Thursday, August 21, 2008

Possessed

There are only 2 options. Either I have inherited Kitt from Knight Rider, or my car is possessed by some malevolent spirit. Any way you look at it, my car has a brain of its own, and I sure don't like it. My car problems have been too uncanny to believe otherwise. Ever since I bought my car, I've had the exact same problem, on the exact same occasion every year. And it happens to be annoying that my car's spirit flares up at exactly this occasion every year, because it causes lots of hassle in my life.

This occasion I speak of is safety and emissions time. It's no pleasant time for anybody, but my car has an especially dark sense of humor. Without fail, every year, as I drive to the inspection station, my check engine light comes on. Every year. Now everybody knows that your car will automatically fail with that light on, but I've become defiant and try it anyway. When I get there, they of course tell me that it will fail, and reset the battery. You have to drive 50 miles after resetting the battery before they can test your car. All seems to go well until, inevitably, as the odometer rolls from 49 to 50, the light turns on again. As you might guess, it usually takes me months to finesse my car into cooperating with me. This year I sure was praying that it wouldn't happen. But, in a last-minute tussle, Kitt regained his senses and flipped on the check engine light as I drove to get my car inspected. It is quite disconcerting, and I am not exaggerating. If anybody has special talents in casting spirits out of cars, please do let me know.

6 comments:

Jecca Lee Ivie Johnson said...

I'm so sorry to hear that your car is out to get you. Ours is a bit possessed, too. We are usually just driving along, minding our own business when WHAM, out of no where, our car locks itself down, flashes it lights and does a triple click. It wouldn't be that big of a problem except that it has been doing it pretty much any time we idle at a stop light. People around us must think we are butt holes flashing our lights at them. We usually just try to look aloof. Cars: can't live with them, can't shoot them.

A said...

Move to Idaho. They don't require inspections. Or get Idaho plates and renew each year as if you were my neighbor and then this will all go away. You could also go to an oil change place and they can turn off the check engine light for ou and you can drive onto the inspections lot about 3 miles after having it reset.

chelsea mckell said...

maybe you just need to be nicer to your car. ever thought of getting a good wax job? premium fuel? perhaps serenading with flowers and the bottled drink of its choice? if you do choose the latter method, please post pictures.

Wes said...

Have you tried figuring out WHY the light is turning on...other than it being possessed? If you take it to an Auto Zone or Checker/Schucks/Kragen they will attach a handy dandy reader to your OBDII port which will give a code that tells you why the light is coming on. They do it for free even!

That is uncanny timing though!

Good Luck!

Heather Sanders said...

Yes, Wes... I have become too familiar with diagnostics tests. Most of the time, it's just been some weird malfunction and there's no valid code. But most recently it's that the fuel gauge is off. But, I didn't know they did it for free at those places. Dually noted. Thanks!

Wes said...

:-(