Midnight is cruising for a bruising...

I use to have a friend who worked in the service department of an auto dealership in Houston. He would tell me horror stories of the condition some of their automobile mechanics showed up at work. He gave me what I consider to be sound advice that I have followed to this day. You may or may not agree but from my own experience, it holds true.

1)  If at all possible do not book an appointment for a Friday, Saturday, or a Monday...why? We are talking about the Greater Houston area where there is always something to do and young adults start their weekends on Thursday night. Per my friend, many showed up sleepy and in some cases drunk or hungover on Friday morning. Others who did not go out on Thursday night usually had plans for Friday night that involved a date and mechanics were thinking about that rather than the work at hand...same applied for Saturday.

2) Sunday young men congregate in the afternoon to watch football, basketball, or baseball games that involve cook-outs, tailgating, or sports bars and the consumption of large amounts of alcohol that will inevitably affect their performance on Monday morning.

3) Do not be the first-morning appointment. Young adults do not go to bed early and if they stay up to watch a sports game they are running on very little sleep and may still have alcohol in their systems.

You may be asking yourself...why is Belinda bringing this up?  Hold on...I'm getting there! After my car incident of February 27th, I have been on pins and needles hoping I did not have a repeat performance whenever I have had to run an errand in town (we live outside the city limits). This past Thursday, March 11th my luck ran out, and after my first errand as I was heading to my next stop the dashboard lit up once more. I was so mad I wanted to kick "Midnight"...Midnight by the way is my car's name...NOT one of my cats!

I was too far away from the dealership so I just decided to drive back home since Midnight was driveable. Following my friend's advice, I called the dealership, and without me asking for a Tuesday appointment it turned out that was the earliest day they could schedule me for.

I called Triple-A (American Automobile Association) to schedule a tow truck that took me to my appointment today. He asked me to pull my car out of the garage and again the dash lit up. The tow driver was very reassuring and told me that they would have my car fixed in no time...was my anxiety that obvious?

The last time I was at the dealership they quoted me $175.00 or more to have my car diagnosed. This time they told me it would be $135.00 since it was cheaper I did not bother to ask why the difference in price and agreed to have it serviced.

My appointment was at 9:00 a.m. and I was there until 2:33 p.m. everyone that was waiting for their vehicles had left and I was the only customer left in the waiting room. They finally came to tell me that they had been driving my car on Highway 90 and Highway 277 at different time intervals trying to replicate what I was experiencing but having no luck. I was told the same thing I was previously told...bring it back if it happens again. Like last time they did not charge me anything which I appreciated.

I have been researching online and this seems to be a common problem with different models and different years Toyota's. Many people on that thread gave the same advice as Hachita to take it to Auto Zone to have it diagnosed yet the same problem resurfaced even after replacing the parts that they recommended.

Midnight is cruising for a bruising....grrrrr!!!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Oil change / Tire Rotation / Tarps / Butane Canisters

Another sleepless night got a little less than three hours.  I really need to buy a storage shed before next year's cook-off.  I need a dedicated space for my camping gear as well as my multiple boxes that I have no idea what is in them.

I tried to call our local Toyota dealership all weekend but I kept on getting a mailbox that was full.  I called them first thing this morning and was able to schedule an oil change as well as a tire rotation. I had not been here since they finished their remodeling.  From afar admired this 2020 Toyota Sequoia,  could not help but think what a great camping vehicle it would make :-(

Headed to Home Depot to purchase light bulbs for my room and to check out the prices for tarps and butane fluid for the camping stove I am "considering" buying.

The first thing that greeted me was the Christmas decorations...come on folks it's October we have not celebrated Halloween, Día de los Muertos, or Thanksgiving yet....grrrrrrrrr!!!

Lightbulbs were pricey but I like the Daylight curly ones and that is the only thing I purchased here.

Perhaps due to the fact that it has been a while since I purchased tarps, I found them to be expensive in particular the heavy-duty ones that I prefer. Even the medium-duty ones were higher than I was willing to spend.

 Found the Butane that I was looking for but the first thing that caught my eye was the warning "Extreme Danger".  Left without the tarps or butane canisters.

 

Walmart is across the street from Home Depot.  Again in comparison to Harbor Freight, I found their prices to be high even the medium-duty ones.

Today they did have Butane in stock. By the way, the correct price is $4.97 each just like at Home Depot.

I have considered purchasing a better-insulated ice chest but apart from also being at the top of my budget, they weigh too much even when empty and they have bad reviews with regards to the top warping.  If only I did not have to drive 60 miles to Eagle Pass where the closest Academy is located :-(

This new Natural Light product caught my eye...

Has anyone tried either one?

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.



Camping Saying of the Day

Record heat

Yesterday we set a new record high for the day, we got to 106 degrees. I ordinarily go to a Mom and Pop shop to get my annual car state inspection done but they do not have air conditioning, I also wanted to have them check why my low tire pressure light keeps on coming on even though the tires are inflated at a proper level so off I went to the dealership.

The Toyota dealership is undergoing a much-needed remodeling.  Was told that my tire sensor might be going out and will have to be replaced.  I think I will simply place a black tape over it and if I get a flat place a call to AAA (American Automobile Association) to resolve that problem.

For those wondering...the deed is done...Blanca is fixed!  I read so many articles and watched countless YouTube Videos and along with your suggestions in the comments section made the process a lot easier.

I am disappointed with Blogger as they no longer notify me when I have received a comment on my blog. I now have to do a manual search for them. Please forgive me if I have not replied to yours as I always try to respond promptly to each and every comment.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Spurs Corner

I am glad the situation with Kawhi has finally been resolved.  One year in limbo was more than enough.  As a fan, I look forward to a new and better season.  Welcome DeMar, welcome Jakob!

Toyota / Walmart / Roku TV

Finally made the time to take my car to the Toyota dealership for servicing.  They are undergoing a renovation and only had folding steel chairs in the waiting room, after two hours your tush starts hurting.

I have mentioned that these days HEB seems to be crowded at all hours so after I left Toyota, I stopped at Walmart instead. It would never cross my mind to go grocery shopping on a Friday or on a weekend but I was in and out in no time flat.

Yesterday we had strong winds and the television kept on freezing up on me and here I thought once I got rid of worthless DISH those problems would end but it happens even with Spectrum on regular days.

The volume on my Roku television that is less than one year old keeps on going out, however I did not buy an extended warranty so I will have to suck it up because I refuse to purchase another one.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Busy Tuesday

One of the benefits of living in a small town is that you can make an appointment at the local dealership and get in the next day.  An acquaintance of mine that was a service tech at a local dealership in Pearland or was it Alvin?  told me to never schedule an appointment on Monday, Friday or Saturday as most of the mechanics were either hungover, sleepy, tired or looking forward to the weekend and to also try to not be the first customer.  Since then I have heeded his advice.  Passed up an early appointment and settled for one at 10:00 a.m.

A couple of months back I blogged about a little girl going into convulsions at the laundromat.  Her dad is a salesman at the local Toyota dealership and I sought him out to see how she was doing.  She is doing fine and has not had anymore seizures.  In that post I mentioned that as bad as my CRS (it stands for can't remember doodoo) is I was surprised I remembered his name. He happens to have the same last name as an old classmate of mine, turns out she is his aunt!

Val Verde County where Del Rio is located gives its taxpayers a small discount in their property taxes if they are paid before the January 31st deadline. On my way to the courthouse saw that a local church was having its annual pumpkin drive.

I then headed to the P.O. Box and wanted to scream!  If I had come to get the mail first, I could have saved $20 in the car services I had performed today and gotten a free car wash (sigh).....I can just see Billy Bob laughing as he reads this...for some reason he thinks I am cheap :D

I do not know when they opened the local Derksen buildings lot but it must not have been long ago.  I am so happy they are in town as I was going to have to pay some mileage charges if I had bought it in the Uvalde, Texas lot.

Maybe Santa Claus will be generous and buy me one of these?

Swung by HEB to check out beer prices but they were not to my liking.  The new specials start tomorrow so we will see if they will lower them enough to make it worthwhile. Even though I guess even our high prices are better than the Study Butte or Lajitas prices.

Was going to fill up but the news people say prices at the pump are starting to tumble so will wait a while as I do not know when my departure date will be.  I am waiting on my aunt and uncle to get here so I can pick them at the bus station as my mother no longer drives.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.