Service Car Soon

Just before I got to Dickinson, North Dakota for my last performance, the Sable's "Service Car Soon" light went on.  Well, it was time for another oil change, I figured.

While writing my blog at McDonald's, I noticed the usual table of old guys, the ones who come for cheap coffee and an hour of conversation, most of which is about the dangers of socialism and aren't we communists now?  all while spending their social security for a second cuppa.  They were Fox watchers, old farts who buy into anything O'Reilly says, but guys like that know their mechanics.  They steered me to a Jiffy Lube two blocks down the street.

I got the oil change and a new filter to replace the filthy old one and the opinion that there was nothing wrong with the car, though I might eventually need a new battery.  The light was off.

I finished up the last performance and headed east on 94.   Twenty miles out of Dickinson the "Service Car Soon" was back.  I drove until I got to New Salem and had the Napa guy there use his electronic device to check for problems.  There were none.   "That car is in great shape," he said.   The light was off.

I drove on and in another half hour, the light was on again.  I called Gary who told me about the Buick his family had that did the same thing, even when it was brand new.  He suggested covering the light with black masking tape.

Certainly the car has had its little idiosyncrasies before this, such as a light showing that the car doors were open when they weren't and the interior light going on for no reason.  Before I even left for the trip, Gary unscrewed that light.  No point in waking up to a dead battery.  

This morning I set off from Jamestown, North Dakota.  There was a storm brewing to the west that would go through North Dakota during the day and Minnesota tonight.  There was no point in trying to camp and I didn't want to pay for another motel so I drove through.

The light remained the same until I got into the heavy traffic at Minneapolis/St. Paul.  Then it started to flash.  I stayed in the right lane so I could pull onto the wide shoulder should the car stop.  Then that shoulder disappeared and I weaved over to the left lane where there was now a wide shoulder.  And back and forth all the way into Wisconsin.

Now I am home after thirteen hours of driving..  The car never did give me all that much trouble other than overheating in high altitudes.  

I will reward it with another tuneup at J.J.'s