That's what I said when I called the garage to schedule some repairs for my wife's car. And I'm not kidding, it was a very LOUD vibrating/banging/zombie-escaping-from-the-crypt kind of noise! And it needed professional help.
Not as if I would have taken care of things had the noise been a wimpy wheeze instead of the ear-shattering noise that it was. I am not mechanically gifted. Motors are a mystery. Hell, toasters are a mystery! So when the car does something it should not do, I call in the pros.
We dropped it off last night so they would have the entire day to disassemble, diagnose, and repair the vehicle. And we were prepared to lose Son16's college tuition, if necessary, to pay for their work.
We arrived today, clutching our checkbook, to get our car. Before looking at the bill, I inquired as to the nature of the noise. The repairman gave me that look. You know the one. The one from our childhood. The one the grownups gave us when they wanted to communicate the sentiment: "You definitely should know better." And then, in one question, he completed the humiliation...
"When was the last time you checked the oil?"
Gulp. Where was that 'manly Tony' when we needed him?!?!
We paid sheepishly for the oil fill up, drove home, and along the way, stopped to buy the family KFC Mashed Potato Bowls to drown our humiliation.
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11 comments:
Em, Em, Em. Even I know you have to change the oil - every... well, however many months it is.
There is mysterious clicking/clacking noise that comes from low oil. Something about lifters or something else arcane inside the engine.
My basic rule is to change the oil regularly and check the leve everytime I get gassed up.
Hard to remember, but easy to do and it avoids horrible clickity-clackity noises that scare you ;)
TV
Was there a light? A light shaped like a little oil can?
I was under the impression that if the oil got low enough to cause weird noises, your engine was toast. Good to know that's not always the case.
I know, I know...I should know better. But then I should floss more often too! And nope, no little oil can light flashing at me. Nothing to alert me. Well, other than the death rattle.czooiqf
It might not be toast. But I'm sure you lost a few miles if it started making noise like that.
Oh I could go for some toast right about now...
There is a dip stick, if the oil is all black and nasty looking. It's a good sign that it needs to be changed.
This is totally my husbands job. He takes care of everything car related. If it was up to me, bad things would happen.
Let me pick up my pants by my belt here and give ya' some advice, brother:
KFC chicken oil 'can' be used as motor oil.
Blogger was messing with Winston today...but he left me this note...
"Tsk....tsk...
I am techie, but I don't work on cars. Did at one time, when they were simple, just after the Pleistocene epoch. Not any longer. You need to get over fear (if that's what it is) and learn to keep eye and ear on a few things. Like oil, tires, belts, hoses, other fluid levels. Might keep you and family out of trouble sometime, and result in being able to afford more potato bowls."
Here from Michele.
Was there a leak? Even when I used to forget to change the oil, it didn't run out. The only problem I had with a really loud noise and an engine that froze up was when my now "ex-husband" changed the oil on my brand new car himself, to save money. He wondered why it didn't take much oil. A few days later.... disaster. Problem? He drained the transmission fluid instead of the oil.
Beta blogger is acting up with posting comments. I've spent the last 30 minutes trying to get it to show the Word Verification.
Yay! I'm glad it was just low oil. It could have been so much worse.
LOL thats kinda funny...hehe at least it wasn't anything MORE serious!! Bt still...I can understand your humiliation....lol
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