And the day glides back to earth
Dec. 18th, 2009 01:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ksmithService manager called. There are a few other things wrong with Kuro. Valve cover gasket needs replacing. Ignition wires. So, additional $$. I would be a liar if I said that I hadn't expected additional repairs. Kuro is going on 8 years old, and beyond some brake work and a blown oxygen sensor, he's been golden all that time. Scheduled maintenance only.
And hey, at least it wasn't the head gasket.
On the brighter side, my loaner car proved to be a 2010 Outback with 500 miles on it. Still has that new car smell. Drives nice--very solid. Looks totally different than older model Outbacks. Had to adjust to different buttons, electronic rather than hand emergency brake, etc. Satellite radio sounds nice. Not sure if I like the new styling, though, for either the Outback or Forester. Seems like they got rid of the quirkiness and replaced it with generic sloopiness--rounded, bigger, etc.
One nice thing--it's a Partial Zero Emission vehicle. I didn't know Subaru made those, but they have been for years. Not as clean as a hybride, but still pretty clean.
Anyway. Went home during lunch to check on pups. I had just given them their lunch when the power went out. Called it in, and received an estimated repair time of several hours. Left to return to work, and found a police car parked at the major intersection nearest my house. Signals were out, and the lights were out at several businesses. It's a biggie, IOW. Hope the power is back by the time I get home.
Weather's gloomy. Cloudy w/ light rain. Now I wait for the car guy to call when Kuro is ready.
And hey, at least it wasn't the head gasket.
On the brighter side, my loaner car proved to be a 2010 Outback with 500 miles on it. Still has that new car smell. Drives nice--very solid. Looks totally different than older model Outbacks. Had to adjust to different buttons, electronic rather than hand emergency brake, etc. Satellite radio sounds nice. Not sure if I like the new styling, though, for either the Outback or Forester. Seems like they got rid of the quirkiness and replaced it with generic sloopiness--rounded, bigger, etc.
One nice thing--it's a Partial Zero Emission vehicle. I didn't know Subaru made those, but they have been for years. Not as clean as a hybride, but still pretty clean.
Anyway. Went home during lunch to check on pups. I had just given them their lunch when the power went out. Called it in, and received an estimated repair time of several hours. Left to return to work, and found a police car parked at the major intersection nearest my house. Signals were out, and the lights were out at several businesses. It's a biggie, IOW. Hope the power is back by the time I get home.
Weather's gloomy. Cloudy w/ light rain. Now I wait for the car guy to call when Kuro is ready.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-12-18 07:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-18 08:02 pm (UTC)That's the one thing that could tip me into getting a new Subaru. But damn, it's nice to not have a car payment.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-18 09:48 pm (UTC)I probably don't drive in the most efficient way, but for what it's worth - my Ford Escape Hybrid averages about 29/gallon. I'm glad we got it (car companies will only invest in improving hybrid and other efficiency-related techs if someone buys them to show there's a market), but to be perfectly honest...it wasn't as efficient as some other vehicles we could have gotten at the time. They've improved the tech a bit since then, which is good. But there are lots of ways to get better mileage, and fancy engine tricks are only one of them :)
no subject
Date: 2009-12-19 02:31 am (UTC)Courtesy of Wikipedia:
A Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle is a vehicle that has zero evaporative emissions from its fuel system, has a 15 year (or at least 150,000 mile) warranty and meets SULEV tailpipe emission standards.
They were built to meet California's more stringent pollution controls.
I wish Subaru would come out with a true hybrid, although the PVEZ may be a good second option. With two dogs, one a biggun, a Prius just won't cut it.