Car Woes

Over the weekend, I received a notice from Honda informing me that the warranty on my transmission has been extended to 100,000 miles due to a potential problem with "juddering and slippage." I've been noticing this shuddering feeling when I start up from stoplights for quite some time now. I have no clue how long; I can remember feeling it just after moving up here last February. I'm pretty sure, now that I've read the warranty extension letter, that it applies to my car. I wouldn't have bothered otherwise. The car is completely driveable, and the problem won't cause an accident. I have noticed that my gas mileage has been pretty bad for a hybrid. I hope the two are related. It would be nice to have both fixed in one fell swoop. Yay for free car fixes!

Also, if the car is not driveable according to the dealership, they'll hook me up with a free basic car rental for my trip. I'm not sure what a basic car is, but I heard "free car rental" and began hoping the car really isn't driveable. I plan to ask a mechanic to check the transmission if the dealership claims it's good enough for a trip to Oregon. I wonder how much I'd have to bribe them to say I need the rental...

Well, you say, those don't sound like "woes" at all. If you said that, you are right! The woe part comes in when I start to consider the amount of time (and money) I'm going to be spending at the mechanic this week. Since my car is close to 100,000 miles, I felt it was best to get it in before my Wednesday trip. I made an appointment for the 90k mile tune-up with a mechanic here in town for Tuesday. Luckily, they have a shuttle and will give me a ride to work after I drop off the car. They also have promised to get me back to my car before my scout meeting at 3pm. I haven't ever used this mechanic before, but they are the only in-town ones that specialize in imports.

I've been taking our cars to Landis Automotive for 6 years now, and I miss them terribly. Landis specializes in Hondas. I don't often trust mechanics, but this place is awesome. The first time we drove into their driveway with a problem, the owner got down on his back and went under the car, for free. We weren't pre-existing customers and we didn't know the guy. He just felt that was good service, so he did it. Apparently it was a good decision on his part, since I took both cars there until we moved out of the area. He always remembered me as the co-owner of a white CRX. He had a special affinity for CRX's. Now I have to find a new mechanic, and it's always a gamble.

Anyway, since tomorrow the car is getting a tune-up, that leaves Wednesday for the warranty appointment at the dealership. And do they have a shuttle service, like the mechanic? No! I have to drop the car off and get a ride to work. Luckily, Justin starts work at the same time I do that day, so he can just drop me off a little early. I am afraid that the dealership won't be honest with me about anything, particularly the transmission. I've never had a good experience with a dealership's mechanics. Usually, they overcharge, but I suppose that is par for the course among mechanics. I've taken my car to a dealership that charged labor on a "free tire rotation," dealerships that won't do warranty work unless I buy car accessories, and a dealership that told me up front they didn't care about my car, since I didn't buy it from them. Since the appointment isn't for 2 days, I'm probably going to worry about it until then.

In the meantime, I have a special assignment from my department head. Over the past week, I collected information about my direct supervisor. Tonight, I am supposed to write up a report on him, incorporating the comments from my direct reports. The department head let me know that it is possible, based on my report, that they will censure or demote the guy. Just how is one supposed to write a review of one's boss, knowing that even if he gets demoted, he'll still be my direct supervisor? I mean, admittedly, he is senile, can't work as a team member and has no leadership skills to speak of. But I can't write that, can I? He's still better than the boss at my last job, but mainly because he doesn't have the power to affect my raises or job security. I have just as little respect for him, though. I am glad that the department head realizes he put this guy in too deep, and that he will listen to the comments of the junior staff. I just wish the department head had understood my boss' limitations before hiring him!

Hmm... I seem a little negative today. I suppose the 9 hour work day had something to do with it. Here's a positive: only 2 more days until vacation!