After A Long, Short Local Trip, I knew I was in for a bit of a car repair bill, but the magnitude of it still gave me a shock. The immediate culprit was the slave cylinder and hoses for the hydraulic clutch, all of which had to be replaced.
The second wallop was from the lingering “check engine” light, whose vague phrasing must’ve tested better with the focus groups than an “open wallet” light. Not one, but both oxygen sensors were broken, and carried the usual price tag of anything electronic. As an aside, the trend of expensive electronics in previously “dumb” mechanical devices is only going to increase; Brian just told me that his recent air conditioner problems were purely due to incorrect settings on its electronic controller.
So, two major repairs, plus towing and diagnostic fees topped out just shy of four figures. The latter does bug me a bit; one of the excuses for doing the ScanGauge Installation was to save a few bucks by just telling them what the error codes were. Alas, computerized engines are too sophisticated for that; there’s a whole slew of information that has to be extracted for an exact diagnosis.
On the plus side, the Maxima is paid off, so after the equivalent of three months worth of payments, it’ll be free and clear again. Actually, better make that four - the radiator hoses are getting worn…
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