Or reasons why it's good to be a sweet-looking girl with a nice smile and the ability to make her eyes look very big and pitiful.
I took my car to get inspected on Saturday. It didn't pass the safety inspection, but I got the sticker anyway. My car has had a light on on the dashboard for, oh, about a year. I've read on some message boards about it and apparently it's rather common in my car and often ends up being nothing more than a short and not a real indication that there's a hazard. I've had oil changes and been on road trips in the meantime and the car is ok. The ONLY way I can get it checked out is to pay $80 to the dealer so they can hook it up to their extra-fancy, super-secret Ford machines to diagnose the problem. $80 bucks! And that's not even to fix it or anything, but just to hook it up. Those of you who've been reading for awhile know I've never been what you'd call "well-to-do" and $80 seems rather extreme in my mind for not even fixing the problem.
So Saturday the guy came into the waiting area at the gas station and told me that the light was on and asked if I had a place where I could take it because that was a problem for the safety inspection. I'm sure I must have looked pitiful as I told him that when I was in Massachusetts I was told that only the dealer's special machines could figure out the problem and it would cost me $80 just to get my car hooked up to the machine. He said, "Hold on" and went out to try to hook my car up to their machines. No go. So I sat there waiting for him to finish the emissions check (which I passed fair and square) wondering where I was going to come up with $80 to get the light checked, not to mention whatever it cost to fix the thing if there was, in fact, a problem before January 31st.
The guy pulled my car out of the garage and I went out to meet him. He leaned in and said, "I'm going to pass you. But you have to get that checked as soon as you can." I nodded dumbly and thanked him profusely and drove off with my happy little inspection sticker on the windshield.
I'm feeling a little bad about this now. Like it was ok when I knew the light was on, but I still had a passing inspection sticker and knew I was fine according to the state. But now I've been told it's not ok, not really.
Here's the thing though. Last year the light was on and the Massachusetts gas station people had NO problem with it. I thought for sure it would come up, but they didn't mention it. Now, Virginia and Massachusetts have some sort of reciprocity going with their inspections so I figure it's not a huge deal if the Mass guys didn't even mention it. Of course, there's also the slim chance that my boys at my gas station in Cambridge let it slide because I always went there for gas and such. Hmm....
Well, I'm going to try not to feel too bad about it and just as soon as I am making a decent amount of money such that shelling out $80 for nothing more than hooking my car up to a machine doesn't make me choke and sputter with indignation, I'll get that light taken care of.
8 comments:
You can buy your own car computer for about 200 bucks or so. It doesnt take too many $80 checkings to make that pay off, and then you can charge your friends too!
jason
Glad you passed and that the car is ok.
Have you thought of filing a complaint with the better business bureau and asking for BBB arbitration with Ford over the light going on when there is nothing wrong?
Seriously, the people on this blog give the worst advice ever. Here is what you should do: enjoy your year grace period for your car inspection. In the meantime, get a job. Then, when inspection time comes 'round again pay the $80, get a new car, or ride a bike. It's really that simple.
Bad advice? I consider it bad advice to overpay for something that doesn't need to be done. Find someone with a computer, get the readout, reset the light, and fix the problem (if there is one). Or keep going to gas stations that don't care. No need to pay a lot of money for it. Then again, I am not rich.
The $80.00 is called the "diagnostic fee" by Ford. They don't give free consultations like some professions do. Ford should remember that the next time they need legal services. Hmmm, however I'm sure whoever handles Ford Motors' legal services has totally "sucked um dry" legally speaking. :)
Well, I'm not too concerned about it right now since I do have that inspection sticker on my windshield. I'll take care of it when the time does roll around again or when I get a real job, whatever comes first.
Anon 2, a friend of Jason's actually has one of those computers, which has apparently come in pretty handy so far. Just sayin'.
You can get your car checked out for free and get the light reset at any auto zone
Consider yourself lucky that you found a lenient inspector not trying to rip you off. Safety inspections are just a boondooggle anyway, and there are many research studies done now that show they don't reduce accident rates. Only 18 states still have them, most have thrown them out, they are just a taxing and money making scheme for mechanics, politicians, and car dealers.
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