Good car news
Yesterday, our van passed the smog test.
No, lemme rephrase that: Yesterday, the Hand of Eris came down from the sky (or up from the depths; we're never quite sure how these things work) and touched either our car, or the smog shop's testing machine, or the DMV's standards as stored in the computer. (We're rather hoping the latter; Eris' touch is a disturbing thing to have linger on one's machinery.)
We have a 20-year-old Dodge van. Last week, it was making icky scary grindy noises; Rob took out... parts... from underneath it, and changed the "gear oil." I'm one of those people who refers to the "go pedal" and "stop pedal" and "swervy wheel;" I have no idea what he actually did, although I'm sure he explained it to me several times. It involved 2 jackstands, a rolling device that he lay on to go under the van, several screwdrivers and a chisel, a pan of hideous looking oily goop, three quarts of "90 weight", a towel no longer fit for human use, and much swearing. The words "drive shaft" were involved.
The car was due to be tagged in February, but we got an extension until May. That's, umm, now. And Rob's been trying to find time to get a tuneup and all that, so it'd pass smog (required in CA every 2 years), and what with weather and job schedules and all that, hasn't been able to get to the friends' houses who have equipment that can check how bad it is.
So he finally decided, what the hell, we'll go to one of those "Pass Smog or Don't Pay" shops, order a tuneup and oil change, test car, find out what needs to get fixed, and frantically rush around getting parts and work done on it before the time's up. The reason for not doing this earlier? Testing the car registers it with the DMV as "NOT PASSED SMOG," and then they've got something to look for if you don't get it done in time. Untested cars raise no red flags in their databases.
So the guys at the car shop said no, can't do the tuneup first, gotta test it first so we know what to look out for. Rob grimaces, but says okay, if that's how it has to go...
It passed.
No tuneup, no fresh oil, no new parts at all. 20 year old van that gets 13 miles to the gallon, with oil unchanged since we bought it last summer and who knows how long before that. Wheeee!
Hail Eris who controls bureaucratic scrambles.
Hail Thor who controls the lightning, the electricity inside the car and the computers.
Hail Hermes who controls messages, travel, and scams.
WE HAS A COMPLETELY LEGAL CAR. Insured, smogged, registered, everything.
I s'pose it's time for me to get (another) permit, and maybe finally learn to drive.
No, lemme rephrase that: Yesterday, the Hand of Eris came down from the sky (or up from the depths; we're never quite sure how these things work) and touched either our car, or the smog shop's testing machine, or the DMV's standards as stored in the computer. (We're rather hoping the latter; Eris' touch is a disturbing thing to have linger on one's machinery.)
We have a 20-year-old Dodge van. Last week, it was making icky scary grindy noises; Rob took out... parts... from underneath it, and changed the "gear oil." I'm one of those people who refers to the "go pedal" and "stop pedal" and "swervy wheel;" I have no idea what he actually did, although I'm sure he explained it to me several times. It involved 2 jackstands, a rolling device that he lay on to go under the van, several screwdrivers and a chisel, a pan of hideous looking oily goop, three quarts of "90 weight", a towel no longer fit for human use, and much swearing. The words "drive shaft" were involved.
The car was due to be tagged in February, but we got an extension until May. That's, umm, now. And Rob's been trying to find time to get a tuneup and all that, so it'd pass smog (required in CA every 2 years), and what with weather and job schedules and all that, hasn't been able to get to the friends' houses who have equipment that can check how bad it is.
So he finally decided, what the hell, we'll go to one of those "Pass Smog or Don't Pay" shops, order a tuneup and oil change, test car, find out what needs to get fixed, and frantically rush around getting parts and work done on it before the time's up. The reason for not doing this earlier? Testing the car registers it with the DMV as "NOT PASSED SMOG," and then they've got something to look for if you don't get it done in time. Untested cars raise no red flags in their databases.
So the guys at the car shop said no, can't do the tuneup first, gotta test it first so we know what to look out for. Rob grimaces, but says okay, if that's how it has to go...
It passed.
No tuneup, no fresh oil, no new parts at all. 20 year old van that gets 13 miles to the gallon, with oil unchanged since we bought it last summer and who knows how long before that. Wheeee!
Hail Eris who controls bureaucratic scrambles.
Hail Thor who controls the lightning, the electricity inside the car and the computers.
Hail Hermes who controls messages, travel, and scams.
WE HAS A COMPLETELY LEGAL CAR. Insured, smogged, registered, everything.
I s'pose it's time for me to get (another) permit, and maybe finally learn to drive.