Summary

The article discusses the unexpected car maintenance issues that have arisen due to the pandemic, emphasizing the importance of regular driving to maintain car health.

Abstract

The pandemic has inadvertently affected car maintenance, as evidenced by the author's experience with a dead car battery after reduced driving during lockdown. Despite regular errands, the car's battery died, requiring a jumpstart and eventual replacement. The author highlights the necessity of driving at highway speeds to prevent such issues and to reset the car's systems for state inspection readiness. The dealership service also revealed other common pandemic-related car problems, such as flat tires from disuse and animals nesting in engines. The article advises regular driving and maintenance checks to keep vehicles in good condition.

Opinions

The author expresses annoyance at the suggestion to drive the car for maintenance like taking a pet for a walk.
There is a sense of frustration with the decrease in driving skills among people during the pandemic.
The author is skeptical about the need to drive at high speeds to reset the car's system for inspection, considering it a potential unnecessary requirement.
The author finds humor in the idea of painting a menacing face on masks to maintain social distancing.
The author is critical of the potential for weight gain and physical inactivity while working from home, suggesting regular movement and the use of mobile devices for video conferencing.
The discovery of animals nesting in car engines is presented as an amusing yet serious issue resulting from cars being stationary for extended periods.

Car Maintenance

Unexpected Victims of the Pandemic

Have you been looking after your car’s health during lockdown?

It’s not like I haven’t gone anywhere. I have run errands; I have driven about 10 miles each week to get groceries and the occasional home-improvement do-dad or gardening thingy at Ace Hardware. But Thursday morning, last week, my car was harder to wake up than I am after an all-nighter on Kindle and no coffee in my cup.

I wasn’t exactly surprised that the battery was dead. I was a little surprised at how hard it was to start. And more than a little annoyed at my husband’s suggestion that I take it out for a run, as if it were a Belgian Malinois on a skateboard.

People are not driving as well as they did before lockdown. And that’s not saying they were any good at it before, but they’re worse now. I don’t feel “cooped up” at home, as long as I have a good book. I feel like I’m locked and loaded for the Zombie Apocalypse, whenever I have to leave the house. Mask? Check. I know that you can tell if my smile’s not reaching my eyes, but it usually is. I need to paint a mean, nasty, unapproachable, “stay-six-feet-away-from-me” face on the mask, when I’m feeling more creative.

I drove up and down 99. When they first opened that stretch of exorbitantly priced toll road in north Houston, I asked folks why, if they didn’t drive 10 mph on I-10, why they felt the need to drive 99 mph on highway 99. And then, for a while, that was my daily commute. I got buzzed by a cement truck, one day, and I was going 84 mph in a 75 mph zone. The cops don’t even bat an eye till you’re driving recklessly or over 95 mph.

I didn’t have a chance to drive the car again until Monday. Once again, the car was dead. So much for my little Thursday joyride. I had a service appointment set, already, for Tuesday morning. Figured we’d just jumpstart the battery and off I’d go, but no. The stubborn car refused to blink. The wiper blades gave a half-hearted salute, then the whole thing went silent.

I called AAA.

Just the Battery?

The battery service technician sent out by AAA was incredibly quick — it only took him 20 minutes of the estimated hour to arrive, and he was able to jumpstart the car. The battery tested out fine, as did the alternator. Wheeee! I was finally on my way to the dealership for regular maintenance service and a State inspection. The latter was really the main objective; everything else, so far, was just needless extravagance. My 7 year old car has less than 26,000 miles on it, and it’s in great shape.

Except for that battery. The dealership’s service tech said they’d run more extensive tests — I heard “more expensive tests” — and tell me if the battery needed to be replaced. It’s a 7 year old battery, so I knew what the verdict would be before they ran any tests.

The car is still in great shape, though my wallet’s considerably lighter.

But Did It Pass Inspection?

I went to pay the damages and noticed I didn’t have proof of inspection. “Oh, right — I meant to talk to you about that —” Apparently, when you jumpstart the car, something gets tripped in the system and the car now has to be taken out for another roll — at 65 mph or more, for some unspecified distance —not to charge the brand new battery, this time, but to reset whatever it is that has to reset itself to prove to the State that the car is in great shape.

Sounds like a load of bull, doesn’t it? But fine. Whatever. Another joyride. Oh, yay. I know — gas is cheap and I have all the time in the world. I just need to fire up a playlist on Spotify and enjoy the drive.

Austin, here I come.

What ELSE Could Go Wrong?

Since service was going to chew through about two hours of my morning, I took them up on their offer to drive me home on their free shuttle. Along the way, the driver and I struck up a conversation about how busy it’s been at the dealership and all the weird problems they’ve been seeing as a result of the pandemic.

Lots of dead car batteries, obviously. Pro tip: Drive your car about twice a week, whether it needs it or not, for 30 minutes — and head for the highway where you can open it up and go about 65 mph for a while.

What else? Flattened tires, from sitting in one place too long. Check your ass, while you’re at it. I kid you not — I can spot a PBX operator a mile away, and we’re all going to have the butt spread before this is over. Get up and walk every hour, while working from home. Did you know that Zoom works great on iPhone and Android?

And finally — not to give you nightmares, or anything — critters. Oh, yeah, it’s all cute when it’s dolphins in the Venice canals, but you are not going to be half as amused when it’s Fluffy in the engine. They have found cats, rats, mice, and snakes — mostly alive — under the hood of cars brought in for “weird scratchy, squeaky noises.” Before you look, suit up — wear gardening gloves and eye protection.

The Moral of the Story?

Drive safely. But do drive. Don’t neglect your car’s health, while looking out for your own. You may need that thing again, some day.