Category: Auto

car problems

Monday, 11 April, 2005 at 6:43 pm

I’m bored! I’m not supposed to be bored! I’m supposed to be happy that I’m not in class! Gah!

Okay now that I’ve said that … Saturday I asked Mickey to change the oil in my car, because it’s been about 3,000 miles since the last change (50 miles short, nyeeeh). He looked at it … and maybe Daddy looked at it too … and he talked to Mum about this odd bit of information he discovered. I’ve got too much oil in my engine. :O Or, that’s how it is according to the dipstick. Mickey said there was about 2 inches length from the “max” line to the actual line the oil is at.

Mum pulled out this folder of stuff on my car, where she had the receipt from CarMax about the last oil change. The receipt had a charge for 4 quarts of oil. My owner’s manual says my engine should have 5 quarts in the engine. How could one quart less be two inches over the max line? The previous oil change was at EZ Lube, and they put in 5 quarts. Or that’s what they charged us for anyway.

Mum told Mickey to just use 4.5 quarts, then if it’s not up to the max, then put in another .5 quart. But he said he’d rather know what he’s supposed to do. Bah. So Mum has to take my car in to CarMax to ask them about it. (Yes, Mum, because I cannot talk to non-educational staff about anything in any sort of intelligible manner [not that I talk to teachers or counselors in an intelligible manner either …], and besides, I still don’t know how to get to CarMax. ahaha)

Now for the other, more worrisome matter: The CarMax receipt said the oil change was at 15,000 miles thereabouts. Okay, fine, I’m at 18,150 somewhere. The EZ Lube oil change was performed at 8000 miles? Or something really horrible like that. Before that … we bought the car. *headdesk*

In normal circumstances, going 7000 miles before an oil change is … horrible. Too bad my car isn’t under normal circumstances. There was some article in the newspaper about … umm … darn, I don’t really know. Dodge engines, or Chrysler engines, or DaimlerChrysler engines, or Dodge Stratus engines, or to get extremely specific, 2.7 liter magnum Dodge engines. I don’t really know. One of those. Or something else I haven’t listed. But anyway. The problem is that the engine tends to develop “sludge” in … uhh … oil areas. *blink* Hey, I never said I knew car engines.

The article mainly talked about this one woman who got oil changes every 7000 miles, since that’s what the car company recommends, saying that’s all it takes for good maintenance…. So we (Mum, Mickey, and I) pretty much just ignored the article … resolving to get an oil change every 3000 miles. (I wasn’t worried because I hadn’t realized Mum went longer than 3000 miles for an oil change more than once.) Then … I think, I forget … something changed … oh, there was this webpage online where a guy said he got an oil change every 3000 miles, he even has receipts, and his engine still went bust. And that he’s selling replacement engines for $3000. *sweatdrop*

But other than that, Mum didn’t find any other problems people had with the 2001 Dodge Stratus. Not really. (Some people had/have problems with their Chrysler Sebrings veering suddenly out of the lane. o_o Creepy.) Mum pretty much said, “Expect your car to die on you anywhere from 30k to 70k miles.” I said, “Then are we going to buy that replacement engine?” And she said, “No, we’re just going to buy another car!” me: “But I want my car to last 60k miles! I don’t know that I’ll find a car that I like this much!” Umm … yeah. ;-; I love my car, dangit! Although I probably won’t buy another car from DaimlerChrysler, except for maybe vans … even Tadash admits Chrysler isn’t good, and he likes them! (bg info: Mickey likes loves Chevy, Hidek likes Ford, and Tadash likes Chrysler.)

I used to like Dodge … but now I’m not so sure. I probably wouldn’t buy a Japanese car, ever … even though they have good reliability (government regulation; where the hell is our government?!), just because I don’t believe they’d drive like a Dodge. ^^;; *loves how Dodge cars drive* VROOM VROOM! *laughs*

Okay I’m not insane, keep those white jackets away.

Yes, because I have Mickey for my brother, I’d already tentatively picked out my next car, at his insistence: Acura TL. (There’re two Acura TLs in the staff parking lot on campus. ^^ And I saw a third one on campus last week.) The TL is, um, a luxury car. >_> (Hey, Mickey is looking at the Cadillac CTS! Don’t look at me like that!) I think base price is $32,000. Yeah. Uh. I definitely wouldn’t have that much money by the time my car gets to 30k miles. I think by then I’d just barely have a job. Or … maybe I’d still be finishing college. *eep*

But I love my car! I’d planned to keep it for 8 years, or longer! I love it that much! I just can’t imagine that I’d find a car as cool as mine! Well, I could, but probably not with good mileage and (fairly) good reliability along with it. And a $20k price tag. ehehe. *sigh* Pray to God my car is fine! ^^

4/15/05: Asked Mum; it’s the 2.7 liter magnum engine that has the problem.

car; video games

Tuesday, 21 December, 2004 at 12:16 am

What’d I do today … went to Carmax to get my new CD-player … took an hour and forty-five minutes to find out that they ordered the wrong thing and my CD player is still broked. ;_;

I spent about $20 at Michael’s. So I have … $93 again. *sniffleweep* Oh well. I don’t really want a DS that badly. :b I guess I give up on video games at this point and time. I’ll still play them … but I won’t really go buy new ones or anything.

vacation, all I ever wanted

Saturday, 18 December, 2004 at 9:42 pm

I had to turn off the commenting for non-registered peoples ’cause that casino spam bot thing found this site and has been posting ads all over my entries … grrrs. Sorry.

Hm … technically the end of my first week of vacation … hehe. What have I done … lots of computer stuff of course, cleaned my room closet and desk (yay, more space!), went to the dentist (he was an extra in Memoirs of a Geisha!), bought a Blender magazine with Gwen Stefani on the cover … I guess that’s pretty much it.

I haven’t seen Closer yet. :( I thought we were going Thursday but then when I said, “So we’re going to Century City after my dentist’s appointment?” Mommy had no idea what I was talking about. She would have been willing to go except Hidek said he had to go to Mitsuwa to buy sushi for a party he had in one class or another on Friday. So … meh. We’re gonna go Monday.

My new CD player for my car finally came in! XD We’re gonna go get it Monday. I just hope they can give me my CD back. *nervous*

I set up this fake account in Quicken so I could figure out what kind of stuff I buy … I’m not really done yet, I have to figure in my checking account … and I know I’m missing many receipts … but in the past 4 years and a half (because yes I am a freak and saved most all my receipts in that time), I’ve spent the most on … well that would be education (over $1000), but ignoring that one … the most I’ve spent on is … anime and anime merchandise!!! Is that such a big surprise? :b Over six hundred freaking dollars! But keep in mind that DVDs and artbooks cost mucho bucks. Also, I probably bought a lot of music online that I don’t have a recording for, so it wasn’t counted in … I spent about $300 each on CDs, manga, and books. I don’t remember the number for comics, but it’s probably lower than it should be as well, since I don’t have recordings for about half the Sandman comics I bought (five of them, each being about $20). I think I spent $100 on clothes, but that is veeery skewed since Mum and Daddy pay for my clothes. hehe. ^^

Anyway … that was probably boring to everyone else but me. Oh well. *grin*

baaaaad week/Adam

Thursday, 14 October, 2004 at 10:22 pm

Uh. I forget why I opened this. (It’s 12:04 now. O.o;;;)

Um. My CD-player in my car ate my CDs. They were my Muse “Absolution” and New Found Glory “Sticks and Stones” CDs. :( (Then of course Hidek had to make a jab at NFG, calling them mainstream … *rolleyes*) Yeah. The CD-player’s been acting up for a while anyway. Maybe up to a month or so. First, when the first CD finished and it switched to the second CD, it’d only say ERR and then no music. Last week it worked, though … but then today my CDs won’t come out. O_o They both played fine while I was driving home. They just won’t come out. Or reload into the CD player. (It keeps saying ERR.)

Niiice way to end such a great week. Mum said that everyone’s been having a bad week. O.o Hidek had his wallet stolen because he forgot to lock up his pants during P.E. … but the person who stole it did NOT find his MP3 player in the other pocket. :O Talk about luck. Or stupidity, on the thief’s part. :b

Anyway. Mum also threw in a comment about … yeah, negative vibes around us. Hm. They traveled with me all the way to college. *laughs* Or maybe someone’s got a voodoo doll with our last name on it. *nodnod* (Even though voodoo dolls don’t work. … After Sylvia Browne said that she also said that voodon is a beautiful religion. o.o I didn’t know there was a religion.)

I finished reading The Da Vinci Code this week. Yesterday, to be exact. (Wednesday yesterday, not Thursday yesterday. >_>) I only had a couple pages left to read. I read the majority of the ending on Monday. I didn’t have any chem work to do (or none that I could remember anyway -_-;;;) and I didn’t feel like taking my math book with me. So I spent most my time reading that. :b I even read during Logic. We were working on … syllogism. Which I don’t remember the definition of at the moment. (On Monday it was easy. But then on Wednesday they stepped it up and my mind was kind of fuzzy/sleepy and I felt so lost. ;_;)

So on Monday I looked through the book, because Mum wondered where Dan Brown did his research because it sounded a lot like what Sylvia Browne said. In the front there was an Acknowledgement page and the author thanked The Gnostic Society Library. XD That’s so cool! You have to admit that’s cool or I don’t like you any more. *turns away* Okay I’m being weird. But it’s still cool. I wonder what sort of stuff they have in there. Hopefully nothing like what I read in this one bookstore about the history of Gnosticism. >_> (It said Gnosticism started in the Hellenistic Age and came from paganism. O_o?)

The only really weird part about the book for me is the sex ritual stuff. Poor misguided fools. I’m not saying sex isn’t good. *blink* … *coughs* But they made it … like a part of their beliefs. Really odd interpretation. … Of this, uh, thing, I don’t know what it’s called, but you need male and female traits to become spiritually whole. The book (I know it’s a novel …) said that, then the character went off about the sex ritual stuff, and I just thought, ‘Whuzzat? O_o’ Hm, I wonder who it was who said you need male and female … or something like that, I don’t remember exactly what Mum told me. What it means is you need intelligence and emotion to become spiritually whole.

My brain is too tired to even understand what I’m trying to think. Oh well.

To explain the title of this entry … (and everyone goes to check it out) … I have my own theory about this bad week. You see. There was one very different event that happened this week that’s never happened before. I got on aim Monday night to talk to Adam, I did. At the end of the convo he wished me a GOOD WEEK. Yes. Adam? Don’t ever do that again. :b

Harold and Maude

Saturday, 9 October, 2004 at 12:26 am

All plans to get to bed at a reasonable time have shattered … stupid computer. It’s a black hole for time, or something.

Anyway. Today I saw Garden State for the second time because my friend hadn’t seen it. XD He liked it. Yay!

Also today, Mum had me watch Harold and Maude. Woah. So many similarities. It’s weird. Not the story, really (guy learning how to live, love … basic plot). But like … funeral, check, drugs, check (very minor in HaM though :P), cop scene, check, parents not really thinking of the kid, check … lots of weird stuff.

Anyway. So I went to the haroldandmaude LJ community.

“… apparently the writer and director [of Garden State] is obsessed with harold and maude and made all of the actors in the movie watch it and analyze it before they started filming. and it is suppose to be similar to harold and maude in certain ways.”

Haha. Love it.

Zach Braff is directing/directed Scrubs episode 408. Mwa. I had a sudden light of inspiration and checked his blog and found that out then went to Yahoo to check and the episode won’t be playing at least for another ten days. I don’t really know if I’d notice anything though, I don’t usually watch Scrubs ’cause it’s on at a time that I’d like to be asleep. ^_^;;

I went to bed around midnight a week ago and this past week has been the easiest week for me to fall asleep. But I haven’t talked to Adam for over a week either. :( There’s gotta be a balance somewhere. Go on aim tomorrow, I order thee (talking to myself).

I’m saving Garden State and Harold & Maude LJ icons. :b I need more icon space. Blah blah blah …

Garden State, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lost in Translation, and Harry Potter. This person rocks. If she’d only do Spiderman 2 and that would be all the movies I’ve seen in the past year. I also think I should see Trainspotting. And Amelie.

… Mum said she’d help me wash my car. Yay! I don’t like washing my car. I mean … not that often. *hasn’t washed her car for a couple months now* I didn’t get my wheel rims completely clean last weekend. ;_; Two hours soaking my hands in Dawn … dry peeling skin during the week … my nails dried out and, er, required serious trimming (the tips tore off >.>) … and there’s still @$#! on the rims! There was also bird poop on my car. ;_; My car, my car … *cries*

12:14 goodnight wonder what kind of dreams I’ll have having seen GS and HaM. Wonder if I’ll be able to remember them.