beep-beep beep-beep yeah!
parley and i are going to chicago this weekend because he somehow scored tickets to the promise ring's one time reunion show this saturday. i've never really listened to the band before, but parley really wanted me to go...and i like chicago a lot...and we have a free place to stay (our friend drew)...and there's an ikea store in shaumburg. we decided that we'll take my car up there to save on gas (little japanese car vs giant american truck...car always wins), which has dropped to about 2.15/gal.
*digression: i hate how i think that's cheap for gas right now. i remember when gas was less than a dollar...when paying 1.50/gal.was considered expensive...and now that i've experienced gas that cost over 3.00/gal, 2.15 suddenly seems so great. ugh. i shouldnt be feeling winds of change like this in my early 20's.
anyway, i figured it would probably be a good idea to get the car tuned up before we made that kind of trek. i'd noticed that my car's idle had gotten a lot more rumbley, and it was only getting 28mi/gal. on the highway as opposed to something in the 30's. i took it to the friendly meineke down the street and they said they'd take a look and call me back with an estimate.
turns out that all the spark plugs were in need of replacement and the wires that were connecting them were of such poor quality that one had actually frayed apart. my 4-cylinder car had been running on only 3 for heaven-knows-how-long. they also replaced the distributor roter, but the distributor cap was deemed salvagable- and that saved me about 40 bucks. total damage to my checking account: $120.22- half for parts, half for labor (i passed it by parley, my resident rip-off detector, and he said the price was legit). the great thing was that i could really tell a difference in my car performance when i picked it up. the major rumble was next to gone, and the acceleration had dramatically improved. i'll no doubt save money on gas, too.
this whole experience has left me feeling extrordinairly responsible, mostly because this is the first car repair that i've paid for all by my self (well, i had to borrow some from parley, but i'm gonna pay him back...).
*digression: i hate how i think that's cheap for gas right now. i remember when gas was less than a dollar...when paying 1.50/gal.was considered expensive...and now that i've experienced gas that cost over 3.00/gal, 2.15 suddenly seems so great. ugh. i shouldnt be feeling winds of change like this in my early 20's.
anyway, i figured it would probably be a good idea to get the car tuned up before we made that kind of trek. i'd noticed that my car's idle had gotten a lot more rumbley, and it was only getting 28mi/gal. on the highway as opposed to something in the 30's. i took it to the friendly meineke down the street and they said they'd take a look and call me back with an estimate.
turns out that all the spark plugs were in need of replacement and the wires that were connecting them were of such poor quality that one had actually frayed apart. my 4-cylinder car had been running on only 3 for heaven-knows-how-long. they also replaced the distributor roter, but the distributor cap was deemed salvagable- and that saved me about 40 bucks. total damage to my checking account: $120.22- half for parts, half for labor (i passed it by parley, my resident rip-off detector, and he said the price was legit). the great thing was that i could really tell a difference in my car performance when i picked it up. the major rumble was next to gone, and the acceleration had dramatically improved. i'll no doubt save money on gas, too.
this whole experience has left me feeling extrordinairly responsible, mostly because this is the first car repair that i've paid for all by my self (well, i had to borrow some from parley, but i'm gonna pay him back...).
posted by suz at 5:05 PM
3 Comments:
I'm proud of you Suz. Have fun in Chicago. I'd ask you to kiss the ground for me, but just being there and enjoying it is enough. Drive safely.
In Lebanon they always complain about the price of Gas. It's like, $13 for 5 gallons, which really isn't expensive, especially after Germany where 5 gallons would cost about $25.
AHHHHHHH! I really, really, really wish I had know you would be in Chicago this weekend. Sigh... there will be plenty of other opportunities to get Sam a Step 2 Step Straight Shot Roller coaster.
Be safe, have fun, and please look for normal cereal bowls at Ikea... if you see some for $2/each or so CALL ME on my cell phone. I am in desperate need of average size cereal bowls, as mine are in despereate need of being trashed.
watch out for that responsible bug. it has a nasty bite.
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