ARRRGH!

The check engine light is on in my car. Although there is a limited warranty from the dealer a three hour drive away, the local Subaru place says that the general warranty ran out about 10,000 miles ago.

Local Subaru is checking it over now, they've given me an estimate, and they're (hopefully!) going to have the whole issue dealt with before the end of the working day. And then I go home, grab all the paperwork for the dealer where I bought it, dial up the salesman, point out how dangerous and ludicrous it would have been to drive for 3 hours in a heatwave with the warning light on, and start making "And how do you plan on making this up to me?" noises.

This is the second time I've had to repair something on this car in the less-than-two-weeks that I've owned it. The windshield might have been an Act of Rock, but there is no excuse for warning lights to be coming on. I bought this car in good faith, my parents intend(ed) to purchase a future vehicle from the same dealership, and I am, at the moment, a VERY unhappy customer. I won't start smearing their name until they have a chance to know what has happened and try to make it right...

...but having to deal with this at all Just Ain't Right.

My only question at this point is - should I contact the salespeople even before I get the call from the local Subaru? Let them deal with the issue "in house" as it were and hope to avoid any charges? Or will I have a stronger position when I'm at home, unrushed, with all their paperwork spread before me, able to say "And on this page I am guaranteed..."

ETA: Have taken the advice below and called the original dealer in PA, plus spoken to local dealer. Yay for cellphones! According to Subaru of Annapolis, the knocking sensor needs to be replaced and the front brake pads only have about 5,000 miles left in them. According to Steve Moyer Subaru, the knocking sensor is DEFINATELY covered by the warranty and the brake pads might be. SMS is calling SoA to talk about how SMS can pay SoA directly so that I am not out of pocket. I am waiting for a call back from SoA to hear what is covered and how the payment has been handled.

Either way, SoA promises that I can have my car back in working order by lunchtime. And if the brake pads aren't covered by the warranty, I have, by my calculations, 4 more months of driving (including the Canada trip) to deal.

Feeling moderately better.

Won't feel entirely better until I get through a full month with no car grief except routine gas and maintenance.

ETA 2: Kudos to Steve Moyer Subaru, who is paying for ALL repairs including brake pads, and to Subaru of Annapolis, who will return my car to me at the end of the day.

Much happier now. I can forgive a company for messing up if they're prompt in fixing it up too. Thank you to those who urged me to contact Steve Moyer's right away, as that was the proper thing to do. (Also proper was to skip my original urge to go to my garage, which is closer... but isn't in the dealer's loop.)

And on the lighter side...

mollyringwraith has the first half of her parody of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince up. As with any of her parodies, I cannot recommend it too highly:

CHAPTER SIX

HARRY: Neat, I'm the Quidditch captain.
HERMIONE: (and I quote) That gives you equal status with prefects! You can use our special bathroom now and everything!
STEAMY FANFIC WRITERS OF MANY VARIETIES: (taking notes) How handy.

Prepare for Fair III

The good news, for those who haven't read the updates on a previous post - the people I bought the car from are paying for ALL repairs and I will have a car back at the end of the day. The guy at the local dealer swears it'll get me to Canada and back, no problem. *crossed fingers*

The better news:

Prepare for Fair III

Team Wench is doing it again - the charity yardsale that lets you buy renfaire-related things at great prices and allows us to keep doing our great works. All proceeds this year will go to Alzheimer's research.

TIME: August 13 8am - 1pm
PLACE: 1485 Amberwood Drive South, Annapolis, MD 21401 (Mapquestable address)

This is the latest "what we have" post from our fearless leader:

Oh my goodness, we are going to have a GREAT sale! I sorted all of the garb we have so far, and there are some wonderful pieces for sale this year. Some vendors we know, koffmorescakoffkoff and some well-made items from non-vendor types. Some skirts, some bodices, some one-of-a-kind pieces, a good number of those medieval underdresses and shorter overdress things, and HEAPS of chemises and men's shirts! And there's still more garb on its way! Nea's note: I know for sure that there are 6 chemises of assorted colors, one white bodice with an embroidered dragon, and one Moresca bodice size L because I put them there...

If you don't find what you need, there's also plenty of fabric available to make your own. Plain cotton for chemises and skirts, and some lovely not plain fabric for bodices, overdress trim, that bellydance outfit you always wanted to make, and more.

And have I mentioned the basket collection yet? There's baskets to carry your purchases home, baskets for bringing lunch to faire, baskets for carrying your every-faire-day stuff around, and baskets for holding items at home. Some of the baskets have already stood the test of faire, and are still in great condition. Baskets from suitcase sized - no kidding - to itty bitty cute ones. Plenty feast gear sized... and oh, yes, the feast gear to go in them. Lots of feast gear; plates, bowls, cups, tablecloths, utensils, candlesticks, the lot!

And plants. We're having a "dig your own" plant sale. What this means is that all of the sun-loving perennials in one garden need to go, as the trees in the garden have made it a shade garden. What's in there? Self-sowing Echinacea or purple coneflower (the goldfinches love it!), various shades of purple iris plants, a white Asiatic lily that could be happily divided, Marguerite daisies, and who knows what bulbs you may unearth (they're free with the flowering plants). Everything in the garden is for sale except the trees. There's dig-your-own hosta for sale as well, and some potted aloe plants. Lots and lots of baby aloe plants nursed from last year. Strong, healthy stock; buy a baby for a few coins now and have your own mass of aloe by next year!

There will be free hot dogs for those who come to the sale, courtesy of Team Wench. After all, you battled traffic to get to the sale this year, you should be rewarded.

More info to come as more items are sorted and made ready. For directions to the sale, see www.teamwench.org.