Auto Immobile

The latest word from the auto mechanic is that he had to replace some blown hoses, which were old and worn, and the faulty temperature gage. He then replaced the head gasket, did some more testing, and now believes there is a crack in the head and/or the engine block. Not good news. Not inexpensive news either. Both the mechanic and the homeowner are now on the lookout for a replacement engine.

We’ve been emailing back and forth with the homeowner who has been trying to hold us partly responsible, claiming he told us to only drive the car to town and back. Well, I saved all the emails since we first started communicating and he never said that. If we had known about such a restriction – assuming we would have still decided to come here – we would have honored his wishes. But he didn’t so we couldn’t. He also never warned us about the cooling system as he claimed. In fact, the last email we had received from him regarding the car’s condition said it had a new radiator and was running good. Our agreement was that we were responsible if we dented or crashed the car, but that he was responsible for mechanical breakdowns, which, for a twenty-year old car in this tough environment, should not be unexpected. So we feel we were driving the car responsibly and have no intention of paying for any engine repairs.

Needless to say, this has put a damper on our relationship with the homeowner, and our chances at getting a good reference from him are practically nil, no matter how good a job we do caring for his house. Fortunately, all of our other house sitting references are good ones so it’s no great loss. And despite the strained relationship between us and the homeowner, he still needs us to look after his house until May, and we have agreed to do so as long as the dialogue remains civil and there are no more big unpleasant surprises. We can get by with walking more and using taxis. But unfortunately both Deborah and I feel this dispute over the car has cast a bit of a pall over our stay here.

On a brighter note, our computer has resurrected itself (for now) for unknown reasons, which will make life easier. And, even better, Myra is coming for a two-week visit starting tomorrow. Hopefully she is prepared to do a lot of walking.

Our new mode of transportation now that the car is in the shop