One Of "THOSE" Days: The Postscript...
Got our Caprice back today, and it WAS the ignition system, but thankfully NOT a problem related to the miles of wire in the steering column.The ALTERNATOR went "bye-bye" (with no other advance warning), so we had a new one installed, as well as a new battery (we've been wanting to get one anyway - the old one was close to the magic 5 year mark for replacement).
Now, if there is ONE THING that cheeses me off to NO end with these "puter-mobiles", it's that there is NO "alternator" light that comes on when you have a problem WITH the alternator.
Used to be (in the good old days) that you had a GAUGE on the dashboard that showed you the power output OF your alternator OR generator directly.
When THAT read other than normal, you KNEW you had to fix it.AND, there was also an ALTERNATOR light that lit up to "confirm" the problem.
I really miss all that.
Today, however, it's a WHOLE other ballgame.
That "CHK ENG" light apparently covers over 50 DIFFERENT problem scenarios, aside from, as well as including the ENGINE ITSELF.
Nice, huh?Funny to think that the computer in our vehicles is SO much more complex in function that the one that took the astronauts to the frigging MOON, back in the late sixties.
THAT computer was about as "smart" as a low-end calculator, by comparison!!
But we DO have wifey's car back in the garage...until the NEXT time some idiot light comes on to tell us something we have NO IDEA as to what's happening.
And so ends another "excellent Adventure" for yours truly.We also returned the AVEO to it's rental company.
Driving THAT was an...uh..."experience"?
Felt like anything BUT a car when I was behind the wheel.
It handled well enough, but with a wheelbase so damn small, what else could you expect? It's got like a 13 foot turning radius.It even has a TACHOMETER in it...again (as with the spoiler)...WTF for?
Redline was about 6400RPMs...LMAO!
Like I even got CLOSE to 4,500 in "top" gear.
But it DID get us from *A* to *B* well enough.Thank God I can drive a REAL car again....(whew)!
And as for the remainder of the weekend?
I'm kicking the hell BACK!
Stay safe out there, America.
2 comments:
so you drove a baby malibu. i have to admit the malibu acts like a real car. i just bought a new desk and it fit the whole thing in the trunk. and i was thinking oh oh alternator the other day. i havent had an alternator light since my 1979 buick lasabor back in the late 80's. and i have had mercades, ford, chevy, toyota. i dont think it was in my 73 duster? perhaps the lasabor but nothing else. take care
Indy:
Baby Malibu doesn't begin to cover it...I had toy trucks as a child that were larger...LOL!
I miss the days when cars were "honest" with me...today, they LIE when that CHK ENG light comes on.
My first reaction is to open the hood, and go:
"Yep, the ENGINE IS STILL THERE...I CHECKED IT".
Be nice if that computer told ME what was REALLY wrong.
Cars that lie...who'da thunk?
B.G.
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