Team A'Hearn

You officially do not want me at parties now. I really have no excuse for the spate of car issues I’m having lately, but (and the insurance companies will agree) they haven’t been my fault – so I guess it’s just bad luck.

Last week, just days before leaving for the beach, I was slowly driving down the parking lot of a small retail area looking for a spot. I noticed one to my left and prepared to park. Of course, this was as a pickup backed suddenly out of his spot to my right. Argh. Incredibly, he hit some kind of perfect spot on my front fender, because there’s only a small visible dent remaining. No other damage. I still need to go through the claims process, though, and lose my car for a while for repairs. In the meantime, my car is drivable, so we continued with our beach plans.

With this (and the need to yet replace Stephanie’s wheels) still swirling through my head, we left for vacation. The trip was uneventful – for a holiday weekend – and we arrived without incident. As we left to grab some lunch in the middle of the week, though, the “check engine” light came on. I don’t remember much about the next minute or so, because I’m pretty sure I blacked out into a blinding fury. I then went through all the usual diagnostics (gas cap on, stop and restart, etc.), but to no avail. So I found the nearest beach mechanic (only 45 minutes away!) and he replaced some jointed filter bearing framis overnight. I had my car the next day, my wallet only slightly lighter.

I’m done whining and complaining for now. Sorry. Just don’t let me near your own car.