The DMV comes through

It seems to be the fashion now to trash talk government employees.  One agency that particularly seems to get more of its share of griping is the DMV.   I beg to differ.  My experiences with the DMV have, in general, been positive.  Recently, this was reconfirmed.

Because my Parkinson's severely affects my balance and walking, I applied for and received in the mail this hanger to be placed on the dashboard or hung from he mirror.  The hanger was to expire on June 30, 2011.  Since that is about 7 weeks away, I was concerned whether the DMV would send a reminder.  Would I need another statement from my doctor?

Then just a couple days ago, a replacement placard with an expiration date of June 30, 2013 arrived.  No notice, not another examination or doctor's statement.  Thanks, DMV

Beware of car painters operating in Costco parking lot

It's been almost a year since Tiffany smoothly and rapidly backed her car out of her driveway, forgetting to look behind her and, more importantly, to notice that my car was parked behind her. The first picture below was taken to document the bump, slight indentation of the bumper, and the paint scraped off the bumper.

Recently, while trying to find a parking space at Costco (even the handicap parking was overloaded) a man approached us and offered to give us a bid on fixing & painting it. We parked, he parked close to us, and ran over to give us a bid again. We finally accepted his offer and went off to eat a Polish dog.

This picture was taken after his paint job. As you can see, he was somewhat clumsy about straightening out the bumper material, and forgot to mask the foglight. All in all, it looks like the kind of job I might accomplish. At least I didn't have to take it to some shop. He did the complete job while we were in Costco having lunch and shopping.

Cheaper to drive?

Now that Carolyn is starting to clean up her projects around the house, organize and update her wardrobe, and catching up on office emails, she thought it would be appropriate to give the old Red Rocket a thorough physical. She had to get a smog check for the license and registration anyway.

Well, first it was a leak in the radiator, then a few drops of oil under the car, then the horn didn't seem to be working correctly, and finally the car sounded like a railroad train when the transmission was engaged. Yup, you guessed it. She wanted to drive safely and we're certainly not looking for a new car at this point. So Carolyn gave the go-ahead. Damages: just under $2,300.

Now that's less than the price of a new car for which we're really grateful but it would make a good down payment. Have we cleaned up all the problems for the next three years or should we start looking now for Red Rocket's replacement.

Pleasant surprise

It's that time of year again when I finally face the file drawer where I have been stuffing all the tax related junk since last year. I grudgingly sort out all the W-2's, 1099's, and assorted other statements and envelopes declaring "Important Tax Information Inside". Turbo Tax isn't perfect, but it does help organize the process and asks the right questions to get most of the proper income and deductions in their proper place.

For a while, it looked like my change in employment status from employee to part-time consultant was going to leave our taxes grossly underpaid and we'd end up with a hefty payment to the Feds, maybe even a penalty for underwithholding.

But coming to the rescue was our purchase last year of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and the $2,600 tax credit that purchase generated. That's almost like three free car payments! Our tax bill was reduced to something more manageable and I could breathe a sigh of relief as I submitted our return.

Service with a smile

A few days ago I wrote about my Toyota Highlander getting it's first oil change. It was a very customary, routine event. I was treated very much like I have been at other dealerships and Jiffy Lube regarding oil changes. Certainly nothing like the service I always received from Ghassim.

Then I took the Highlander in for a "Platinum Seal Coating". This is anything but routine. We bought this package as part of the original purchase probably because we were so worn out and tired (it was late in the evening - most dealerships would have been closed) and having a car whose interior and exterior "repelled dirt" seemed like a good idea.

Well, you don't just take your car in for a Platinum Seal. You must make an appointment, something the service department has been after me for the past four months to do. I chose this day because Carolyn was out of town with a rental so I had other transportation available. I needn't have worried. "Would you like us to drive you home, Mr. Loveridge, or would you rather have a free rental car for the day?" No brainer there. Even when I explained that I'd probably not be able to return in the evening because of a college class, they said, "No problem."

All the paperwork was completed ahead of time making my stay at the dealership short. The next morning when I turned in the 2007 Camry for my Highlander they all but rolled out the red carpet. And the SUV looks brand new! The only problem is that everything is so "treated" that my hands slip off the steering wheel and I slip on the floor mats. But it is beautiful. I could go for this treatment every year.

First time for service

I'm happy to report that the quality assurance on my Toyota Highlander Hybrid was so well done that I have not had to take it back to the dealers since we bought it over 4 months ago. Although it has its little quirks (such as not cutting out the speed control immediately when I tap the brake), I have not been able to find anything wrong with it.

I was a little worried a week or 10 days ago when a warning light came on and the message "Maintenance Required Soon" appeared on the little display screen. A quick search through the owner's manual explained that that message was to let me know I had reached 90% of the mileage when an oil change is recommended. The message was fleeting, turning off within 10 seconds so I made a mental note to schedule an oil change when I had the time. At 5,000 miles the warning message changed to "Maintenance Required" and it didn't go off.

Yesterday, I managed to get back to the dealer for the oil change (which we had prepaid). I must admit that the service writers were efficient and friendly but the man in charge of driving the cars to the service bays was perplexed. He turned the key in my car but "nothing happened". I guess he had never driven a hybrid before and expected the engine to roar to life.

He wasn't the only person surprised by my car. After the oil change and the other maintenance due at 5,000 miles, my car was promptly returned to me. I turned the key and saw the clear message "Maintenance Required" staring back at me. Mine is likely the first hybrid of that model that mechanic has worked on and he either didn't know how or didn't know it was necessary to reset the warning. Let's hope that was all he missed.