Teh Suckz Thread

[DollyKim]

I ment in the thought they know when you need hugs. There's been tough times where I've held Xavier, gone to put him down, and he won't let go. If he's reaching towards something, or landed on it or knocked it down then you need that. maybe he's simply trying to distract you from something to change your mind or give you a rest. Dolls are easy messengers for angels or whomever it is that watches over you.

[OkamiKodomo]

Ugh I feel like an idiot.

Our car has had a slow oil leak since we got it back from the mechanic's (actually, it had an oil leak long before that, which is why it blew up in the first place) so I've been given instructions to check the oil whenever I use the car. Now, I haven't used the car much for the past week because I've been so sick. Missed 3 days of work, and had to request a few more off when my boss did the scheduling for this week.... ANYway, I have the car today because I had a few errands to run, including dropping off a friend of ours at work. He happens to be an apprentice mechanic. And as thanks for dropping him off, he checked the oil for me, and when the dipstick came up with nothing on it, we picked up a 5 quart jug of oil. I didn't think anything of it, just assumed my man forgot his own rule, driving the car around and all. Our friend offered to put the oil in for me too. But when the whole 5 quarts went in, I thought something was weird... I could have sworn our car has a 4 quart system.... But hey, he's the mechanic, not me. I figured he's been doing this for a few months already, he would know something so basic better than I would, right? He's done oil changes. The extent of my car knowledge is "if you push the brake pedal to the floor and nothing happens, you need to get your brakes fixed" and "if your car pulls to the side, you probably need an alignment"

I call my fiance to tell him, and he goes "that's impossible. We checked the oil like 2 days ago and it was fine." I told him the dipstick apparently came up dry. He informs me that the dipstick only measures the topmost quart of oil, and I just put an extra 4 quarts of oil into the system. And that the engine is probably going to explode.

I just feel so stupid right now, because he was acting like I should have KNOWN all this already... and I probably should have, but no-one told me... I didn't even get my license til I was 22, because when I was 17 and had my permit, I was almost in a 4-car pile up, and it scared me off the road for a few years... I hate feeling stupid. And he wonders why I have anxiety problems.

[K2!]

when the dipstick came up with nothing on it, we picked up a 5 quart jug of oil.

Most cars of the last few decades have marks on the dip stick to indicate "full" and "add oil". Check the owner's manual to see when they recommend checking the oil level, after the engine has been on for a while or before it is run. The oil level may appear significantly lower if the car has been running as a lot of the oil has been pumped throughout the engine and hasn't drained back to the oil pan.
Chances are if the dip stick was dry the car needed at least some oil.

[OkamiKodomo]

Yeah, our car is a 96 Saturn, it has the "full" mark on it. I've never had a problem maintaining the oil levels before. The car had only been driven a few miles since being turned on today... I believe it's a 4 quart system, so I should have realized something was wrong when said friend poured the whole 5 quart jug in. But I thought "what do I know? Maybe I was wrong about the amount of oil." I should have just done it myself, but I thought our friend knew enough about oil changes to do it right. I never even saw the level on the dipstick for myself. -bangs head against the wall repeatedly-

[DollyKim]

It's okay, my family will always have you beat on the car derp angle-
Buy mini van that's been sitting for awhile, those who drive guess the tires are okay
Let's go on a road trip and fill the van with stuff
Le driving in the fast lane, whats that funny noise?
End up blowing a tire, doing a full 360, everyone is okay but it ripped the gas tank filling nozzle from the body of the van, all of the money Kim was saving for the Dollzone Xmas event gets spent to fix everything, she gets to wait until the tax returns come in to get paid back.

[knittnkitten]

worst case scenario you drain some of the extra oil out, yeah?

[OkamiKodomo]

No my worst car experience was the time my brakes died coming off a highway. Doing 70mph down a ramp, like the tool I was, coming up on a red light, mash the brake pedal to the floor, and NOTHING HAPPENS. Skid across 3 lanes of traffic and into a parking lot where I spend the next ten minutes hyperventilating and trying to pry my fingers off the steering wheel long enough to get my cell out. This with the oil was just stupidity on my part.

Yes, we just need to drain some of the extra off, but it's still one of those things that gives me an anxiety attack because we JUST got the car back, and I'd rather not be the one to blame for it going kablooey again. It probably shouldn't give me an anxiety attack, but my stress levels are abnormally high right now.

[catshem]

Dear god that's terrifying to read. Most I can complain about with my car is my tirees hate wet/icy roads. Could be a light sprinkle of rain and I'm already skidding.

[OkamiKodomo]

Had that happen too, in my fiance's old '89 Lincoln towncar. Not as scary as losing my brakes, but I fishtailed on a wet road, pulling into a turn from a dead stop, nearly sideswiped a lady in a jeep, and barely missed a fire hydrant. With my luck in vehicles, I'm surprised I love driving as much as I do. I'm more scared when something happens while someone else is driving. My old roommate blew out a tire on his SUV on the interstate, doing 90mph with me going "slow down maniac, you're going to get us killed!" -POPBANGSWERVE- Ugh. All was well, but he was not happy about having to change the tire while I stood there uselessly, since I couldn't even figure out how to put the jack together. I am not allowed to travel long distances without a cellphone and AAA coverage >.>

[magkelly]

Bijou was supposed to be here today. USPS site said she was loaded on the truck for delivery but nothing came with the mail. Tomorrow I guess, sigh, but bright note I found a Making Waves Katie at Tuesday Morning fro $5 when I wandered in there before heading to the pet store for cat food. She was marked down. Must have been hiding somewhere because they haven't had any of the Liv dolls in quite a while. I've got one already, but what the heck for $5 it was worth it just for the extra brown wig and the extra body to swap with. Hmmm, who needs a Katy colored body? Must go check....