Yesterday, we took our car in for a pre vacation servicing.
The fluid levels were checked and changed as needed, tires inflated and rotated
and all of the other bits and bobs were tweeked and tightened. It wasn’t cheap,
but it was just the right price for peace of mind. Tim the service guy went
over the work they did with us and one of the things he mentioned was that our
battery was at between 60% and 70%. Nothing to worry about with spring and
summer coming, but we might want to look into a new battery before a new winter
raises its ugly head.
The battery is about nine years old and at this point in its
life it doesn’t owe us anything. Come next winter, it will be ten years old and
if I am lucky, we might just make it into the following spring and summer if we
have a mild winter. It is parked in a garage so the bare horrors of winter
rarely ravage it. Who knows, we might get lucky.
This morning, I wished Louise have a good day as she grabbed
her bags and went out the door. I was drinking my tea and wondering if I should
slip back between the covers, just to keep Buster company, you understand. The
return to bed had won, when Louise came back in the door. She had to grab the
spare keys for the other car because the battery was dead. That isn’t a very
good way to start a day.
I guess the door wasn’t closed properly and the dome light
slowly drained the battery. My thoughts of a return to bed were gone, and I
pulled on some pants and went to the garage and set up the trickle charger. Hopefully,
the car would start in a couple of hours because I had the Airport sale to get
to. I have had that trickle charger for close to 40 years. It is rare that I
have used it, but over the years there have been enough weak batteries and
doors left open to make me thankful I own it. I think other people have used it
more often than I have, but it is nice to be able to help others out when you
can.
It struck me as odd that the day after the Toyota
guy suggested that we “might” need a new battery, the very next day the battery
is dead. Now, I don’t want to suggest that Tim got our address, climbed over
the fence, bribed Buster to be quiet with some meat (Buster is a slut when it
comes to free meat), slipped into the garage and left the door open. That would
be crazy…or would it? These same people wanted to charge me $55.95 for an in
cabin air filter which I bought today for $12 and replaced in one minute. I
don’t mind people making a healthy profit, but that seems obscene.
When I got the car running today, I dropped it off where
Louise works and went to the Airport sale. I have been keeping my eyes out for
a new (to me) eReader, and managed to pick one up for $15 at the sale. I
grabbed some free corkscrews too, but I was most pleased with the eReader. The
only thing wrongish about the eReader is that it didn’t come with a cord. I
suppose that when a person jumps up and runs off to catch their flight, they
aren’t thinking about the person that will eventually buy the abandoned
eReader, and forget to leave the power cord. I know, just thoughtless!
I had to pick up a cable at Princess Auto and now everything
seems to be fine.
It’s been a day of batteries and cables.
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