No Paradise By The Dashboard light!


The Mackmobile is sending me broke!

A couple of months ago a light on my dash board came on. It was a little picture of an engine and underneath it said, “Check engine, visit workshop!” I took it back to the place I bought the car from just over a year ago. They charged me almost £200 to change an oxygen sensor and reset the warning light. The next day the light came back on.

I took it back and they wanted to change another oxygen sensor and charge me again. I took the car to another place. They re-set the warning light and told me to put some stuff called “cat cleaner” in the petrol tank. I bought two bottles of this stuff for about £20 from Halfords and poured it in. The next day, the light came back on.

I took it back and they said there was a hole in one of the silencers. They quoted me over a thousand pounds to replace it. I called around and found somewhere else that could replace both silencers for the about the same price. They’re both the same age so replacing them both sounded like the right thing to do. That cost over £1200 but the light went out so, happy days.

The next day, the light came back on. I took it back and they found a leaking flange on a different part of the exhaust. Last week, I had the flange replaced which cost me just over £300.

When they replaced the flange, the mechanic said that the only other thing it could be was the catalytic converters. If they need to be replaced, that’ll be another £1500, but the light had gone out so it’s unlikely.

This morning the check engine light came back on.

The thing is, there’s nothing wrong with the car, it runs fine. If it is the catalytic converters and I get them replaced, it will have cost me around three and a half thousand pounds to turn off a light on the dashboard.

I’m already spending more on the car each month than I am in rent!

That’s ironic because if this carries on, I won’t be able to afford the rent and will have to live in the car!

Craic on!

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