As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
TL thanked me today for not losing my cool and blowing my stack, and here is why.
On the 19th of December, our errand pick up which has appeared here, needed an oil change, so there is proof of miles for the IRS, and we got it into the shop where they charged me 400 dollars for a check engine light which is still on.
I informed them of that and told them to leave it alone and just change oil, which they did.
As it has been cold, we have not gone anywhere as of December 27th, basically a week later, when we went to town for errands. Everything seemed fine as I pulled the pick up into the yard, and left it running as I was just going to dump a few grain sacks off and park it as TL was unloading groceries.
When I got back from turning on the water pump, I noticed that the pickup was not making a right sound. I opened the hood and my first thought was Richard and Stephanie in a broken air conditioner compressor or pulley or the alternator as it did not sound like it was coming out of the engine. So I pulled it up to the house, and phoned the shop and said I had to bring it in as there was a knock, as I figured I could drive it in, as I am quite a way from town.
I had to go check the water tank, and that is when I spotted this big wet spot where I had been parked. First thought was I broke a water hose or something, then I reached down and saw it was yellow and it was oily..........yes I was leaking oil in a major way.
So I crawled under the pick up and hanging there was the oil plug, but one like I had never seen before. I called the shop and said I was not driving it anywhere, as I tried to screw that plug in and it would not screw in and engines do not run without oil.
That led to their getting a tow truck for us, and us riding to town, a loaner, and being told this was an after market plug for some problem with the aluminum oil pan which got stripped.
I do good at playing dumb, as I knew even with after market, it was their screwing that oil plug in that stripped it and almost blew my engine.
They asked if I shut it off right away and I did, but off we went to wander around in a store for 2 hours as I was not filling up a loaner again which always is riding on EMPTY, as I just put 15 bucks in a week ago.
Am going to mention this, in rich people always are getting loaners for their cars being worked on, and yet they are so tight they will never put in gas. I figure I can put in some gas as they loaned me a vehicle as a courtesy, and besides I like driving around mini vans. I know about Dodge and Chryslers mini vans now, and I like the Chrislers better as the seats are more comfortable and the steering is not so stiff.
So we get a message that the pick up done. I just figured I was going to have to eat the cost plus the tow, but not raising hell paid off, as the service desk told me no charge for the plug replacement or the tow. I thanked them and off we went. I am thinking about getting them a box of donuts next time we are in town.
I know they were caught in a hard place, as someone there either did not catch the stripped burr or they stripped it out, and as it was their resposibility to tell me there was a problem and make me pay for it, if the owner of the shop had found out, these people probably would have been fired, as even my old GMC still would be a replacement which the dealership would have to pay for, so ignoring my charges was the best way they could deal with the situation.
I am very thankful to God for this, in I was glad the pick up did not quit on the way home or God forbid I was driving at highway speed and lost all the oil and the engine locked up. At home, I could think and be safe, and work things out, on the road or stuck in town is just a problem as I had that happen previously with Mom's old car when it quit.
I have never changed oil in these vehicles for the simple reason, after I buy oil and filter at market price I can not beat the 28 bucks for an oil change at a shop. It literally is 8 bucks to have someone else get dirty and clean the vehicle and check things.
God is very good and I needed that even though it was a long and taxing day of things going wrong again which should never have gone wrong. It worked out for the best and got fixed as threading drain plugs is not in my pay scale when it is zero degrees outside.
Yes that is how bad my life has been as of late, in I have something this bad happening which should never happen, a near disaster several times over, and it turns out ok for the first time in some time.
Thank God for that!!!!!!
It was my adventures in longitude and as the day ended pleasing, we are treating ourselves to a bad movie as bad movies are always good after adventures in longitude.
Nuff Said
agtG
