The Check Engine Light is Mocking Me
When the check engine light came on well over a year ago, I promptly took my Tercel to the dealership. The diagnosis was carbon buildup. After several attempts to remedy the problem I was forced to make a decision. Either I spend $800 to have the part machined out or drive with the engine warning light on. Since the carbon buildup wouldn’t damage the engine I opted for saving money and driving with the engine light on.
For about a year the light would mock me. Just as I started to gain confidence that the engine wasn’t going to die and leave me stranded on the side of the road, the light found a new way to torment me. You can’t imagine my delight when one day I turn on the car and the light didn’t turn on! Could it be? Is the problem fixed? The light stayed off for about a day and then it came back on. I didn’t think there was anything more annoying than a check engine light that never turns off. I was wrong. Now every day when I start my car, there is a 50% chance the light will be on. It has become a kind of bizarre little game.
I suppose the worst part about that wicked little light is that it has a tendency to set the mood for my entire day. I drive about 25 minutes to work each morning, and staring at that little light for the entire drive has a tendency to put me in a bad mood. Isn’t it stupid how little things like that can affect our attitudes? It’s not like the engine is fixed one day, and broken the next. And yet I can’t help but be a little more cheerful on the days when I “win” the battle against that little light.
Surely I am not the only person that plays this kind of game with my car. From Herbie, to Knight Rider, our culture regularly assigns personalities to cars. I have very distinct memories of people in our neighborhood that I thought looked exactly like there cars. Tomorrow I am taking my family to see Cars at the theater and it should be fun to see the personalities that the different cars have. I wonder if there will be a pesky little Tercel that likes to play games with its check engine light…
