{"id":7469,"date":"2021-08-13T09:48:42","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T14:48:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mofoxtrot.com\/viewpoint\/?p=7469"},"modified":"2021-08-13T12:48:42","modified_gmt":"2021-08-13T17:48:42","slug":"give-me-a-car-that-starts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mofoxtrot.com\/viewpoint\/give-me-a-car-that-starts\/","title":{"rendered":"Give Me A Car that Starts!"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve not had a good time with vehicles lately. \u00a0This time it\u2019s the 2015 Town and Country Mini Van. \u00a0It was the last year Chrysler made the minivan. \u00a0Cry. I love(d)my minivan.<\/p>\n

A life time warranty is a lie. \u00a0100,000 miles is the end of a lifetime warranty. \u00a0Minivan made it to 103,000 miles before putting me in hell. \u00a0 It\u2019s 90 something degrees is the Midwest. I have a wheelchair spouse in the car, \u00a0sometimes, I have the spouse and a German Shepard in the car.<\/p>\n

When starting the car, it clicked, clicked and wouldn\u2019t start. \u00a0This is similar to the noise a dying battery makes. \u00a0About 3 months ago, it gave me the low battery remark. \u00a0I immediately went to the local NAPA car parts store. My battery was checked and proclaimed fully charged and wonderful. \u00a0Ok!<\/p>\n

Months later I got a click when trying to start the car.<\/p>\n

This happen a couple more times. \u00a0It clicked, I tried again and again and, it started.The second or third time this happened, I took apart the key fob to find the key. \u00a0I removed the \u201cPress this button while your foot is on the brake\u201d button. \u00a0I put the key into the place where you start the car. \u00a0That didn\u2019t work. It doesn\u2019t have a key slot. The fob is the key. \u00a0The key is to unlock the door. \u00a0I used the other remote and the car started. \u00a0Spouse and I went to eat with Emma, the German Shepard. \u00a0It was much too hot to turn off car with a dog inside. \u00a0Car was left running. We came home and I pushed the fob spot with my finger not with the button, I couldn\u2019t fit it back in its place to turn off the engine. \u00a0Nope. \u00a0The engine did not turn off. \u00a0I could not turn off the car! My pushing the thing didn\u2019t turn off the engine. \u00a0Scream!<\/p>\n

I immediately drove to the Chrysler dealer. \u00a0The service guy turned off the car using the key fob. \u00a0 I was still stuck in the 19th century car world to use a key, a real key. The service department decided it must be the electronic ignition problem. \u00a0I spent the day lounging at the dealer while the mini van got a $800 new electronic ignition. My remote start did not remote start. Now I put the key fob into the ignition and turn it\u2026sort of like the cars of old, but with a key fob. I told my service guy I wanted to buy a new car. \u00a0While my car was \u201cgetting fixed, I was set up with my new boyfriend,\u00a0the most experienced car salesman. \u00a0Me and my new boyfriend decided I needed a Pacifica. \u00a0Sadly, in this pandemic. There are NO NEW CARS anywhere. \u00a0This dealership has many dealership \u201ccousins\u201d in the area. \u00a0There are no new cars. \u00a0I had to order one. \u00a0I bet young people reading this have never \u201cordered\u201d a new car. I ordered a new car back in 1967ish as a college graduation gift! \u00a0I got a 1968 Ford XL Convertible. (That car lasted through three husbands!) \u00a0I will get the get the new car in October\/November. \u00a0It is currently mid August.<\/p>\n

The service technician had me come to my car while he showed me how to start the car. \u00a0I had no idea of starting the car with the key fob! \u00a0I vaguely remember a rental car in California being a mystery, but that was 11 more or less years ago.<\/p>\n

Oh! The key fob had to be inserted into the place where us old timers would put a key! \u00a0When he tried start the car, it clicked again, but started the 2nd time he tried. \u00a0He took the car back into the fix it service department to check the \u00a0alternator. \u00a0He decided the car hadn\u2019t been used enough, sitting around and battery was getting low. Internally I scoffed. \u00a0I drive 6 miles\/day. \u00a0Maybe that is not enough to keep the battery charged. \u00a0Home I went and it started about 3 more days until the click happened again. \u00a0Scream! \u00a0This car is dangerous to old people..dangerous in 90 degree weather with a wheelchair dependent spouse and maybe a dog too. \u00a0SCREAM!<\/p>\n

Off I went to car dealer. I told the service person the clicking happened again and a couple of other things. \u00a0Now it was afternoon and I was the fourth car in line. The service person told me chances of getting it looked at today was grim. \u00a0They had no rental cars available. \u00a0I made an appt for early the next day, for which there were no rental cars. \u00a0No rental cars on that day, or the next day.<\/p>\n

Note: \u00a02021 pandemic Covid. \u00a0Rental car people will not come and get you. \u00a0Dealer will not take you to rental car. There is no way to get a rental car! \u00a0I made an appt for 7:00 am the next day. \u00a0I usually get out of bed at 11:00 am.this is going to be difficult. \u00a0Bestie friend Hope was alerted to possibility of picking me up at dealer for our lunch and taking me home. \u00a0I owe Hope a lot!<\/p>\n

I got up at 6:00 f\u2026. early the next morning, went to the town \u201ceveryone knows your name\u201d restaurant and ordered Terry a blueberry pancake. He was to eat that for his 9:00 am breakfast. \u00a0I figured out to leave the key fob in the ignition and it started. \u00a0Yep, solved the problem.<\/p>\n

The service dept people might have got to work at 7:00, but service dept. did not open till 7:30 am.Scream! \u00a0However \u00a0I was first in line. \u00a0I was curled up in dealership lounge trying to sleep when my phone rang. \u00a0I tried to answer, but the person hung up. \u00a0It said this was the dealership calling me! \u00a0Again it called and hung up. What! \u00a0A young woman came into my area and asked me if I was Susan Engle. \u00a0Yes! \u00a0Turns out this is the rental car person! \u00a0They have a rental car! \u00a0Oh boy! \u00a0I made it home before Terry got up! \u00a0We went out to eat our breakfast lunch. \u00a0We came home and I was taking a nap when I was called by the dealership. Good news and bad news. \u00a0What is good news? \u00a0They found rusty wires that could cause the problem. \u00a0Bad news is \u201cengine clicking\u201d, which I had ignored, was a $1500 fix. \u00a0What to do, I was asked. \u00a0My car could last until I got my new car several long months from now, or it could explode. \u00a0I exclaimed, \u201cAre there any used cars I could buy? \u00a0Service guy said he would contact my new sales boyfriend guy.<\/p>\n

Hours later my new boyfriend called me. \u00a0\u201cNo problem \u00a0I have a used Dodge Journey that is big enough for the wheelchair that you can buy. \u00a0When your new car comes, you can trade me for the new car.\u201d<\/p>\n

I know buying two cars will give tremendous profit for the dealership and sales guy. \u00a0I know this. \u00a0However, I have a wheelchair spouse. \u00a0It\u2019s 90 plus degrees out there. \u00a0Spending at least $1500 to possibly fix car that may or may not strand me again in 90 something horrid heat means Terry and I might die or be stranded at home forever. \u00a0I am \u201cold\u201d and Terry is 81 years old, tough guy, but numbers should be considered. Why would I want to pay money to fix a 103,000 mileage car, when I\u2019m buying a new car.<\/p>\n

I now own a 2019 Dodge Journey with \u201clow mileage\u201d. \u00a0I think it is a 2019. \u00a0Low mileage. \u00a0It has 60,000 miles on it. \u00a0That is low mileage?! \u00a0It has racing stripes!<\/p>\n

By the way, I had a lifetime warranty on my 2015 minivan. \u00a0Lifetime warranties expire at 100,ooo miles.<\/p>\n

My intention was to pay off the mini van and buy a newer used truck and again be in debt forever. Sadly, my 2001 truck will have to last 7-8 more years or until I give up my blessed horse life.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve not had a good time with vehicles lately. \u00a0This time it\u2019s the 2015 Town and Country Mini Van. \u00a0It was the last year Chrysler made the minivan. \u00a0Cry. I love(d)my minivan. A life time warranty is a lie. \u00a0100,000 miles is the end of a lifetime warranty. \u00a0Minivan made it to 103,000 miles before putting me in hell. \u00a0 It\u2019s 90 something degrees is the Midwest. I have a wheelchair spouse in the car, \u00a0sometimes, I have the spouse and a German Shepard in the car. When starting the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,141],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-miscellaneous","category-new-car"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mofoxtrot.com\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mofoxtrot.com\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mofoxtrot.com\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mofoxtrot.com\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mofoxtrot.com\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7469"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/mofoxtrot.com\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7495,"href":"https:\/\/mofoxtrot.com\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7469\/revisions\/7495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mofoxtrot.com\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mofoxtrot.com\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mofoxtrot.com\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}