open wide, say "ahhh"

My sweet Dorothy had to go to the hospital this morning.

Last week I took her in for her annual check-up; oil change, tire rotation and inflation check, general examination.  All was just fine.  She got a bath, a vacuum, and we were out the door in two hours.

But starting on Thursday, Mr. C spotted an oil leak on the garage floor.  I kept my eye on it and it did not stop.  So today I went back to the shop and she got another full check. 

Not Dorothy, but you get the idea

Sure enough, there was a leak in the oil pan; the threads on the stopper were stripped.  So back into surgery she went to have the new oil drained, the old pan removed, a new pan installed and then the crank case refilled with oil.  Because the car is so tiny they had to completely remove the engine to get at the old pan, remove it, put in the new one, reinstall the engine, pour in the new oil.  What an ordeal.  Five and a half hours later she was ready to return home.  The cost?  Zero.  Nada. Zip.  Why?  They should have noticed the problem when they drained the oil during the first visit. 

So now I'm good for another 10,000 miles or one year.  It will be a year, I'm sure.