Friday, 4/25

You know how there are “dog years”? I wonder if there are “car years”, as well.

The reason that thought popped into my head is that I have to run Loraine's car out to Fox Chevy in a little bit to get new front brake pads & rotors. When I got the oil changed last week they noticed the parts needed replacement, and Loraine likes her car almost as much as (if not more than) me, so I told her I'd take care of it.

And I shall.

Because I know nothing at all about cars (sorry, Dad) I guess I'm a little confused as to why the front brakes are bad while the back ones aren't (because it's a front wheel drive car?). But more to the point, her car, after seven years, only has 13,000 miles on it, so you'd think that most parts would still be fine.

And that's why I started to think of “car years”.

One of the things my in-house car expert (hi again, Dad) is always telling us is that we have to take the car out for more than a spin to the grocery store every so often, because the parts in the vehicle need to get used. We try; we're not always successful, but we try. And if the car has spent the vast majority of the past seven years sitting in our driveway, I'm guessing that would make it like a human sitting in a recliner for seven years.

Things would start not working, and would start not working fast.

So even though the car's seven years old, how old would that make it in human years? I mean, a “dog” year is equal to seven “human” years. If we take that number and apply it to Loraine's car, that would make it almost 50 (human) years old. And that way, I could see why things like the front brakes would need to get replaced.

Even if they haven't been used very much.

I have no idea if “car” years is an actual thing or if I'm just really out there. But when you have something you don't use very much yet have to take it in for a little TLC, things like that pop into your head.

Or, at least, they pop into my head.

So I'll be taking an occasionally wise old man's (hi yet again, Dad) advice and bringing Loraine's car up for a little minor surgery in a few minutes. And while I'm there, who knows--

Maybe I'll ask the people at Fox if there IS a human equivalent for “car years”. Or maybe not. After all, I get enough strange looks directed my way as it is.

8-)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

(jim@wmqt.com)