Back to the Garage

If it's not one thing, it's another. In the past week we've alternated between trips to the doctor and trips to the garage; today it was the minivan's turn again.

This morning we dropped Tab off in Princeton as usual and then drove Daniel to his school. When we returned to the car, the twins noticed a greenish liquid leaking out of the car. It looked like antifreeze, and I assumed that the water pump had broken again. I called Tab, who told me to drive directly to the dealership.

"But keep an eye on the gauges. If the car starts overheating, pull over right away."

Fortunately, the cooperative gauge stayed right in the middle between Hot and Cold and we made it to the dealership without incident.

Tab had called ahead, so the repair shop was expecting us. Unfortunately, the guy who was supposed to check out the car had gone out on a road test. The twins and I ended up spending more than an hour there.

The garage at the dealership doesn't have a waiting area; I suppose most people drop off their cars and leave. At least it was a beautiful day. We spent most of our time out in the fresh air where I gazed longingly across the busy highway at the library (So close and yet so far!) and yelled at Stephen.

"Stephen, don't touch those new cars!"

"Stephen don't lie on the pavement!"

"Stephen, don't block that door!"

"Stephen, don't throw stones!"

Finally, the mechanic in charge of our car reappeared and announced that he was unable to find a leak after running some pressure tests.

"You said you had driven awhile before this happened, right?" he asked.

"Yes. About 25 miles."

"Well, I think what happened was that we overfilled your antifreeze when you were here last week. When the car got warmed up it overflowed."

"So it's OK? I can drive it home?"

"Sure. Keep an eye on it and bring it in if there are any more problems."

Well, that was a relief. I had been anticipating the hassle of having to remove the carseats and taking the courtesy shuttle home and then another day or two with Mary's two-door car.

Tab was dubious when I told him what the mechanic had said, but so far the car appears to be fine. Maybe we'll get through the next week without any more malfunctions, human or automotive.

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