This weather report is a lead-in to my thankfuls this week.
The brake light has been coming on in my minivan (shut up) for, oh, several months now. At first, it only came on when I made a hard right turn, then went back out as soon as the wheels straightened. It began staying on longer and longer and progressed to coming on not only when I was making a right turn, but also if I hit a bump while going straight and occasionally when I turned left. Now, a brake warning light might alarm some people, but not me. That's because my tire pressure light is on nearly all the time, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the tire pressure in the car (yes, I check them periodically, and yes, as a matter of fact, I DO carry a tire gauge in my car at all times, courtesy of my daddy). I chalked the brake light up to being another malfunction of a vehicle with 144,000 miles on it.
Monday, when I was leaving work to find my car was covered with ice, I tried to open the sliding door on the driver's side (shut UP) to get the ice scraper, but it was stuck tight. I was able to get the driver's door open, though, and wrangled the scraper out from behind the seat, chipped ice off the windshield, and went home to take Finn to the vet. As I pulled out of my parking space at the vet's office, the brake light not only came on, but it was accompanied by a dinging noise. Obviously, this was VERY not good. I drove home with dinging and the brake light going on and off, and as soon as I got home, I told my husband about it and that maybe it was time to get the car looked at. We decided to take it in the next morning.
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| My sweet Finn. |
Tuesday morning, still bitter cold and icy outside, I put the car in reverse to back out of the driveway, and the brake light came on and the car began dinging again. And it dinged continually all the way to the tire shop. I pulled into the parking lot and put the car in park, and the dinging stopped. I put it back into gear, and ding ding ding ding. Back in park, and it stopped.
That's when I remembered that I had tried to open the sliding door the day before when the car was coated with ice. I had used the remote to try to open it, but the door just made a trying sound.
The dinging. Was not. The brakes. It was the "door ajar" alarm. The only reason it didn't occur to me that that was the cause of the dinging was because the "door ajar" symbol was not displayed on the dashboard.
So Thankful #1 is that I figured out the dinging was NOT an audible brake warning before I announced to the men at the tire shop that, not only was the brake warning light on, but the brake warning alarm was going off as well. Thank you, sweet baby Jesus, for saving me from THAT humiliation!
2. The brakes really were bad. Like, really bad. Like, we had to replace both the front AND the back brakes. I'm thankful that the door ajar alarm created an urgency to get the brakes checked, as it could have been oh, so not good if I had let them go too much longer.
3. They checked the tire pressure warning light and said the tire pressure was fine, but the batteries in the sensors (located in the wheel) were low, and that was the reason for the light being on. At $79 per wheel to replace them, I am thankful for that tire gauge that I will continue to use to monitor tire pressure!
4. I don't think this can be reiterated enough: I DID NOT announce to the men at the tire store that the (non-existent) tire warning alarm was dinging.
5. Before I spent $450 on new brakes, I ordered some shoes that cost more than I EVER pay for shoes. Ever, ever, EVER! They were $95, which may be nothing to some people, but I thought long and hard about spending that kind of money on a pair of shoes (they came highly recommended by a friend and by my sister-in-law as extraordinarily comfy shoes). Can I tell you that it was the one of the best purchases I think I have ever made? Certainly, it's THE best shoe purchase I've ever made. They are called Allbirds, they arrived Saturday, and they are like walking on clouds. I love them!
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| Like wearing a tender hug on your feet! |
6. Did I mention my comfy new shoes?
7. New shoes. Allbirds. Fabulous for people who are on their feet all day at work.
8. I got new shoes! Did you hear?!
9. Allbirds. Get some.
10. New brakes? Good. New shoes? FAAAAANTASTIC!
Got new shoes? New brakes? Whatever you've got, be thankful for it and link up with us!
and... and! the Book of Secret Rules (aka the Secret Book of Rules) clearly states in Chapter 3 Section 2.1 ibid. op. scotch. ad librium, "[a]ny noise made by a car that is not coming from a)the radio or 2) the dashboard, not only can be ignored, it can be assigned any function or meaning the driver is comfortable with.."
ReplyDeleteIce two words: 'yuck' We have not had it yet, probably will, sometime before June 2020.
Have a good week.
My usual m.o. when there is a strange noise in the car is to turn up the radio, but when it's accompanied by the brake light, it got my attention!
DeleteHow is it we have had ice before you?
Oh dear, you drive a minivan. Oh well. You have cool shoes, so that's all that counts. I am so glad you got to the bottom of the dinging sound. What a tricky situation. Some garages might have taken advantage of the situation. Glad you now have secure brakes!
ReplyDeleteI'm the coolest minivan driver you will ever meet :)
DeleteI was a little surprised the brakes were as bad as they were, because I really hadn't noticed any warning signs (other than the dinging alarm - hah!). They never even squeaked, and the new ones don't feel a bit different from the old ones.
Absolutely no laughing from me! We have an old, 180,000+ miles minivan, too, and know all about the idiosyncrasies that come with them. Having no car payment is worth the little hassles, though. (And as I'm typing this response, I'm remembering that I need to get the vehicles in for oil changes--thanks!)
ReplyDeleteI'll have to look into that shoe brand. My latest favorite brand is BZees. (My feet never get tired when I wear them, not even if I've been walking around a theme park all day long!)
Putting new brakes on the car is still better than monthly car payments! And it runs well and is comfortable (some might call it "lived in"). I'm going to check into the BZees. The Allbirds really are da bomb!
DeleteNew shoes and new shoes! WOOHOO!! Congratulations on the brake fix and the shoe fix. Two set of shoes of different kinds...a brother from another mother? LOL Glad you are thawed and Finn is in the pictures just because CUTE!!
ReplyDeleteHah! Never thought of them both being shoes. Maybe I need to change the title of my post! :)
DeleteFinn is stinkin' cute! He's had a rough time the past few weeks since he was sick and he's still remained a sweet boy!
Oh my goodness, Dyanne. It seems that our cars both had brake problems this past week. Hope this isn't catching here in TToT. I can so relate to your relief that you discovered the reason for the sound of the dinging BEFORE announcing it to the men at the tire shop!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check out those shoes, if I can find a place that sells them locally, so I can try them on first.
I keep picturing your visor dropping down and snickering a little bit!
DeleteDon't you hate looking like an idiot in front of car repair people?
I don't know if you can buy Allbirds anywhere but online. I was lucky that my friend who already owned several pairs wore the same size shoe as me, and I knew how they would fit.
Oh you made me laugh. The shoes. Are you wearing them on cold days like these? :)
ReplyDeleteI feel you about the car issue.
Meanwhile my car is still in the shop and I am driving a rental.