The dreaded “Check Engine” light

Earlier this week, the “check engine soon” light in my car came on suddenly and without warning. Of course these things usually happen without warning, but that doesn’t make it less annoying or inconvenient. I really can’t complain, though, since my car has nearly 95,000 miles, is paid off and has given me very little grief over the past six years (knock on wood). So while I’d already planned to bring my car in for an oil change, I found myself needing to do this more immediately to fix the “check engine” light issue before it became a bigger problem.

Like most of my female friends, I dread having to take my car in for repairs and maintenance. Not because it’s a hassle, rather because I always feel as if the workers sense that I have no idea about cars and they take advantage of that fact to sell me unecessary upgrades and services. Yesterday was no exception. I went into Jiffy Lube with a coupon for a $19.95 oil change and left a half hour later with a bill for $121…and that represented a $20 discount because the cashier said I had a nice smile!

For the record, $aver in the City does not encourage using feminine wiles to secure a discount on anything, but on my honor I didn’t ask and I didn’t do anything to encourage him to give me a discount. In fact, I left feeling a little bad because my attitude turned from pleasant to somewhat bitchy when I learned they had to do a radiator flush for $79.99 to get the light to turn off. To their credit, the light did go off and they were still very nice even after I told them point blank that I felt like mechanics take advantage of customers’ lack of knowledge about cars.

Yes, in hindsight, not the best idea to accuse the person fixing your car of dishonesty – especially when they’re holding your car keys – but hopefully the smile made up for it and my car continues running long into the future!

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