We're not in Germany anymore... Auto mechanics.

My last post about Germany and German culture was quite negative.  So now I am going to post something topical that is an unexpected positive in Germany.  In our experience, auto repair and car mechanics are priced very reasonably, especially in comparison to the US.  You might be paying the equivalent of $9/gallon for fuel, but you don't have to auction off an arm and a leg on ebay to pay to fix the car.

Maybe I am unlucky, who knows, but I have rarely had a good experience with auto mechanics in the US.  In the end I often have to take the matter into my own hands, which costs me time, but usually I do not have the money to spend to pay what auto mechanics demand.  For example, once when we were living in NY we had to replace the windshield wiper motor, I was busy with my job so V took it to a shop.  They took out the motor and then wanted to charge an unbelievable amount of money for the labor.  I absolutely refused.  (Replacing the windshield wiper motor is a very easy, almost trivial, thing to do.)   I went to the shop but they had taken the old motor out, put it somewhere in their shop, and refused to give it back to me to try to force me to pay them to do it.  Instead, I took the car, went to an auto parts store and bought a new wiper motor, then to a junkyard and got an "arm" to connect the motor (for $5) to replace the one they took out.  However, the junkyard lost the acorn nut that fastened to the end just before giving it to me, then couldn't find it, so I had to go to a hardware store to get that...  Then put it in and hooked it up in something like 10 minutes.  I even remember T « helping » turn the socket wrench to attach it (he was very little then).  I could not get the core charge refunded on the old motor because the mechanics refused to give it to me (and I was not comfortable calling the police to get them to return my property because I had not paid them for the initial "labor"), but taking the core charge was still far cheaper than paying them to turn a wrench for a few minutes.  If however, and this is a repeating theme, they had charged a reasonable rate (worthwhile, or possible, for me to pay them versus doing it myself); I would have paid it just to save time and fuss. 

These and other experiences made me very apprehensive about going to a car repair shop in Germany.  However, our car developed a funny oil leak from near the end of a tube next to the engine and we needed to fix it.  We were living in an apartment without any tools, and I have yet to see an auto parts store in Germany like we have in the US.  So we took it in, the guy there was very nice, took a look, replaced a part that cost 8 euros, and that was it.  We asked to make sure, did we need to pay more for labor, etc., and he said it was nothing...!  A total of 8 euros for the ring.  We were both very pleasantly surprised.  Later we took the car back to the same place and each time the repair was very reasonable and hassle free. 

In contrast, we are currently attempting to get a safety inspection to renew the registration on our van here in Hawai'i.  I made the mistake of assuming the auto dealer that I bought the van from had updated the safety inspection, but they had not.  Then a letter from the DMV came in the mail and I was surprised that it cost $340+ for registration renewal.  (Perhaps this is normal in the US; it has been so long I can't remember how much it was each year in NY).  V took it to a shop for inspection and they wanted $1,000+ to approve it!  I do not have this much money available to spend.  They demanded new front tires that had a $500 price tag alone, and wanted to replace the two headlight units (the entire thing because the individual parts are not sold individually) for $100s of dollars, claiming that they were broken and out of spec, plus a few bulbs needed replacing... 

So naturally we refused to pay them for the repairs (we couldn't even if we wanted to).  They gave V a blue form and the woman at the counter clearly said that we give that to the DMV for a 30 day extension to get the repairs made and finish the safety inspection.  If we returned to them the followup inspection was free.  The front two tires were indeed worn.  We replaced the back ones since buying the van and I planned to replace the front ones sometime in the next few months anyway, so we went to Costco and got them replaced for less than $300.  Then we picked up some replacement bulbs for a few dollars and changed out one of the license plate bulbs (that I didn't know existed) and another anonymous bulb on a back light.  That part was ridiculously easy. 

Replacing a bulb on one of the rear light units.

The headlights were claimed to be « broken » because back when I replaced the bulbs there were these funny wire clips that didn't want to go back in, and as far as I could tell didn't do anything important so I left them out.  V's hands are smaller so she popped them back in.  Obviously the entire headlight unit did not need to be replaced. 

So, we made all the repairs for ~$310 instead of the $1,000+ they wanted, and went back in to get the safety approval.  They asked where the receipt was, so we gave them the white piece of paper that had the info from our first safety inspection, but what they actually wanted was the blue form for a receipt.  We told them we sent it to the DMV (I mailed it along with a form from the DMV, asking for a safety form, and a check for the renewal) as we were told.  They said they needed it for the followup inspection and denied saying we should send it to the DMV.  The woman behind the counter, the same one as before, said, oh no, we should have "walked" it into the DMV and showed it to them for the extension, not mailed it to them.  It had the things that needed to be checked on it...(i.e. the "cheat sheet") and they absolutely had to have it for the free followup inspection.  Whatever, we paid another $20 to do the inspection without the blue form they told us to send to the DMV and walked to get something to eat while waiting.  Then, when they were done they had found all these new things that were wrong that they didn't see before.  Two more (tiny front parking) bulbs needed replacing.  I asked why they didn't see it the first time and they said that we must have knocked them loose when we worked on the headlights (implying we should have had them--the professionals--do it, but it was pure nonsense, the bases are not even in contact to be knocked loose..) and, surprise surprise, the headlight units again needed to be replaced.  This time it was because the plastic was too foggy to properly aim the lights for alignment.  But they could do a special "headlight restoration" procedure for us, that was cheaper than replacing the units.  Still this was 100's of dollars.  I asked why the headlights became so foggy between our visits and they didn't have a snappy, lay the blame on us, answer for that one.  I was irritated and let V to finish talking to them while I walked out to the the garage and had the guy show me exactly which bulbs needed replacing now.  Then we took our van and went home.

I picked up a sandpaper adapter for my drill and some fine sandpaper disks and grinding compound, all for just under $20, and using my drill sanded down the headlight covers then polished them to get rid of the foggy plastic layer.  (Why it fogs over so bad I have no idea, the plastic over the bulb next to it stays crystal clear; it makes me suspect this is engineered obsolescence to sell more units over time.)

Before.

Part way thru grinding.  I'm starting to get worried at this point.

Finished product.  Crystal clear!

Then I pick up replacement front parking bulbs, but they don't fit.  I used the computer key at the store for the make, model and year of our van to pick them out, and went back and double checked to make sure, but it gives completely the wrong bulb.  (Later I checked online and other people have reported this as well--for years now.  How hard is it to fix this on a computer system?)  You have to buy these bulbs in pairs (as another way to sell more) so we had an extra bulb from the rear plate light that we replaced.  We popped the plate light right in the socket for the front parking light and it worked.  So we bought another pair (for the one more we needed) and put them in the front parking lights.  (They were burnt out and, by the way, after seeing them on we realized they had never worked since we had the van; not "knocked loose" as the mechanics blamed.)  The right one was easy and took V 5 minutes.  The left one required the intake hose, battery, battery pan, fuse box, and half the air filter be removed to pop it in.  Again, why can't cars be designed better⸮  If there were just a few more inches of room all the extra steps, that are not particularity hard but are irritating (now the clock has to be reset...), would be unnecessary. 

Stuff removed and pushed out of the way to replace a light bulb.

Stuffed back in...

So finally everything is fixed again, except for the headlight alignment, and we take it back, for the third time, for the alignment and safety inspection form.  There are a lot of comments like, we don't know where you took it to get this done...  Implying we should have paid them more to do what we did.  Anyway, it is in the shop and we are waiting nearby when V gets a phone call that the inspection is done.  When we walk back we see that they parked our van in the lane out front, not even in a parking space, ready to drive away, rather than leaving it in the garage or in a parking space as before.  They say we need to get the headlights aligned; we already knew that from the last inspection.  I thought that was what they were doing while we were waiting.  I ask them to please go ahead and do that, align the headlights.  She acts surprised so I try to be polite and ask them to please go ahead and align the lights.  We need to hurry and get the safety inspection done because we are running out of our 30 day extension for registration renewal.  Then the woman says there is no extension for registration, saying "if you're late, you're late" flippantly.  I say that is not what we were told here before.  And she says we are wrong...  So I say, we are new here to Hawai'; can you please explain how this is supposed to work.  (And I am trying my best to be patient and polite.)  She said we do the inspection, you have 30 days to get it fixed, it comes back from the DMV,  we put the stickers on the car, ...  I asked, what comes back from the DMV?  She says, I never said that.  I say, those were your words, you just said it comes back from the DMV.  I just want to be clear so I know what I am supposed to do (is "it" transmitted electronically by them, by mail, do we have to take a form...?).  (This is beginning to feel like the everlasting "missing forms" mystery in Germany.  I wish I carried a tape recorder for these situations.)  She acts flustered, stares at my shirt for a moment, then starts over at the beginning in painful detail, talking to us like we're children.  We check your car, you have fixed what is wrong, then take the yellow form to the DMV, there is no 30 day extension, .... on and on.  Finally we get to the headlight alignment and that it will cost ~$40.  I sign the work order and she takes a copy.  There is another copy still laying on the desk so I ask if it is my copy.  (Not having the right copy cost us $20 at the beginning of this.)  She and the other woman at the desk ignore me entirely; I'm right there in front of them.  Instead they start talking to V about F, is she heavy to carry; blah blah blah, and are making sounds and faces at F.  I ask again if this is my copy pointing at the paper.  Then V picks it up and asks, "is this our copy" and the other woman finally says yes.  ?   There is some weird passive aggression going on.  I ask, can you please tell me how long it might take.  She reluctantly says 40 minutes while looking away from me and the other woman calls out loudly for us to wait there in the waiting room because it is nice and cool with air conditioning (I'm suspecting this is an indirect way for them to say we are not from Hawai'i and work out some passive aggression).  We go out the door to walk around for a while during the wait and are about 20 feet down the sidewalk when a guy comes running out holding, what else, one of the clips from the front headlight.  He says to V (not me) "this just fell out" when they opened it up and it will need to be put back in.  V said, it's easy, you just pop the two ends in beside the bulb and tighten down the screw next to it with the stubby phillips head.  He pauses for a second staring at the clip, because this response from V was not what he planned, then says without eye contact, it will cost an extra $50.  V looks at me and I say that's it; we're going somewhere else.  We take the clip from him, go back in take our keys, and drive off to look for the DMV to get some answers from their side. 

What gets me in this last part is that we tried to pay them to align the lights.  We already paid them $40 for three safety inspections, when it was supposed to cost $20, and were about to pay $40 more for the alignment, but they tried at the last minute to jack that up to $90 so we walked out.  If they had just done what we had agreed on they would have made more money.  ?

We don't know where the DMV is so I drive to the library next to ask the security guard.  The difference between talking to the people at the auto shop and the security guard are like night and day.  He is friendly and polite and gives me the directions.  I thank him and am on my way.  No fuss, no drama. 

At the DMV I try to explain what is going on and show the woman behind the desk the form from the inspection.  (Later, V describes her as unengaged and dreamy.)  At first she is confused and thinks we are shipping a car here from another state.  I tell her no, that I bought it here in Hawai'i, ...  Later, she says all we need to do is get the headlights aligned for the safety check.  We explain that we are trying to get the safety check, with three attempts already, but that each time we go they are finding new things wrong to fix.  She seems to ignore us pointing at the latest safety check form and saying no, it says here you just need to get the lights aligned.  She does not directly answer our question about the non-existent 30 day extension.  She just says that we need to pay an amount for registration that is higher than before (with the late fine added).  I say I already sent them a check and can I have it back first before paying again.  She asks if the check was cashed yet; I say no.  She asks if I have had it returned (hmm...); I say no.  She says, well it was probably just lost in the mail (as if this is a perfectly acceptable excuse).  Anyway, while she was polite, it is clear that not much more clarity will come from the DMV office, so we return home and V puts the headlight clip in, again, and tightens the screw holding it down securely. 

I look up reviews from other people on Yelp for the auto mechanic shop we went to--a national chain.  They are given the lowest possible score and many people described the same problems we had.  So I look up a mechanic in the area with a high review score--not a national chain.  We drive to his shop and I make an appointment for a safety inspection for Friday afternoon.  My fault, I should have done this to begin with. 

To be continued.

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Update:  We went to the new shop this afternoon; locally owned, not the national chain.  Everything was much more professional.  He said it would be ready by 4pm; it was ready at 3:45.  Cost $15 for the inspection, period.  They were very clear and courteous and told us exactly what we have to do next; 1) take the blue form to the DMV to renew the registration, 2) bring it back to them and they put on the new stickers.  Simple, clear.  I know exactly where I am bringing the van next time.  We then drove straight to the DMV but were 5 minutes late.  They closed at 4pm and are not open again until 8am Monday.

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Update: Monday morning, we went to the DMV office, showed them the blue form and wrote a check.  They gave me a new registration and a sticker to take back to the inspection station.  (Why can't we just put the stickers on ourselves?)  We drove to the station and they put the stickers on the van and gave us a yellow and pink form.  I asked what they were for and they said the pink one was to keep in the van as proof of inspection and the yellow one was to give back to them when I get it inspected again.  (Who says Germany has more paperwork than the US?) 

New headlight bulbs

The latest work on the car, but not that exciting.  When driving at night, especially in areas that are well lit, it was hard to tell if the headlights were on or not.  I doubt the bulbs have ever been changed before.  I picked up some new bulbs that are supposed to be 25% brighter.  I did not get the super bright « BLUE DAWN » bulbs.  Not only are they amazingly expensive, I really don't like them in other cars.  I have been blinded before when another car is coming toward me with those bulbs in it so that I couldn't see the road.  (I am surprised they are legal; we are so obsessed with « safety first » in the US, but somehow these fell through the cracks.)  So got the cheaper less bright ones.  I wrestled the plug out of the back of the headlight and showed the kids how to replace the bulbs.

We could already tell a difference driving to the grocery store last night.  The light from the headlights was visible on the road ahead and lit up the signs reflecting back to us.

Oil Change

« We » (meaning T) changed the oil in the van last weekend. 

Part of my motivation to do this ourselves was that I found out Jiffy Lube is owned by Shell, which I boycott, and frankly I find it hard to trust quick change oil places.  But also it can just be fun to work on things outside of the office; it is good for T to learn how to change the oil; and, now that we are no longer in Germany, I plan to take full advantage of having access to the tools and resources to do this kind of work. 

Above T is loosening the drain plug at the back of the oil pan.  First I had to whack the wrench a few times with a rubber mallet to get it loosened up. 

 Here in Hawai'i they have special boxes to put spent oil in to be picked up in the trash and incinerated so it doesn't get into the water supply.  (It is good to keep oil out of the water supply anywhere; but especially here, there is precious little fresh water in the middle of the Pacific.) 

Now it's loose enough to turn by hand.  (Yes, the photo is upside down; it was a tight space.)

And there it goes!

Next is the oil filter.  The old one has paint peeling off.  It is nestled in the curve of the exhaust which makes it irritating to turn an oil filter wrench on to remove.  I had to reach in awkwardly and get this one out for T.  

Here it is with the filter removed.  Oil ran all over the exhaust pipe getting it off so the van will smoke as it burns off.  Again, I am impressed by how well designed modern autos are⸮ 

T was able to get the new one on and tighten it up with the wrench. 

Above T is putting the skirt back.  We removed it--it only takes three bolts--to get to the oil filter.  There were two slits cut into the skirt right under the area where the filter is.  You can just see one in the top right of the photo.  They are clearly cuts and are not designed to be there.  They are also just the right size to pull back to get to the filter.  I'm sure there is a good reason for this, running over a razorback perhaps, and a quick change oil place didn't just cut it open to save a little time⸮

Engine Trouble, Part 2

Above you can see the three newly installed back ignition coils with the inlet manifold removed. 

In the center above you can see the back three tubes that carry air down into the engine.  They had plenty of black gunk on the inside.  I sprayed cleaner in there and used my old toothbrush to scrub it out.  At this point I cover everything and call it a night. 

T and I are up with the sunrise the next morning. 

We start putting everything back together in reverse order.  However, there is a PCV hose in the very back of the manifold that is impossible to get on by feel in the tight space.  I end up unhooking the other end of it.  Take the manifold back off and attach the hose (above) then put them back. 

T (and I) are half asleep.

Reconnecting the brake booster hose.

There is a paper thin metal gasket that goes between the EGR valve (exhaust reburner) and the inlet manifold.  You have to hold it while trying to get two bolts threaded in.  I am holding it in position and literally saying to T that you have to be careful not to drop it when guess what?  It disappears deep into the engine. 

We both try reaching around to feel for it and spend some time searching.  In the picture above you can just see one of T's fingers (just to the left of the top of the yellow light handle) as he is reaching up from below.  Then we finally find it and get it attached.

V and F come out to check up on us and V brings some hot tea. At this point T tells her that a nice job would be to fix helicopters. 

Tightening a clamp on the intake hose. 

Reattaching a cable bracket. 

It is a very clear day.  We take a short break and climb up on the roof to look out over the ocean. 

Ok, now it is the moment of truth.  We start up the engine and guess what; it starts up!  At first it smells bad like burning chemicals and wavers.  The gunk knocked loose and cleaner is clearing through the system.  We shut it back down and I tighten up the bolts.  Then start it back up again and let it run for a minute while I race the engine a bit and shift it through the gears.  The burning smell clears up.  I stop and check the bolts again.  Then T and I take it for a short drive around the block.  Smooth as butter!  It runs quieter and with less vibrations than ever before!  I take V for a bit longer drive to the grocery store.  It is like we have a new van.  Also, it is time for me to get to work so I take it down the H1.  It has run just fine all day since.

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Epilogue:

Here is my old "Dr. Best" toothbrush from Germany after cleaning the intake tubes.  (A lot of English words are used in advertising products in Germany.) 

Here are the old ignition coils.  The three on the left, which came from the back of the engine, have different labels on top than the three on the right.  Hmmm...

This pattern is easier to see in the old spark plugs.  The three up top that are darker and bluer came from the back.  At some point someone just changed the three easy to access spark plugs and ignition coils.  If you thought the ignition coils needed to be changed, and you didn't know a specific one to replace, why would you only change the three in front?  No wonder the engine was having problems.

Engine Trouble

Our van has had a slight shudder from time to time while the engine is running.  A few days ago it started noticeably getting worse.  Then the other day it was shaking quite a bit on the drive to work.  On the drive back home it was jerking like crazy, losing power and lurching (like when you are about to run out of gas except worse), and I was in constant fear the engine would suddenly die completely.  Incidentally the engine light came on flashing, as if I had to be told something was wrong.  I pulled over in the right lane and drove slowly with my hazard lights on the last few miles.  I actually parked at a grocery store in the last mile, let everything cool off while getting groceries, then made a dash for home and parked it.

This time it had nothing to do with the radiator, the engine was not overheating and it was holding fluid just fine.  I looked up what I could about the problems and this model of van overnight.  I called in to work the next morning and started troubleshooting.  T and I went to the neighborhood Napa auto parts store.  I picked up a new air filter, fuel cleaner (to add to the fuel and clean the engine), carburetor cleaner, and ordered six ignition coils to arrive that afternoon.  I also picked up a new toothbrush at the drug store next door.  I am used to thinking a car has one ignition coil but these mazda vans have six little coils, one for each spark plug.  (More recently my dad told me this is common now; my thinking is outdated.)  Also, they tend to go bad and create misfiring in the engine, which I was guessing was the problem, but this was a progressing problem and not something that appeared discretely. 

First I added the fuel cleaner and we put in a new air filter.  The old one was dirty but not that bad.  I have seen much worse.  Once, years ago, I parked my truck for a few days then when driving it again noticed some problems.  The air filter was more or less fine but something had built a nest in the pipe just in front of it.  It was jam packed with leaves, sticks, and fur.  It's amazing how performance will improve when you get a squirrels nest pulled out of the air intake. 

We went back to pick up the ignition coils and some new spark plugs.  However, when we returned home a work crew had come, sent by the landlord, to cut down a tree next to our house.  They needed the driveway space which prevented us from working on the van.  Then it started raining heavily, which stopped the work crew and delayed everything further.  (It was a very heavy downpour; at one point M spotted an orange traffic cone floating by down the road.)  By the time we could start working it was getting late.  However, I couldn't keep taking time off from work... 

Above T is putting in a new spark plug.  The three on the front are easy.  All you have to do is remove three bolts and a plastic shield to get to them. 

Above you can see the spark plug down in the engine (down in the hole in the center).  Above it is the individual ignition coil for that plug.  The coils are installed over the plugs to the right and left. 

Eventually T turns in.  I stay up and manage to get the intake manifold off (with a lot of bolts, hoses and cables) to access the rear three plugs. 

OK, why are engines so needlessly hard to work on?  If the engine wasn't turned sideways, all six ignition coils and spark plugs would be easy to replace, without taking so much off to get to them.  To get the manifold off, I had to fit my hand through small spaces and work by feel because there is no way to actually see the connections, which makes everything much harder than it needs to be.  Is there a car out there that is designed for people to work on? 

Also, at this point I am hoping it is simply the engine misfiring, but all kinds of strange things can happen and I may be off track in repairing it.  Once my car had an engine mount break when I was several states from home.  It made an awful noise, vibrated, and lost power.  I had to rig up a Spanish Windlass with a rope and tire iron to position the engine and remount it.  But I digress...

[To be continued...]

Egg in the radiator

I kept topping off the water in the radiator each day but the leak got steadily worse.  I asked around and had a mechanic highly recommended to me; however, I did not have enough money at the time and had to wait till payday which was several days away.  I started keeping extra water in the back of the van just in case and I made an appointment to fix the radiator on payday.  Then, on the way home, the leak suddenly became much worse and would hardly hold any water.  I had to stop several times on the way home and fill it up to keep the engine from overheating.  There was a steady stream of water coming out of the radiator.  I used up all my backup water in the van and barely made it home.  We only have one vehicle so there was not a second car I could use.  Payday was three days away so we were grounded for three days.  I called in at work and worked as much as possible from my computer at home.  However, there were two problems.  I had a doctors appointment the next day that I absolutely could not miss.  And, I had to somehow get the van to the mechanic which was many miles away on the other side of town.

I had heard about an old trick for leaky radiators--cracking an egg into the radiator--and looked it up online.  There is a lot of debate surrounding this (see here and here); some people say it might work and some say absolutely not.  So I tried it.  Actually I had T crack an egg into the radiator with a lot of water.  He thought I was nuts.  I wasn't so sure either.  I worried about clogging the water pump; clogging the heater core however was not so much of a concern since we never use the heater.  I started it up and let the engine run for a while.  The theory is as the water in the radiator heats up the egg cooks and solidifies and seals the leak as it is pulled through.  We tried driving down the road a short way and back and it seemed to work almost immediately.  The radiator was holding water and the engine was not overheating.  We popped the hood and there was a faint cooked egg smell.  The egg worked perfectly for the next few days.  I was able to drive to the doc appointment, and to the mechanic.  Finally on payday I had the radiator replaced and the system flushed out.

Drive to Hawai'i Kai

This weekend we took a drive to a new part of the island.  We loaded up in the van and went to the eastward point called Hawai'i Kai. 

A shot back into the van, for fun T decided to wear his sheriff outfit. 

M with her hair braided. 

Here are some random (non-postcard quality) pictures through Honolulu and along the way to give you an idea of what it looks like.

Diamond Head in the background. 

Then on to the Hawai'i Kai.  It is a very rocky coast with lava cliffs. 

At this point we started having car trouble.  (The next thing to replace is the radiator.  It has a slow leak, but we keep water stocked in the car because of this and I topped it off before leaving.)  I didn't expect this and I thought we had the radiator under control.  We coasted into a scenic overlook parking lot; we gave some time for everything to cool off and settle so I could check on the water and oil, so I snapped some pictures while we were waiting. 

You can also see some other islands from here.  Here is a picture towards Maui and Moloka'i; they are faint in the distance. 

Also,  further out and a little more to the south you can see the big island of Hawai'i!  In the shot below I zoomed in.  I know it is faint but it is there on the horizon.  The peak is Mauna Kea, 13,796 ft, the 15th highest peak on earth.  However, it appear to be lower than Maui because it is farther away, 175 miles or 0.7% of the earth circumference.  I suspect this is why this area on Oahu is called Hawai'i Kai.  In my beginning understanding of Hawaiian, kai means salt water, sea, ocean.  So this is the Hawai'i (big island) Sea of Oahu. 

Also, T got out of the van with his outfit and hammed it up a bit. 

That is "sting" written on the side of the shotgun.  It is a reference to a sword named sting in "The Hobbit".  By the way, he sawed off the nerf gun himself, which resulted in the foam darts shooting much further than before. 

When I looked under the hood I realized I had made a mistake.  I was distracted when adding water before we left (I was holding F in one arm, talking to T, adding the water with the other) and forgot to fasten the cap to the radiator securely, so the water had boiled and vented out.  No more holding the baby and carrying on unrelated conversations while working on the car.  By now the engine had cooled and we added water, so we went back part of the way but it started making a strange sound it hadn't made before.  So we pulled off the road to let it cool and check it again.  We took the opportunity to grab some Chinese fast food for lunch.  We hadn't eaten out as a family in a long time and it doesn't help fix the van if we get upset and don't enjoy ourselves a little whenever possible.  (Like living in the moment in Ivan Franko's A Parable of Life, see also The Mahabharata 11:5, which the poem is based on.)

Then our luck started turning a little more for the worse.  The first sign was our fortune cookies.  They were both empty.  V took the kids window shopping while I checked the oil, it was fine but a little low, so I walked to a gas station and bought some oil to bring it up a bit.  I messed with the connection hoses on the radiator.  There was a place where the connection was loose and corroded, and that steam vented out of slowly when the engine is hot.  Usually I keep duct tape in the car but we had taken it out to use in one of our projects and left it at home...  I fastened everything as well as possible.

Then, while going to get V and the kids my camera fell out of its case onto the ground.  This has never happened with me before, and a camera should not be dropped like that.  I checked it and it seemed fine with just a scuff on the outside of the lens body.  Apparently the clip that holds the camera in the case wasn't secured all the way.

We walked around a costco a bit "window" shopping then it was time to head back.  I got back out on the road and we went for a few miles then the engine started making noise again and heating up.  I pulled off to the side of the road and checked again.  It was venting steam and the water reservoir was down again.

At this point a police truck pulls up behind us with lights going.  I tell him we are having radiator trouble and ask if he has any duct tape.  He doesn't but firmly tells us to get off the interstate.  I explained that we don't know the area around here and he says to pull off at the next exit and U-turn.  I top it off with more of our water and he escorts us with lights going.  We pull off and he pulls across the opposing lane to block traffic while we turn.  There is a shell station and a chevron ahead.  I get in the lane for the chevron but then he pulls up beside us and says to go to the shell station because it is a service station and the chevron is just a filling station.  This is a problem because I have boycotted shell for 16 years since the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa.  (There are only a few companies I boycott and/or do not buy stock in, Shell, Caterpillar (see here and here), Dell (here), and the country of Israel (here)--some people make fun of me for this, but I decide where I spend and invest my money.)  However, I have a cop with lights going telling me to go to the Shell station, so I resolve not to spend any money.  I pull in and the police go away.

It happens that there is a free water dispenser so V gets started filling up.  I go to the service guys and ask for some duct tape.  At first they seem to ignore me, so I go back to the van, but then a few minutes later one of the guys brings me some duct tape.  We have the water topped off again, double check all the caps and connections, and head off, without spending a penny at shell!  We made it back home this time without having to stop again.

As soon as I have enough money, I'm going to get the corroded connections to the radiator fixed up.

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Update:  I am a bit confused over place names.  Now it seems that Hawai'i Kai is a development to the west of the easternmost coast area.  I have heard this point referred to as "Lanai Lookout."

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Update:  I was really confused; actually my source was wrong.  The islands visible in the distance are from left to right; Molokai, Maui (behind Molokai) and Lanai (separated off to the right, now it makes sense this is "Lanai Lookout").  The Big Island is not visible.