I am not a fan of the waiting game. A week and a half ago when I drove the General's car, an alert appeared on the car's electronic screen indicating that immediate service related to oil needed to happen. The notification was clear: Continued driving could damage the motor. So what was I supposed to do with that? I was forty miles from home.
For starters, even though I didn't understand how that could be possible, I paid attention. For the most part, the car has been maintenance free. I get the oil changed annually.
I know, that doesn't make sense? What happened to the every three-month/ 3,000 mile cycle from my young adult years? Somehow synthetic oil reportedly is better for your car's engine than conventional oil. In addition, the car's computer notifies the driver when service is warranted.
With the General's BMW, that comes up annually. I had the car serviced in November of last year. Despite the fact that I didn't understand how the oil could possibly need to be changed, I pulled into a parking lot and called the dealership. I paid attention to the message on the information screen.
I asked for the service advisor who handled the car the last time. Good luck on that! I waited 30 minutes and telephoned again. This time I asked for any service advisor. I explained my circumstances to the person answering the phones. Who knows, maybe the service advisors were all on a coffee break. Thirty minutes later, I still had not received a returned phone call.
Like I said, "I don't play the waiting game very well." I telephoned the car salesman. I was certain he would remember me. I purchased three Lexus vehicles from him during the years he worked for Lexus, and this is the second BMW I've purchased from him. He is really a nice guy.
As it turned out, he was not working that day, but he took my call. He assured me that I wasn't going to ruin the vehicle by driving it an additional 40 miles. Though he thought it improbable that the car could be low on oil, he suggested that I check the oil level when I got home.
Instead of checking the oil, I parked the car and waited until the next morning. The car is two years old and I don't think I've ever opened the hood before. It was trickier than I imagined. You have to pull the open lever twice.
Okay, so I'm not a shade tree mechanic. I am also dumber than dirt. God as my witness, I didn't find a dipstick to use to check the oil. What was I supposed to do now?
Of course, the warranty book and all the instructions are available through the car's digitized information system available on the electronic screen. I needed a seventh grader to know how to use it.
Where would I be without YouTube? In short order, I discovered that the only dipstick my car has is the owner. Like I said, I am as dumb as dirt.
The oil level is checked electronically through the vehicles information screen. Once I saw how it was done on YouTube, I was able to negotiate the necessary steps to determine the oil level is full.
Tomorrow is the day that I hold my breath and drive 50 miles to the dealership. Somehow having the car towed to the dealership seems like over-kill. I guess I will take my chances, but I'm a little anxious that "continued driving could damage my engine."
All My Best!
Don
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