Since I've had my new car, I've fallen out of the habit of checking oil and water every time I fuel up.
I always used to with my second hand cars. Air as well.
Lately my new (4 yo now) car had trouble starting. It'd chug-a-lug-a-lug a cpl times before it kicked over. It always used to start first go.
Now a large urgent-looking red sign - ENGINE MALFUNCTION - would flare up on the console. Very intimidating.
I rang my trusty mechanic, he said before you drive it too much further, look under the bonnet and check you have enough coolant.
Right. How do you open the bonnet? All the girls at work laughed when I asked that question. Like I was some dumbo or something. Hmph!
It's not like the old cars where you pop the bonnet by pulling the lever and it springs open, is it? Oh no.
I actually had to read the manual to figure it out.
You unlock it with your ignition key, which you have to turn right then left to release. The lock is cunningly concealed under the badge.
Watch out for your nails when you flip the badge up. I suppose a car thief intent on making a quick getaway wouldn't worry too much about his nails.
So, the bonnet finally open, I marvel at how things have changed under there. Where you used to see the engine block with all the leads to the plugs, and the dipstick at the side, easy to check oil and fill oil, The radiator at the front, easy to twist the cap off and fill water.
Now, we don't even use water. We use COOLANT! Which is in a small plastic container at the side, like a colostomy bag.
The engine block is neatly tucked away under a tamper-proof plastic cover. Idiot proof I suppose lol.
The only thing you're allowed to touch is the dipstick. You know you're allowed to touch it because it's the only thing that's yellow.
I didn't touch it anyway.
No need to check the dipstick. If the car needs oil it will tell me via a little flashing red oil canister on the console.
Anyway, it turned out all I needed was a new battery.
I used to live under the bonnets of my cars. Most of them were older than me. I too have got out of the habit of checking things now I have newer cars. (Only 10 years old instead of 30) The car I drive still mostly looks like a normal engine with recognisable bits and pieces.
My first car, a 1963 Austin, had an electric fuel pump in the boot. It started playing up and I would sit in the boot tapping it with a littler hammer while my partner drove us to college. Yes it was a big boot, no I wasn't this fat back then.
@the*scarlet*pimpernel wrote:I used to live under the bonnets of my cars. Most of them were older than me. I too have got out of the habit of checking things now I have newer cars. (Only 10 years old instead of 30) The car I drive still mostly looks like a normal engine with recognisable bits and pieces.
My first car, a 1963 Austin, had an electric fuel pump in the boot. It started playing up and I would sit in the boot tapping it with a littler hammer while my partner drove us to college. Yes it was a big boot, no I wasn't this fat back then.
I once had to use a torch out the window to negotiate a windy road with our horse truck, in the dark! when our lights failed.
