Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Good News . . . Not So Good News

Yesterday morning I had I could stand with my computer and the blue screen of death issues with the video card, so I yanked all of the cords out and took it back to the shop where I bought it [for the second time with the same problem].  Lo and behold they called me this afternoon saying it was ready. 

Meanwhile, I had bigger problems.  The BMW has had major issues, and the battery hasn't been holding a charge.  So today I drove it to work and this afternoon called AAA to come test the battery that they installed two years ago (it has a 3 year warranty, thank goodness).  The guy came and checked everything out and said that the battery cells were OK but the battery was just zapped and needed to be charged, and that something in the car was causing the battery to drain.  Great. He also said there was a 50-50 chance that the card would start when I left work. 

The fates were with me because the BMW started, albeit reluctantly.  And then it was on to the computer shop to pick up my computer.  I pulled into a parking spot directly in front of the door to the shop, and did the only thing I could do -- I left the car running.  I was only inside less than five minutes and thank goodness nobody hopped in the car and stole it. 

So fast forward to tonight.  As I type this, I have the battery charger on the BMW, and will leave it on overnight.  In the next day or two, a friend is going to test all of the fuses and relays to see if they're the cause for running down the battery.  I'm hoping that will be the culprit.  If not, then I'll find a shop that specializes in electrical stuff on cars. 

Some probably ask "Puddin, why don't you just ditch those two old cars and get one new one?"  The answer is simple:  I don't want a car payment.  I've just now gotten myself out of debt, with the exception of my student loan, and I don't want to tackle a car loan for another year or two.  I have one credit card, and it's paid off, and I just dont' want to get more debt with the economy being so effed up.  My Blazer is running as fine as any 2011 or even 2012 car now, and I don't want to get rid of it.  I don't really need the BMW right now, so getting it fixed is not really a top priority. 

As always, I'll keep you posted on the issues with the BMW.  And for the first time in ages, I'm not stressing over it.

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