm scared of what could happen. Yeah, it's filled to the brim with oil -- supposedly. Maybe it's bleeding it out as we speak, and it's back down to less than a quart come morning. And what if the tire, for which they found small punctures they say they've patched up, wasn't the problem but a too-bent rim was? Could I just be driving around and then notice it's all deflated again, and this time I won't be able to limp my car off to a gas station or even the side of the road? The car is as good as it's going to be right now. It's possibly fine and I could just be paranoid. But still, I don't know how damaged it is, and could be, so right now, I don't trust it. And the reason I don't trust it is, really, my fault.
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