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I'm posting this message as a means of venting more than anything else. If you've ever felt you've done unintentional harm to your car, read on.
My baby is currently in the shop. She went in for a scheduled tune-up and new struts. Turns out, she needs front brake pads, too. First of all, I somehow went past the scheduled tune-up by 11K. (Should have been done at 180K -- don't know how I missed this.) Strike one.
At the last service in January, I mentioned that there was quite a hefty oil slick forming on my garage floor. My mechanic couldn't find any leaks. I continued to check the dipstick, and the oil level looked OK to me. I figured the car was old, that old cars tend to leak and creak, and that was the end of it.
Well, surprise. Today I got a phone call from the shop saying that sure enough, the oil seals are bad, and the car has lost a quart of oil. OUCH! Strike two. My mechanic is going to replace the seals, and although it isn't due for 9K, will install a new timing belt as well. I do not even pretend to know what all goes on with my car, especially at this stage of its life. I don't work on it myself...I just try to pay attention to what the seasoned Volvo junkies on Brickboard have to say and bring the car in for regular services. Even though I screwed up big time on this issue, I do feel I've learned A LOT on this site. My hat's off to you all.
But, right now I'm feeling like quite the fool. I should have trusted my instincts and gotten the car back into the shop sooner. (I mean, duh! There was a puddle of fresh oil on my garage floor!) Well, I guess I've learned a costly lesson. I just hope that by running on low oil at 191K, this isn't the beginning of the end for my engine. Strike three? Sigh. Thanks for reading.
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Kate 1991 744, 190K+ miles
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