Denial is an UGLY thing!! A couple of weeks ago, I turned on the air-conditioning in the Subaru Outback Wagon and there was this low grumbling sound. A sound that even I knew was not within the range of normal. Then the grumbling sound starting occurring when I slowed to a stop and was probably always there even though I didn't hear it when the car was travelling at high speeds. Then, last week, I began to notice a marked decrease in the amount of "pep" in the car when I stepped on the accelerator. On Monday evening, things came to a head. I drove home and parked the car and there was smoke coming from the front of the engine through the grill. It stopped quickly, leading me to believe that I could drive to school on Tuesday and then drop the car off at the dealership in downtown Oakland afterschool.
The best laid plans.........go awry. On Tuesday morning, I drove across the Bay Bridge and all of the six miles I drive on I-580 and as I exited off the freeway, all the lights on the dashboard come on, nothing happens when I step on the accelerator (DEJA VU??) and there is smoke coming out of the engine again. I immediately pull over and call AAA to come and tow me to the dealership.
When the tow truck driver offloaded the car, Chris Oliva, my customer service rep, got in the car and it started as well as drove fine. So, that put to rest my worries that the newly rebuilt engine was what was at issue. During my wait for the tow truck, I called Subaru of America and was informed that the rebuilt engine, because it was done at a dealership, had a one year warranty. Since it has only been three months since I was in Indiana, I am well within the timeframe of the warranty.
Later in the afternoon, I got the news from Chris that things were pretty serious. In short, the radiator fan came off (whether it broke or came off is an important fact as will be discussed later) and punctured the radiator, causing a coolant leak, which in turn caused the engine to overheat. This is indisputable. There are questions, however, about whether or not the overheating of the engine caused the head gaskets to have warped. If so, these would need to be replaced as well, which means mucho dinero. Chris believe, however, that because the head gaskets are new and the fact that I didn't drive the car a great deal while it was overheated, the head gaskets should be fine or close enough to what they need to be that some adjustments to them can be made to bring them back to specifications.
The car has been sitting at the dealership since Tuesday morning. Chris faxed me the dealerships estimate for parts and labor and it seemed to be way too high. Therefore, I have started to check around with some recommended auto mechanics to see whether or not what the dealership says is making sense and then, if they can do the work, provide me with an estimate of their own.
There is now a new wrinkle in this saga. My father has his equivalent of a "deep throat" in Seattle. This person, Candy, works at a place that specializes in Subaru repairs and she is therefore incredibly knowledgeable about the cars and how Subaru the company works. In talking with Candy, my Dad uncovered the radiator fan either "fell off" or "broke off" issue. Why? When the dealership in Indiana rebuilt the engine block, they most likely removed the radiator assembly to get to the engine block itself. Upon completion of the engine block rebuild, they would have reassembled and put in the radiator. If the radiator fan "fell off", it is possible that there might have been dealer error and therefore I am not responsible for the repairs, I would be covered under the warranty. However, if the fan "broke off", well, it looks more like an act of fate and I'll be looking at some pretty hefty repair costs. Ahhh, what will I find behind curtain number two.....
On a lighter note, since I have no wheels of my own, I have rented a car. I made a reservation with Enterprise for an economy car. When I arrived at the airport rental kiosk, they informed me that they were out of economy cars and I was upgraded, free of charge, to one of their small trucks, in this case the Chevrolet Colorado. You all know that I am one of the people least likely to ever drive a truck, so chuckle every time you see a truck in the next week and think that the person driving it could be me!!
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