Isn't it always the way...

[ksmith]

This month I will be making the very last payment on Kuro's loan.

On the way home today, the Check Engine light came on for the very first time.

Comments

[juliabk.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!!!!

Four more years.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

They know when you have money. Or when you will have money.

[juliabk.livejournal.com]

Kris, sweetie, I've come to the conclusion that you're not so much a 'the glass is half empty' kinda gal as you are a 'the glass has just been attacked by an alien microbe and is now eating the flesh from my hand' kinda gal.

Fun at parties, but kinda scary sometimes. ;-):-):-)

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

'Tis true. If you read yesterday's blog, you will see that my eye doctor told me to "Google less. Enjoy life more."

I have convinced myself over the years that if I expect something bad to happen, things will wind up ok. The trick is, I need to anticipate every bad thing, because it's the bad thing I don't think of that will get me.

It's no fun being in my head sometimes, although thinking this way allows for great practice in character torture.

[juliabk.livejournal.com]

Map of Kristine's head: Here there be dragons.

Yeah, well, you do have some interesting folks living in there with you. :-)

[barbarienne.livejournal.com]

Maybe you should continue to write the check every month, and complain loudly in Kuro's presence how you still have to pay for him (her?).

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

He and Harrison-the-Ford talk. I have to step pretty lightly to get anything past them.

[kateelliott.livejournal.com]

that made me laugh, but in sympathetic pain

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I can feel your sympathy from here. ;-P

According to the manual, the issue is related to the emission control system. Here's hoping for a bad gas cap and nothing more...

[(Anonymous)]

good luck.

we're not even done with our payments and our vehicle is needing a major repair. Despite being beyond warrenty, and because my husband was very very careful to make sure the dealership has a paper record of him complaining about this problem prior to the warrenty expiration (it showed up a while ago but in a minor capacity and has now become major), I am hopeful (but not holding my breath) that the dealership will pick up the repair tab to the tune of $1,500. Wish us luck.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Good luck!

[aeriedraconia.livejournal.com]

Oh That one! I had that one a few months ago (just when the warranty expired doncha know). Anyway, it was a porcelain chip thingy to do with the emissions system that broke and it cost me $180 to replace. Booger part anyway.

I hope your car issue is not any worse.

You know that computers they have in car engines these days are programmed with calendars, right? They know when the warranty expires,they know what the payment schedule is and they know when the title is about to become yours. ;-)

[christymarx.livejournal.com]

First, check to make sure gas cap is screwed on properly. It could be that simple and it sometimes takes a while for the light to go off.

Next, replace gas cap. Usually one of these two things will work. If not...ouch.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, tweaking the gas cap is the weekend project. I can't get Kuro to the dealership until Wednesday, so I have a few days.

It's times like these when you realize how much conflicting info the manual contains. When the Check Engine light goes on, I'm supposed to get it to the dealer ASAP, which to me means, turn around and drive there NOW if I have the time. But a few paragraphs later, I find that I can tweak the gas cap, and wait, and even if the tweaking worked it may take a few trips for the light to go out. A few trips, to me, is not ASAP.

Then later, I read that if I keep driving with the light on, I can do damage to the emission control system that may fall outside the warranty.

And this is all within a single page.

[christymarx.livejournal.com]

We resorted to buying a small digital device that will read the specific code causing the Check Engine light. Then there are webpages to explain what each code really means.

Randy was able to replace a sensor on his own thanks to that, saving quite a bit of money.