QuestionQUESTION: Hello Tom.
Just to keep you posted on the continuing saga of my stinky car.
I was looking over the details of my repair coverage and discovered to my dismay that it was not only 1 month since policy, on which I qualified, BUT ALSO 1000 miles, not really explained to me by the salesman and for which I need another 500 miles before I can utilize it to effect your recommended repair. I'm not a happy camper. When I come back from my Thanksgiving trip to and from North Carolina I'll have enough mileage. Any dangers putting heavy highway driving with my problem left unattended???
Meanwhile, I heard on the news yesterday that my vehicle will be recalled for yet ANOTHER fuel line problem. There's a Chevy dealer close enough. I hope however they can do the job while-I-wait.
Meanwhile PartII: I just had to have the car extirminated. Apparently I don't use the car often enough and TWO near-by ant populations took that as an invitation to move in and lay eggs. I never noticed the ants. Both species are tiny and they kept themselves well hidden in the carpet and underneath the rear floor mats. What I DID notice was the army of tiny spiders that were there to feed on the ant colonies. Neither creature seemed to have any inclination to bother ME. Never-the-less, as much as I appreciate the natural world, I was not prepared to be watching "Wild Kingdom" in real life on the inside of my car!
So you can just imagine my shock when the bug tech removed the rear mats to see the seething masses of panic-stricken insects scurrying, eggs in mandibles, all over my precious, almost new motion-machine.
Ah...the joys of car ownership.
PS: Autumn was my favorite time of in the northeast. Must be beautiful in Rochester now!
ANSWER: HI ALAN, ARE YOU A WRITER ?? IF NOT YOU SHOULD BE. VERY FUNNY STORY HOW YOU LAID IT OUT THERE. READ THIS TO MY WIFE AS WELL FOR A LAUGH.. I FEEL BAD FOR YOU WITH THOSE ANTS. BLA.. ROCHESTER IS GREAT NOW.GREAT WEATHER...NOW AS FAR AS YOU DRIVING THIS CAR LONG DISTANCE LIKE THIS AM NOT SO SURE ABOUT IT..IF THE FUEL INJECTORS ARE LEAKING LIKE I SUSPECT, THIS MAY CAUSE A FIRE IF THINGS GET HOT ENOUGH. IF I WERE YOU I WOULD CALL YOUR LOCAL CHEVY STORE AND ASK THEM HOW LONG THIS RECALL WILL TAKE AND CAN YOU WAIT.THEN TELL THEM THAT YOU ARE SMELLING FUEL COULD THIS HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT..IF NOT WHEN THEY DO THE RECALL HAVE THEM JUST CK THE FUEL INJECTORS TO SEE IF THEY ARE LEAKING WHEN THE ENG GETS COLD..HOPE THIS HELPS YOU AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU....TOM..
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you Tom and I'm glad you could get a chuckle from my story. Humor can luckily be found in many of life's little travails. When I'm at the Chevy dealership I'll certainly bring up your excellent suggestion as well as their defective plastic part that's prompting the recall. BTW, the smell really does go away after driving 10 minutes, which is why your speculation sounds so reasonable. Isn't there some sort of additive sealent admixture that could provide me a temporary fix till my repair coverage kicks in? I have a feeling that's how the used car lot obscured the problem till after their 30 day warranty expired. Gotta love their sense of enterprise though. After all, that kind of integrity comprises the backbone of the industry.
AnswerHI ALAN,YOUR CORRECT ON THE BACKBIONE OF THIS INDUSTRY FOR SURE. MAKE AS MUCH MONEY OF THE LITTLE GUY AS POSSIBLE..THE BAD NEWS IS THERE IS NO ADDITIVE TO USE TO STOP A FUEL INJ LEAK IF THAT IS WHAT IT IS..REASON BEING THERE IS 4O TO 46 LBS OF PRESSURE IN THE FUEL RAIL..HAVE THEM CK THIS IT MAYBE SOMETHING VERY SIMPLY..GOOD LUCK TO YOU,,,TOM
