Reboot

I’m no expert in computers but I have found that 9 times out of 10, when my computer crashes, if I just re-boot it, the problem seems to resolve itself. (One more reason I am considering moving to an Apple). This week Microsoft taught me a lesson in car repair.

My car has been burning oil fairly quickly the past few years and the check engine light has been on ever since I bought it. A few years ago, I jimmy-rigged the computer in the car to spit out a code for the warning light without taking it to a mechanic. The code that came back was a faulty oxygen sensor. I certainly wasn’t going to worry about that.

This week I was driving down the freeway and the oil pressure light started to flash. I took the nearest exit which was two to three miles away and stopped at the gas station to buy some oil. Since I am due for an oil change in less than two-hundred miles, I just bought two quarts of oil and put them in the engine.

As I left the gas station, the car seemed to hiccup around 2500 RPM. It would sputter and cough and only allowed me to rev the engine to about 3000 RPM even if I continued pushing on the gas. The symptoms occurred even in neutral. So I quickly turned around and headed back to the gas station. I was ready to call a tow truck.

Microsoft saved the day. I turned off the car, waited ten seconds, and turned it back on. The engine light went off for the first time in six years and the car was running without any problems. I drove away contemplating that now might be the perfect time to sell the car. With that thought, the engine light came back on, but the car kept on moving. I guess I won’t be able to bamboozle anyone.

So now I’m asking all the car experts out there what just happened. If I don’t get a legitimate answer, you may hear me on the Car Talk Radio Show.