Notice there is no 'tried' in that title, dear readers.
I am an actual, certified grown up and have changed the oil in my car.
...This was no mean feat however.
The adventure started when I casually informed my Father that my oil light kept flashing on when I went round corners. The slightly horrified look he gave me should have signified that this was of more importance than I had perhaps assigned it previously.
Fatherama: So when does this big, red warning light come on?
Amy: Err (sheepish) ... when I go round corners, sometimes on hills, if I brake sharply...(trails off)
Fatherama: *Heavy breathing*
Amy: Heh.
Fatherama: And just how long has this light been coming on?
Amy: About a week ... or three.
Fatherama: AMY!!
Fatherama quickly informed me that if the red warning light for oil flashes on in your car you should pull into a garage sharp-ish and get that shizzle sorted as a major priority.
Which, in Amy language, meant I had another week or so to get it sorted.
In any event (and an unspecified amount of time later), I eventually stopped off at a Tesco petrol station to buy some more oil. This was not as difficult as I had feared it might be as I just grabbed a big bottle of motor oil which stated it was suitable for 'old engines'.
Perfect!
The Honda is a bit of a relic so anything which says it's suitable for OAPs is ace in my book. Last thing we want is to pour some new-fangled gunk into the abused and already suffering engine.
Once that was all paid for and the tank was full (all my money gets spent on the hungry Honda sob), I pulled into the Tesco car park and popped the bonnet on my car with little to no misadventure (might have burned my .
However, this is when the trouble started.
First, it was pitch black and I was unsure where, exactly, the oil cap was located. Then, when I spotted a big cap marked 'OIL', I started to second-guess my car mechanic skills.
Was this for the engine oil that I needed to re-fill or was this some other secret oil that I had no idea about?
My car is a pretty mischievous beast at the best of times and it would be typical that it would have multiple oil orifices just to trip me up.
I wasn't taking any chances.
So I called my Mum.
After asking me if there was a nice bloke about that could help me (! It's 2015, mother!), she advised that the oil cap I had located would be the correct one.
Thanking her for her input I, rather mistakenly in hindsight, believed that was my trial over.
It was then that I discovered my true challenge was only just beginning.
I could not, for love nor money, remove the flipping oil cap.
Oh, Honda, you test my patience!
 |
| Problem? NOPE. NOT HERE. vjnigjbgoigbnsmgn |
After several attempts, and I'm sure I could hear some laughter from the minivan parked behind me, I gave up and drove home.
Thus ended day 1 of the War on Oil.
Day 2 was not much better.
In the morning I, once again, popped the bonnet and this time, I was determined to see this thing through. If not for me, then for the suffering Honda chariot.
Bonnet popped. Oil cap...off!
Huzzah! Managed to pry the bloody thing off.
Now to just pour the oil into the engine....can't open the bottle of oil.
 |
| Friday morning. 7.30am. ...sorry neighbours. |
I had to break the seal of the cap using my thumb nail.
Thank God for base coat nail polish, dear readers.
Once I had wrestled the cap off the bottle, I then proceeded to pour the. Entire. Carton. In my engine.
It was only later that I realised I was supposed to use the dipstick to check the oil levels and make sure I poured the right amount in.
I felt like such a ... well ... let's avoid the obvious insult.
So yes, tried to be a real grown up and failed epically. I am no longer allowed to try and do anything to maintain, fix or otherwise improve my car with the exception of filling it up with petrol.
...or was it diesel?
&&Fin.
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