The Painful Moments

Good and bad times

When I purchased the car I also took out an extended warranty plan. This plan meant that my sweetheart was covered from bumper to bumper for 72 months or 150,000km … whichever came first. Because I never drove this vehicle in the winter time the mileage was kept very low. During the course of the warranty period a leaky sunroof was repaired, a couple of transmissions were replaced and a few other odds and ends were covered under the warranty. It was well worth it. I also made sure that all oil changes and tune ups were made frequently. Regular maintenance was like a religion.

On November 1, 1999 devastation occurred. I remember this exact day because it was the day after my favorite race car driver of all times was killed in a race. I left my home early in the morning and merged onto the highway while thinking about the death of Greg Moore. He was such an entertaining and highly skilled Indy car driver.

RIP Greg Moore

These thoughts were going through my head as I merged into traffic like this car was so great at doing. After twelve years of driving this car I was very well acquainted with her moods on different days. On this day the temperature was cold in the morning which meant the car is more powerful and responsive. Most turbocharged car owners will tell you the same thing about cold weather. As I approached the speed limit of 100km per hour something was wrong.

Every time I tried to accelerate I could hear ping noises from the engine. I was on a three lane high speed road and needed to pull off onto the shoulder quickly. As I accelerate onto the shoulder I notice a trail of white smoke billowing from the exhaust pipes through the rear view mirror. I managed to get onto the shoulder and bring the car to a stop. The first thing I did was popped the hood, open the door and ran like a bullet to look under the hood. Ouch, I could see engine coolant everywhere and it wasn’t looking good. I called CAA and had it towed into my Grand National mechanic’s shop.

The news is bad! I have cracked the block. It is so badly cracked it can no longer be used.