Thursday, December 08, 2005

Now I’m really getting worried

The cruise control on my little Japanese commute car stopped working yesterday.

Big deal?

Well, maybe. Is this the next step in the conspir... oops! The, uh... (You know!)?

I was cruising home from work when the little “Cruise On” light on the dash just went out and the car decelerated. No smoke. No fanfare. No sound at all.

What? Can’t I drive without cruise control, you ask?

Of course I can. It’s just that I’ve become so lazy from depending on it for years to keep me from creeping up far enough over the speed limit that I’ll have a close encounter with the DPS.

Oh, for you non-Texans, that stands for the Department of Public Safety. A.K.A. the Highway Patrol. A.K.A. state troopers.

A.K.A. “Take your pick. Plead no contest and pay your $100++ fine (depending on how FAR in excess of the speed limit of were driving) OR Pay about $100 for a course in ‘Defensive Driving’ and keep the ticket and the ‘points’ off your record.”

Okay, okay. I agree. In the overall scheme of things a broken cruise control is No Big Deal. So why am I worried? I can’t help but wonder what’s next. In the conspir... (You know!)

This weekend I’ll go through the owner’s manual to see which circuit breaker(s) or fuse(s) protect the cruise control system. Maybe it’s something as simple as a loose wire or a blown fuse. I’m good at replacing a fuse or re-connecting a loose wire.

If it’s more than that, I’ll have to decide how much I’m willing to pay a shop to fix the darn thing. With my luck it’ll be some electronic circuitry that can’t be fixed but must be replaced in full. And — oh by the way — it’ll likely cost several hundred dollars.

About enough to pay for two tickets, or maybe three defensive driving classes. Depending on how fast my uneducated right foot has me traveling.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Like you, I would never have anticipated the conspir... (You know!) extending to the car which has got me thinking that this conspir... (You know!) is bigger than we think. Yesterday my retupmoc malfunctioned for a while and it was definitely something electrical.

Exercise extreme caution when driving. Be diligent on keeping your eyes on the speedometer. Be wary of the foot on the peddle. Drive safe!

Candace said...

This conspir-- business is the real deal, people! Everybody in the mental hospital I was in last month said so!

Duke_of_Earle said...

Oh, Candace! Now you've gone and revealed my source! No telling what might happen now.

(If I could only find and get m=back on my meds, I'm sure all would be better. Where DID I put those pills?)

John

Nankin said...

When you find those pills, how about sharing?

kenju said...

Cruise control is the best invention since sliced bread!!