Yesterday afternoon, after depositing Will and Mary at their homeschoolers art class I took the littles over to Mother's to visit. We chatted while I filed her nails, helped the aide get her bathed, and got soaked as Timmy spilled an entire glass of water all over me and the bed. Then I loaded everyone in the van and returned to collect my older charges, looking forward to returning home to change into dry shorts and sitting down with a large glass of ice water.
Unfortunately, the van decided to cut off about 10 times before I had driven 4 blocks. It has done this before, every 6 months or so, leaving me panicked about being stuck on the side of the highway with 5 little children and spotty cellphone service. The van never acts up for Tim, assuring me that there must be a weight device in the seat connected to a computer chip in the electronic components of the vehicle, "Female driver detected. Knows nothing about automobile repair. Attention all sensors, attention all sensors: immediately produce engine failure and battery failure."
When this happens I have learned to keep one foot on the gas with the other on the brake at stoplights so I can give the tachometer a little boost. This time though, it also started cutting off while I was driving, leaving me with no power steering as I drifted to the side of the road. Frantically, I called Tim, who dropped everything at work to come to my rescue. Of course, after I refused to set foot in the driver's seat it acted perfectly normal (remember that weight thing).
We are renting a brand-new van while the dealership figures out if the water pump, the idle sensor, or some other thingamajiggy has gone bad. I hope the problem is found, but am grateful I have a husband who says soothingly, "It's okay honey, if they can't fix it, I'll buy you that 12 seater van you seem to want so much."
5 comments:
Um, so should I pray for a cheap and easy repair...or for confusion with the mechanics so you can get a 12 passanger van? I love my van! Bought it on eBay!
My 12 passenger is doing this in winter and burns oil, In summer it makes scary sounds when you turn a corner. We have had it over 7 years! Its been a good excuse for mommy not to be the one who teaches driving to my daughter.
Found you through Catholic Moms Online. Like your page.
Hmmm...seems like you might be hoping that they'll never find the problem! LOL!
Sorry about your van! Hope it could be fixed soon. Its quite hard when you do not have a car to use. I've experienced it too. A couple of days before my long trip, couple of my vw van parts went bad. It was a bad timing. I had to take my car to the shop and have to rent a car for the trip. Today, my van is working fine, thank God! For I can't afford to buy a new one yet.
I'm so sorry. I don't think I'd be able to read this if I didn't know that your happy ending was still out there waiting.
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