by Tricia
Man, life is really funny sometimes…
Already this morning I was given a test on what I discussed yesterday.
My husband left this morning to work on one of his projects. Shortly after he left, I receive a call and from the caller ID I know it is him. Our cell phone is mostly emergency only, so I know something is up.
It’s our car. The check oil light came on. So our car is sitting at the mechanic’s right now and the earliest he can look at it is Tuesday. That puts a bit of a damper on things. It’s our only car and one of my husband’s jobs starts up next week. It’s about 15 miles away, so walking is out of the question.
After we got off the phone, I re-read my post from yesterday. Think of the positive, Tricia…think of the positive…
1.) We live less than a mile from a grocery store. We can strap on some backpacks and trek it to the store. That’s one way for me to get more exercise! 🙂
2.) The car acted up very close to the mechanic and not the 20 miles away my husband was going to travel today (we do have AAA insurance for towing – but it’s only under my name and I wasn’t in the car. I have to be in the car to have the coverage).
3.) Any activities for my son in the next few weeks are less than a mile away. We can walk and again reap the health benefits.
4.) I work at home so the lack of a car does not impact that.
5.) We have a decent sized savings account that will cover a minor repair.
6.) My husband ran some errands for the week yesterday before the car acted up (whew!).
Man, when you write things out like that, it really does put some perspective on the situation and I feel a lot better about it. After the week I’ve had, this really could have brought my spirit down bigtime.
We will be fine. We will get through this little hardship 🙂
Sounds like your blogging away fat blog will have a big weight loss report for next week! Good luck on all that walking – it’s great you can see the positive, that is a good trait 🙂
Often the check engine light goes on when you need a new air filter for environmental reasons (cost: about $200). If you have a good mechanic, he or she will tell you honestly when you don’t even have to fix it. My father drove for 3 years with masking tape over that annoying light.
I only hope that you get as lucky as you did last time with your car repair!
**Fingers crossed**
Hope you’re not paying for that AAA insurance… doesn’t seem to be doing much good.
Trish, this was extremely inspiring. What a great way of transforming something potentially stressful into a positive instead.
Think of how you can brag to your friends how your temporary car-free lifestyle is environmentally friendly as well.
=^..^=
Law Student – it was the check oil light that came on. We did have it go on before and it didn’t end up being anything that an oil change and some cleaning didn’t fix. We thought of taking our car to a different mechanic (to get it back sooner), but the one we call we trust. Sometimes I wonder about his ability to really fix things (there’s been an ongoing problem with our car that he’s perplexed about), but I know he won’t charge us for work that wasn’t done.
Sara – I do too!
Richard – I’m paid up for the AAA through September. It did come in handy the last time our car broke down. Come August, it’ll be time to think about the pros and cons of keeping it.
Jennifer Lynn – thanks 🙂
So did he check the oil? You may have a slow leak 🙂
My husband checked the oil and it was at a good level. I wonder if the oil pump is going, or if there is a bit of sludge in there. Sometimes I wish I learned how to be a mechanic. It sure would be a money saver! 🙂
Tricia, the oil light is normal and it means that you have to change your oil and filter. Cost? About 15 bucks if your hubby can do it. Even if there is sludge in there, synthetic oil (about 12 bucks at Walmart for 5 qts) will clean it up and it lasts a lot longer too! I’ve learned to do all my own repairs on my cars and it is saving me a ton of money. When did you last change your oil?
There is something about cars breaking down – it just seems to ruin the whole day! Walking is definitely one way to get in some exercise LOL! About your hubby and his job – can he ride a bike? 15 miles is do-able on a bike – be sure to wear a helmet! Also, the web is really a good place to use a search engine to find out common problems with certain cars. Just put in your car, year model and problem and see if anyone else has had that problem. A colleague told her MECHANIC how to fix her gas gauge which was accidentally broken while it was in for service!!!
Hi Trisha,
I’m been reading your blog since you were featured by Scott Burns. Another reason for this light and I found out by luck. When you fill your gas and don’t tighten the lid all the way, either the engine light or check oil light will come on. After you tighten it, the light will stay on for 2-3 days and then go away by itself. I was calling around for estimates and the repairs dept at the Toyota dealership told me this. The first time it happened, they couldn’t figure it out (this was another dealership). The second time, they told me right away after asking a few questions. I’m not sure if this is only for Toyota cars. Good luck and keep it going !!