57/365: Not Again

I am not a "car person." I typically view an automobile as a functional piece of equipment to get me from point A to points B, C, D, and so on. I'm not big on style or horsepower. I care about comfort, reliability and safety. So when I make this next statement, it's a big deal. I love my car. I researched long and hard before buying it. I walked out of a salesman's office after had I found the exact car I wanted. I went elsewhere and negotiated a deal with which I could live. I gave the purchase a lot of time and energy. And it has been worth it. I have had this car for about 17 months and plan to have it for another five or six years. I say all this so you understand my next statement. The tires on this car are jinxed and I think the finance man did it.

When I bought the car, the finance man recommended getting the tire warranty package. Somewhere in the shuffle of paperwork that didn't happen. So in June, about 14 months into having it, my low tire pressure warning light came on. (I'm still amazed this freaking option exists!) So I took the car to the gas station and put air in the tires. That was good for less than 24 hours. That evening, as we waited for a table for dinner, Phil told Steph I had a flat tire. Klucker took care of it, putting a plug in the rear passenger tire, and I was good to go . . . for about 6 weeks. Then I had the tires rotated. Once it became a steering tire, the plug didn't hold. Two new tires, and a whole lot of race entry fees later, I was once again good to go . . . for about 6 weeks.

Another low pressure warning morning for me. I played the fill it every two or three days game for about three weeks until I cried, "uncle." This time it was a screw I picked up the Friday night of Gateway Cup. Klucker plugged this one and I've been fine . . . until this morning. It's 20 degrees, wind chill of 14, and I'm checking and airing my tires. I'm praying the cold effected the pressure and this is not a repeat performance. All four tires were near each other in pressure, so I added air to them all. We'll see what happens when I head home this evening. Keep your fingers crossed. I'm really not in the mood to buy two more tires, or buy a voodoo doll of that finance guy.