Takata airbag recall

The Takata airbag recall has been in the news for some time and I knew my car was in said recall but it wasn't until last month that I received an official notification from Toyota. I take this very seriously as it has been well documented that several people have died or been severely injured. The propellant in these inflators may degrade after prolonged exposure to high humidity and fluctuating high temperatures the kind of weather we have in Del Rio.

Last week I made an appointment with the local Toyota dealer to have a new airbag installed on Wednesday. I must say that they tried to pressure me into having other services done at the same time they fixed the recall item. They so wanted me to get an oil change and a tire rotation. Informed them I had not gone over 5,000 miles yet since I had it performed and that was when they had noticed I needed new tires. He looked it up and could not even find that I had bought tires from them a few months back, which I might add was not a pleasant experience. It took them days to get them from San Antonio and I was the one on their back as they would not return my calls. This dealership has gone from mediocre to outright BAD! This is when I miss living in Houston they have multiple Toyota dealerships and they value their customers because they know we have a choice.

I knew I was in for a long wait so I took my tablet to pass the time. Their free WI-FI was not even working so reluctantly used the data on my cell phone.  After an hour the lady in the service department informed me that the connection with Toyota was down so they could not put in the new airbag as it had to be "registered" before they could do so. Where have I heard that word recently?

She had no idea when the connection would be up and running and did not want me to wait.  I replied that I had cleared my calendar in order to have this taken care of.  Told her if the line came back up I would be in the area and could come back, even gave her my cell phone number something I do not like to do. No call back to the cell or to the house not even to re-schedule another appointment. Lousy customer service.

To cheer myself up I went to the discount store that has a lot of Betty Boop items at a fraction of the cost of retail. Found me an overnight bag which I will use when we go to San Antonio as I have to carry a lot of stuff that does not fit in a regular purse. Bought mother a couple of things too so, in the end, I ended up spending more than it would have cost me to get an oil change and tire rotation.

Told mother that if the airbag deployed and killed me, I would leave her a rich woman. Though knowing her, she would never sue them.  I do have a burial fund as I do not want to be cremated and hopefully, my uncle would see to it that my remains are buried at the Terlingua Cemetery.  At least there I would be assured that someone would light a candle for me on November 2nd which is when El Dia de Los Muertos is celebrated.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Grocery run to Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila - México

While I have gone to Ciudad Acuña recently, the last real grocery run trip I made was back in March http://terlinguadreams.blogspot.com/2017/03/march-2017-trip-to-ciudad-acuna.html

I like to go on Tuesdays but Monday was the only day available as we have other appointments and commitments this week.On this trip, I headed to the north part of town where they have the larger or newer versions of the stores that are located in what is considered the central or downtown area.

I hit the four main stores...Bodegas Aurrera, Gutierrez, Merco, and Soriana. Took two ice chests and came away with enough groceries for a month. Not being Harvest Tuesday, I did not find any super bargains but the prices were reasonable and half of what it would cost in the USA.  Have to watch the budget after the unexpected cost to replace the A/C.

I have had a bottle of Kahlua for about 10 years and I finally finished it. Trying to keep cool, I have been having ice cream with a shot of Kahlua for dessert, it sure makes for a nice treat. Decided to splurge and purchased another bottle.

$147.00 pesos divided by an exchange rate of  $16.70 equals
$8.80 USD. then add $3.75 for Texas Liquor Tax
and a bottle ends up costing $12.55 USD

Dollar to Peso exchange rates continue to be stable.  Here are today's rates down Exchange Rate Alley:

You will have to click on this photo to enlarge it, as this was the most I could zoom in with my cheap camera...sorry!

I have often been asked if I fill up my car in Mexico, the answer is no. While they are an oil producing country they have to refine their product in American Refineries and is sold as Magnum with the price tag to match. The gasoline that is refined in Mexico is not very good. Mexicans with visas fill up in Del Rio, it's cheaper and they get a better product. Besides, it is sold in liters and the math would be horrible to process in my CRS mind!

I did not head into México until close to one o'clock and there were long lines going to the USA. I was afraid I would have to endure the same fate but by five o'clock those lines had diminished and I only had a two car wait.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Heat / Deceit / Thunderstorms

Summer arrived just a couple of days ago and I am already sick and tired of it.  In the West Texas desert the heat wave starts early, we are lucky to have two or three weeks of Spring and then boom...the temperatures soar. I really should not complain when I know that Arizona, Nevada, and California are having record setting temperatures much higher than Texas.

It is always a challenge to get mother to let me turn on the A/C as she is always cold. The electric bill is larger in the winter than in the summer because she insists on it staying at 80 degrees.  When I finally turned it on, it was apparent there was a problem so I called the service technician.  He did not have very good news for us.  The coil was leaking in three places and it would cost $2,650.00 to replace and 2 to 3 weeks to get it as it had to be ordered from the manufacturer.

Called another company for a second opinion and they gave us an estimate of $2,200.00 and 2 weeks to get the coil. They told me that my unit was not registered with the manufacturer otherwise it would have had a 10-year warranty and not the 5 years it had.  That really made me mad because even though I have selective CRS for some things, I do not for others. I vividly remember going to their office to pay for the unit and the lady giving me the paperwork and telling me "I have already registered your air conditioner with the manufacturer."  I remember it as though it was yesterday because I had no idea you had to do this.

We bought the Goodman to replace the first unit that lasted 30 years of heavy use.  I can not believe we only got six years out of it.  Now the company that installed it said it no longer sold Goodman because they broke down very frequently.  I remember going with it because of the price. A saying my father often quoted came to mind "Lo barato a veces sale caro" alluding to the fact that inexpensive things, in the long run, end up being costlier.

The first company was trying to stir me to a new RUUD unit but when I went online the reviews were terrible and after learning my cheap unit was not even registered after saying otherwise we decided to purchase a new unit from the second company.  I had never been quoted three prices before, cash price, Paypal price, and Discover Card. So much for saving up for my Derksen storage shed :-(

We were under severe thunderstorm warnings yesterday but they did not arrive until 1:00 a.m. so once again I was up making sure water did not get in the house.  We are expecting more rain this evening.

To my delight every day I have gone into town this week, the price of gasoline has gone down by a penny. Today regular gasoline was selling for $1.97 a gallon.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

June 2017 trip to San Antonio - Updated

Woke up at 5:15 a.m. only to find that mother was already up and about.  In a way, it was good and in another not so great. I had told her I was going to set the alarm for 6:00 a.m. so I could jump in the shower and have time to bring the car around and load it up before waking her up.  In a perfect world, I had planned on leaving by 8:00 a.m. but since my life is far from it, we left at 8:20 a.m. and I did not get to eat breakfast.

My poor mother has been having so many eye issues. Not even when she had her back problems four years ago that required two surgeries did we go to San Angelo as often as we have been going to San Antonio to treat her eyes. This was supposed to be the last visit of her follow-up care after the cataract surgery she had back in February but the doctor wants to see her again in a couple of months.

There is a store in Del Rio that sells discounted Betty Boop stuff but all the larger sizes are the first to go. Have been wanting to stop at one of their San Antonio locations but to exit the freeway during rush hour traffic and then try to get back on has impeded that. Saw that they had a location on Fredericksburg Road close to the Medical Center and against all odds found it! Too bad they only had Extra Small and Small...I do not think I have been that size since I was in Elementary or Junior High...jajajajajaja :D

Not all was lost because, on the way back to South 410, I spotted a Target!!!  I LOVE TARGET!!! It was the Balcones Heights location that I came upon by accident a few years back. However, on that occasion took I-10 West by mistake and ended up close to Welfare, Texas. This time around I did not get lost. Loaded up on paper goods and could barely close the trunk. Think I am good for another six months. I even got a free five dollar store card with my purchase.

Uvalde, Texas once again had the lowest gasoline prices between Del Rio and San Antonio. The Stripes close to Walmart had regular unleaded for $2.03 per gallon. On our way back home Walmart had lowered their price to $2.01 per gallon.

I also stopped at the Derksen Portable building lot when I spotted a neat looking cabin that resembled a house. It had two large rooms and an entry way.  It did not have a price tag but I called the next day and I believe she said it sold for $17,995.00 or close to it...darn this CRS!

This is the back side, it was actually quite large.

May have to call back to verify the price and size.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


NBA Corner

All I can say is thank God the Finals are over and done with!  I had never dozed off in any Finals games like I did during the first two. I look forward to October when I can once again enjoy seeing my Spurs play.