On Being a Helpless Woman

Thursday, June 5, 2008
So I took the Jeep in for its first service today. I've had it for 6 months, and even though I only have 2,700 miles on it, the owner's manual indicated I should take it in at 6,000 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first.

Yeah. I don't get out much.

I hate going to mechanics, because I am not mechanically inclined, and so am forced to trust their word for it when they tell me what they've "found." But the fact that I'm not mechanically inclined does not mean I'm stupid.

My Jeep's tire pressure sensor is wonky. Since the 2nd day I had it, the "tire pressure warning" light would go off for no apparent reason when it was cold outside. More recently, it would go off when it was hot outside. At first, I would dutifully check the pressure to ensure I wasn't driving on low tires, but then I started to ignore it, based on the "Boy Who Cried Wolf" logic.

So when I took it in, I mentioned to the in-take guy what my experience had been, and asked him to have his mechanic take a look. The conversation went like this:

Me: The tire pressure sensor appears to be wonky. It goes off for no apparent reason when the temperature gets too hot or too cold.

MCP: Oh, we always check the tire pressure.

Me: There's nothing wrong with the tire pressure. I know how to check the tire pressure. The sensor appears to be too sensitive.

MCP: (rolls eyes) Temperature fluctuations can cause the pressure to go up or down. We'll check the tire pressure.

Me: I checked the pressure. The sensor has been alarming since the second day I had it.

MCP: We'll check it.

Yeah, I'm sure you will, you nimrod. Right after you get done joking with the mechanic about the stupid woman who owns this Jeep who thinks she knows something about the vehicle.

Not surprisingly, the tire pressure was a bit low in all four tires (yeah, right), and the pressure sensors are working as designed (Hmmm-mmm).

Whatever. I hate going to the mechanic.

I got spoiled when I owned a Honda, and my Hot Cousin's Smart Man was the Service Manager of the local dealership.

Now I'm back to being a member of the great unwashed, and boy, does it suck.

3 comments:

Random Michelle K said...

I really like the place we take our car.

The guy who does much of the work actually listens when we're talking, and even if I'm with Michael, if I am talking, he listens to what I say and doesn't look at Michael.

Unfortunately, I don't think you'd keep your low mileage if you went to our local garage.

Worst offender ever? When we were looking to buy our current car, we couldn't find a standard transmission Corolla anywhere. So we decided to test drive an automatic, just to get a feel for the car.

I drive, the sales guy gets in the front seat, Michael gets in the back. I ask questions while I'm driving about the car, including bringing up issues we had with the Camry, and how those things were dealt with in newer model Toyotas.

We finish the test drive, and the salesman has us stop in an open area. He gets out and says, "Michelle, why don't you pop the hood so Michael can take a look."

Excuse me? I did the test drive. I asked the questions. Why the hell does having a Y chromosome mean MICHAEL needs to look at the damned engine?

Needless to say, we did not purchase a car from that dealership.

Jim Wright said...

Temperature fluctuations can cause the pressure to go up or down.

Uh, yeaaaaah, that's true - but unless the fluctuation is like 100 degrees it couldn't possibly change the pressure enough to trip the sensor. But since at least one of them is tripping, and it is obviously temperature related, and according to idiot boy it passes diagnostics - then it is defective material wise.

Janiece, do this - make sure the tires are properly inflated and the system is not alarming. Then carefully vent a couple of psi from each tire in turn (do this at the gas station, if you don't have an air compressor at home). Just a couple of psi, and see which tire causes the system to alarm. Then take it back and and tell chauvinist boy which sensor is bad and needs to be replaced.

The Mechanicky Gal said...

I am soooo glad I have a trained mechanic at-the-ready (and dating him, too! That helps).
I am the Knowledgable Assistant.
I have gone so far as to have one fo the guys I work with take the car in so that I don't have to deal with the eye roll.
I cannot be resposible for my actions if I get the eye-roll....