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Saturday 3 November 2012

Sense of Humour Failure

So.  In the continuing saga of the aftermath of hitting a deer....

A few days after hitting the deer, I was driving to work and the engine quit on me.  Not just a little cough and  a sticky transmission, I mean it stopped.  Stopped dead.  In the middle of a six lane highway during the morning rush hour.  The Gods who watch such things had a bit of mercy and I was able to get it restarted and off the road to a safe place where I called CAA and was able to get a tow back to Perth.  Faulty Crank Sensor is what I was told.  So that was replaced and as things go, it wasn't too bad.  Less than $200 for parts and labour.

The following week I took the car to the insurance-company-designated body shop in the nearby town of Carleton Place to get the grille replaced, a few dents knocked out and some paint fixed up.  They had my car for a week, during which time I was given an all-singing, all-dancing 2012 vehicle.  The loaner car and dealership shall remain anonymous to avoid a libel suit.  In all fairness, it did actually drive well and was comfortable, but I think the center console with the on-screen controls is a huge safety hazard.  After a week, I still struggled to adjust the heat, the wiper blade controls are actually complicated (this is an issue when the remnants of a hurricane are passing by) and there is no way this particular Bluetooth/hand's free system is safer than just answering a phone.

So I was thrilled beyond words when the repair facility called and said my little no-frills Jeep was ready to be picked up.  So I went in, handed in the other car, got my keys back, turned it on and saw this.



The Check Engine light is on.  The Check Engine light was not on when I dropped it off.  This is something I'm very particular about. Hell, I just spent $200 to fix it the week before so believe me, I would have noticed.

Now, I understand - I do have an older vehicle that is approaching that time of it's life when parts start to fail.  The warranty is long done and I do have to assume that there will be expenses with keeping it on the road.  But I ask you - is it just me or is it reasonable to assume that when you pick up a vehicle from a garage that has just completed an exhaustive examination of the front end and engine, and completed a weeks worth of work, that they won't give it back to you with a check engine light on?  

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