The $850 ice bag

Have I ever mentioned that I intesely dislike cars? I'd be perfectly content to move to a small town where I could do all errands and kid-carting with a bike and trailer. But, then, there's the winter and snow... so it wouldn't work out. But in my mind it looks perfect.

It's 2 pm. We're making our monthly pilgrimage to Costco (only monthly because of it's proximity to us and the steadily climbing gas prices). Just as we are about to get on the freeway we hear a clunk, clunk, ka-chink! Repeated a few times. Sounded like maybe we ran over some gravel. After all, we were near a construction area. A few minutes later Aaron gasps and pulls off the freeway. What? The car was over-heating.

So we pull off to a gas station and pop the hood. We couldn't find anything except we noticed that the radiator fluid was actually boiling. A little scary. After further inspection we find a plastic ice bag plastered on the outside of the radiator, preventing air flow into it. Thus the whole reason for overheating. That little ka-chinking sound must have been ice.

So we remove the ice bag, toss it in the trash and give the car a few more minutes to cool. We then hop in a drive back home, and not to Costco. By the time we get home, the thermostat has been on hot for a while. So we take the car in the next day and they check it out. Some kind of water belt needs to be replaced. That'll be $200.00.

So we go pick it up the next day just to find out that it's actually not done. They had taken it for a drive and heard lots of "sqeaking". The timing belt needs to be replaced. Awesome. That'll be another $650.

I hate cars. Such a money-pit.

Now I find myself swerving when there is a plastic bag anywhere in the vicinity of our approaching car.

Stay tuned for "I hate cars II" coming soon.