Mis-hitting

Had to go to Camp Lake Stephens for a meeting this afternoon. When I was about 30 minutes or so from Camp I noticed the Explorer doing a little funny business. Not sure what it is, but just a shimmy that it doesn’t normally do when going up some hills and all. It begins to become more noticiable as I progress along. Then I notice the “Check Engine” light blinking. I look it up in the car manual and read that it is mishitting or misfiring or something like that and I should get it serviced as soon as possible.

I call home and talk to my normal service guy and ask if he thought I could make it home and get it checked out in the morning. He suggested that I get it looked at in Oxford before trying to drive home on it (75 minutes away). But I have a meeting! But thankfully a friend at camp offers to take it to a local shop for me while I meet.

He calls me on the cell phone, the $40 computer diagnostics test tells me I need a new heat sensor valve something or other. So what can I do except say go ahead. He comes back to camp with my vehicle later and says it does fine. I finish my meeting, eat supper, talk to a few friends, write a check for over $100 for the repair, then hop in the Explorer for the assumed smooth ride home…but it aint smooth. No way, no how. It shimmies and trembles all the way home. I call my friend and he tells me it rode from the shop to camp fine…I’m perplexed.

So in the morning I have to call the shop, ask them why it’s still messed up, what I can do about it, and if I can get my money I threw away back. Then I have to figure out how to get the thing fixed here in my town, and hope I didn’t cause more damage by riding on it when they said it was now fine.

Sheesh…and we had been talking about trading that one in for something. Bye bye trade in value.