Modern Times

Started by d_Guy, 04 January 2018, 03:17:57 PM

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d_Guy

There was a time, long ago now, when one could repair ones personal conveyance with little more than a screw driver, a crescent wrench, and a gutsy feeling about how things probably worked. This is now far from the case. My wife's five year old car died yesterday. Original battery coupled with sub-zero (F) temps killed it.

It is parked, nose first, in a carport by the side door. No possible way to get jumper cables to it. It is keyless, computer controlled and locked in park, so sitting there like a slab of granite, a very cold slap of granite. When you look under the hood - nothing but a collection of black boxes of various sizes and shapes -  identifying the battery was not trivial. Got it right on the second try. Volt meter reads 0.00.

Switching batteries used to be simple. Not now. Started the old fashion way - two hours later, with frozen hands, finally got the tie down strap off but still could not shift it. Finally resorted to looking at repair manuals on-line (the horror!) It seems that I have to disassembly the windshield wipers, fluid reservoir, upper engine cowling, lower engine cowling, battery rear cover (ah hah!), then I can remove the battery. In addition to a few tools I do have, I will need a clutch head screwdriver and two metric socket sizes I don't have (they'll be here Saturday from amazon).

Rooting around in my neighbors garage we did find one of the sockets so I got the wipers off - but then darkness fell and the wind picked up. There was now hoarfrost in my beard.

This morning talked to automotive supply - they have had a serious run on batteries - they'll have one for us by Saturday morning (they hope).

Apparently yesterday was our "warm" day - so may have to wait until Monday (it should then be a balmy 25 F - think I'll wear shorts ) in order to work. In the meantime this has cut into my painting time - which is tragic!  :)
Sleep with clean hands ...

jimduncanuk

I have a gadget on my car that talks to my phone and it tells me lots of things including that the battery is failing.

It did so last summer and a man in a van came and replaced the battery inside 40 minutes.
My Ego forbids a signature.

d_Guy

If only - I understand such amenities are available in the more civilized portions of the first world. :)
Sleep with clean hands ...

Westmarcher

Life is cruel, Bill. If only we could know what obstacles lie ahead - what were "small jobs" in the past, nowadays just seem to grow arms and legs! Pity you threw out that Palantir because if you had known what was ahead, you could have ordered longer (or another set of) jump leads and simply driven the car along to your local dealer.   #-o   Good luck on Saturday!

Jim, my gob is smacked. I don't know what gadgets I've got on my car or my phone. For all I know, they could be saying all sorts of disparaging things about me behind my back!   :-\
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

Leon

I take it you'll be reversing into the carport in future then...  :D
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Subedai

Oh, the joys of not being a driver.  :D
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ErHo

On the bright side, if she rode a horse, it would be dead. 

You just had a battery issue, and a really good excuse to stay inside until it warms up outside! LOL


Good luck to you!!
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Leman

I got rid of my car three years ago and now use Merseytravel (trains and buses free), English bus services (free) and UK rail pass for the elderly (which i don't feel) which gets me 33% off rail fares beyond Merseytravel., eg I booked a return to Greenwich from Liverpool Lime Street which I took last September. It cost me £33 return - but then in the US such social responsibility towards those who've paid their way in their working life is simply regarded as communism - ha, ha suckers! No passeran!
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d_Guy

My wife is 5' 2" The dropoff on the other side of the narrow carport is 5' .

If it were a dead, frozen horse then I would have to find my chainsaw and then try to get it working!

Oh yeah!  I'll have you know I get a senior discount at MacDonalds. So there!

I do appreciate all the support in this matter - it warms the cockles of my heart (not sure what those are but they are idiomatically warmed)

:)



Sleep with clean hands ...

FierceKitty

MacDonald's uses frozen horses?!  :o
I don't drink coffee to wake up. I wake up to drink coffee.

Techno

If either of our cars' batteries goes.....I do the same as Jim, and get a man with a van to come out and change it. (The AA in our case)
Von's Land Rover is so old it's still got a cassette player in it.....Mine's a tad more modern  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D......It has a CD player.

We don't 'do' modern mobile phones. The PC's bad enough !!

Sympathies, Bill.

Cheers - Phil


petercooman

Quote from: jimduncanuk on 04 January 2018, 04:09:41 PM
I have a gadget on my car that talks to my phone and it tells me lots of things including that the battery is failing.



I have a speaker in my car roof, and when my wife calls me i hear her voice everywhere around me. Now that's horror right there.  ;D

Sunray

I took my son's new Merc out for a spin during the hols.  A warning light flashed on the dash- couldn't read it without reading specs.  Pulled onto hard shoulder - got out specs

warning (sic) light advised me that that there was "no malfunction" .

Only a Germanic mind would need to know that.  8)

fsn

Ah! Wasn't that NO malfunction, as in "nitric oxide"?

NO is a product of internal combustion engienes. The NO warning could be that it exceeding pollution limits?

Either that, or did you notice a bottle of nitic acid maybe dripping onto mercury - perhaps a freak thermometer accident? 

... or was your commanding parent voice failing to have the desired effect?

... or did you get Amy Winehouse to rehab?

... or were you  being followed by a wobbly sinister Eurasian character with a scar and a doctorate? 

... or, and I find this most likely, the back seats were filled by illiterate and not very skilled Japanese thespians?


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Techno

Last time (about six months ago) a strange warning light came on......I had to look it up the 'the net'.....We didn't get a manual when we got the wee car.

"What the fekk does that mean ? " thought I. "Pants...better take it down to the local garage." (They are REALLY good, and not rip-off merchants.0

Matey plugged some diagnostic 'wossname' into the car.....booted it up.
"Hmmm...don't know exactly what's causing that," said he....I'll have a look around, under the bonnet.

"Here we go....a chewed wire."

£15 for his time.....That was it.

Cheers - Phil