Third time - oops!

On my days off, we sometimes head in to Omaha to eat, or to Council Bluffs try out the Casino. I also like to fill up with gas in Omaha because gas is usually cheaper there.

1st time - Ok: A while back as we started off, I noticed the gas gauge was getting low. So I flipped on the "Miles until empty" display. It showed we had plenty of gas to get there, about 35 miles one way. However, on the way back I wanted to stay on Dodge street because I can go all the way home without having to stop. Getting off to get gas means going down a street that is full of stop lights. It was getting into rush hour traffic, which isn't any fun. So I checked the handy "Miles until empty" display and it showed we had enough to get all the way home. I could stay on the fast road and fill up at home.

2nd time - Ok: A few weeks later, the gauge was getting low again as we were heading out of town. The "Miles until empty" display showed we again had enough to make it there. This time we filled up in Omaha on the way home to save a few cents. As it turned out, it was the same price as at home. I sometimes wonder why we make such a big deal out of filling up where gas is 2 or 3 cents cheaper. If I put in 15 gallons, that means I only save 30 to 45 cents. That's hardly worth risking running out of gas just to find it a little cheaper.

3rd time - Oops: Monday we made the trip again. This time the "Miles until empty" showed we wouldn't make it. So we filled up before we left town. You may be thinking I should be planning ahead a little more so I'm not always on low. I suppose you are right. But since I don't, the "Miles until empty" feature sure is great. It means not having to hold my breath after I hear the beep and the "Low gas" indicator comes on. I've gone as low as "zero" on the display without running out just to test it. So it seems quite accurate. I like the Miles until empty feature!

Jeep heater problems

A while back I was having problems with the heater controls on my Jeep Grand Cherokee. During some of our cold Nebraska days, the temperature from my heater would suddenly become very cold. At first, I jiggled the temperature switch and it would get warm again. After a while nothing seemed to help. It was unpredictable. Some days it would work fine. Other days I couldn't get it to work. I finally broke down and took it to a repair shop to have it checked. They diagnosed it as a leaking water pump which caused a low antifreeze level resulting in bubbles in the hoses leading to the heater. The bubble would get trapped somewhere along the way and not allow the water to flow, thus causing the cool down. That sounded plausible, so I paid the $380 bill and thought my problems were over.

Check # 2: However, the next day, the same problem occurred on the way home from work. So I took it back to the repair shop. They said they must not have gotten all the bubbles out. They disconnected all the hoses, drained everything, and sent me on my way. On the way home, same problem.

Check # 3: So I turned around and went right back. Of course, by the time I got back, the heater had started working again. They didn't want to believe me. So I left it there overnight for them to check the next morning. They had one of their employees drive it home (a 45 mile round trip for which I had to pay the gas.) He claimed it worked all the way home that night, and all the way back to work the next morning. The bubbles must have finally worked their way out. So they sent me home again.

Check # 4: The next day, it wouldn't work for me again. When I arrived at the repair shop, they thought I was joking when I said it did it again. When they realized I was serious, I told them I left it running. They should come out and check for themselves. This time the air was still cold. They called their "specialist" out to take a look at it. He determined the motor that moves the device that actually determines the temperature was shot. So I left it there for them to work on the next day. I thought this time surely they had it fixed. When they tried to charge us another $100 for the motor, my wife said, "I don't think so." They ended up taking off the charge.

Check # 5: That night on the way home from work, the same problem. By now, I was getting very frustrated. I think they could tell when I came back the next time that I was getting serious (read furious) about this problem. The general manager happened to be the one there when I came in this time. He said they would get it fixed, so I left it one more time. This time they changed the entire heater control panel, including fan switches, temperature control, and selectors (heat, air conditioning, defrost, etc.) When I came back, the general manager was there again. He said the only thing they hadn't figured out was how to pay for it. I knew I wasn't going to pay. When he handed me the bill, it was for $0.00.

Finally: That seems to have taken care of the problem. Now that I think about it, my air conditioner would kick off once-in-a-while last summer. If I turned it off, then back on, it would work again. Perhaps that was the beginning of the problem way back then.

Conclusion: I write this mainly to alert you to a possible problem. If you are having heater problems, suggest to your repair shop that it might be the heater control panel. If they start there, you and they will probably save a lot of frustration.

One final note: A couple of weeks ago, I was going to use my GPS to find a place in Lincoln. I took it along in my Grand Cherokee. I placed it where I usually did, and couldn't figure out why it wouldn't stand up like before. Then I realized I had velcro on the heater control panel which had now been replaced. The velcro was missing. I think they owe me!

February Recap

Here is a recap of my Jeep posts from February.

1. I'm not getting old, but some of the "assists" in my Jeep are getting helpful! My Jeep is my assistant.

2. Proof that my gas mileage isn't that bad for an SUV, coming in at 19.5 MPG at the time. Gas Mileage Proof

3. Waking up to snow and having to drive to Lincoln wasn't a problem. Snow, no worries.

4. The Headlamp off time delay is a great feature when I come home from work in the middle of the night.

5. Jeep-sized ice floating down the Platte River must mean Jeeps are a force to be reckoned with.

Drive a Jeep, save the world.

Mother nature dumped another 10 inches of snow on us Thursday along with winds from 35 - 40 miles an hour. That was on top of the 6 inches we had last Saturday. The ice from the sleet that fell then is still underneath it all. It is also snowing some more today. The forecast calls for another 2 inches. The wind is really blowing and causing a lot of blowing and drifting snow. Today while out getting gas, lunch and some groceries, I saw many vehicles sliding around, having trouble getting started at intersections, and generally just having a bad time out there. Meanwhile, I had my 4-wheel drive engaged on my Jeep Grand Cherokee and was having no trouble at all.

While at lunch, we overheard some people talking about the fact that the bridge over the Platte River south of Fremont is closed until 5 p.m. tonight because of the road conditions. I was tempted to drive out there just to see. I'm sure if they saw me coming, they would say, "Oh, you're driving a Jeep. Come on through. You'll be able to make it fine!" However, I resisted the temptation and went home instead.

I'm at the point of thinking the phrase from the TV show Heroes should be "Drive a Jeep. Save the world!"

No trade

There is no way I would trade my Jeep Grand Cherokee 4X4 for anything right now. Last Saturday we had a bad storm. It had rained about 1/2 inch during the day. It was just starting to sleet as I left for work. By the time I drove the 2.5 miles, the ground was already completely white with sleet. The parking lot was slushy with the sleet mixed with the water from the rain. A little later it started to snow and the temperature dropped just below freezing. We had about 6 inches of snow with wind which really filled up the parking lot. The water and sleet underneath froze into a sheet of ice which was covered by the snow. By time I left work at 4:00 a.m. I had to help push the cars of my employees out of their parking spaces. Two had front wheel drive. It took four of us to push one of those out to where the snow plow had gone through and cleared a path. It was really funny when the snow plow got stuck trying to clear out the rest of the parking lot. He had to call a friend with a tractor to pull him out. I laughed as I got in my Jeep and drove right out without even spinning the wheels. Four wheel drive is fantastic in situations like that.