It hit home for me today.

[OAITW r.2.0]

Bought a used vehicle in MA last January....took possession Friday. Engine light on, OBD says emissions vacuum~gas cap related.

I am 67, in pretty good health for a pack a day smoker. Anyways, I have my annual change of season cold - happens like clockwork around this time. So I took it back today to have a smoke test done on the vehicle. Small used car lot with a mechanic. I sneezed on entrance and it pretty much freaked everybody out. I was asked to wait outside until they could check my truck. An hour later, the sales/owner came out and stood about 7' away and said the mechanic doesn't want to touch your car.

I said OK, my fault, and it was. Lesson learned....going to Maine to a house that has no neighbors obvious, for the for-seeable future.

[msongs]

1. does your state have a lemon law? new purchse with defects etc nt

[OAITW r.2.0]

4. Not abig issue. Not sure the vehicle will be inpected for it.

[Mars and Minerva]

2. For 40 years I told everyone I had a "change of season cold" this time every year..

Then one year it rained for 35 days in a row. Sometimes heavy, sometimes showers, but it kept the pollen out of the air and I didn't "catch a cold".
Try taking a 24 hour allergy med for a few days....just in case.

[Liberal In Texas]

3. Make sure the gas cap is on tight.

I had this happen frequently on my old SUV. Didn't get it screwed on tight enough and the computer threw a code. The light won't go off right away, it'll take driving it for awhile. If that doesn't do it, buy a new gas cap. If that does it you'll have fixed it cheaper than a mechanic.

[treestar]

5. Oh geez

Like sneezing never happens for other reasons.

I was thinking along these lines about my allergy-related cough. Will have the same thing.

[DURHAM D]

6. Probably just the gas cap.

Turn three clicks.

[Karadeniz]

7. Hey! Go to Wal-Mart and buy the Equate nicotine patch, 21 mg. I think. I don't care if you're

Trying to stop or not, this will cut the cigarettes down to 4-6
Per day...that's my experience. Also, don't smoke indoors, including in the car. Make a smoking area outside. That'll help break certain ties.. Forgive the intrusion...I hate to think how last year's pneumonia would've turned out if I'd been at the 40 a day I was at! Take care!!!

[abqtommy]

8. I had the same thing with my vehicle. Even after buying two replacement gas caps the check

engine light comes on. I had it checked at Autozone a few times (the do checks for free, it was always a gas cap problem) and since then I don't worry about it. The only time it might matter is when it's time to have your vehicle smog tested and then it's probably only a matter of replacing the gas cap...

[OAITW r.2.0]

9. I have analog guages for the water/oil temps that I keep an eye on.

Will probably buy a new gas cap to see if thius solves the problem. I will run the smartphone app for a while, just to see if any other fault codes pop up.

[panader0]

10. The 'check engine' light stays on all the time in my 95 Buick Century.

I can find no issues, it runs great. Bought from a little old lady with a
full record of service in the glove box.

[onethatcares]

11. did the same deal with a 95 corrolla

for my grandson. 90K miles and every service record ever performed. Had to put front struts on it. No check engine light though.

[OAITW r.2.0]

13. Suggest buying a FIXD On Board Diagnostics (OBD) plug in.

There is a plug underneath the steering wheel. The same plug shops use to diagnose engine problems. Plug your FIXD device(or similar) into the the plug receptacle....they are all the same key-wise, and download the app to your phone. Turn Blueototh on your phone so it can communicate with the module. It will read out the engine trouble codes and give you basic advice. In my case, it said check the gas cap. It might be an issue at inspection, I have to see what the inspection criteria is in Maine for a 2005 truck.

Post meant for panader0......

[Baitball Blogger]

12. I hear you.

I had a wicked hang on cough that lasted from December to early February. I wouldn't make it into a grocery store today if I still had it.

[qwlauren35]

14. My co-worker coughed.

I stopped what I was doing and stared at him.

He said it was a peanut that went down wrong.

It's the times we live in.

[OAITW r.2.0]

15. EPILOGUE

Made it to my house in Me a few days ago. Right smack in the middle of no where. Anchored on the 45th Parallel. Half between the Equator and the North Pole. In reality, a lot closer to the North Pole.

My 4WD Dakota, crew cab, made it from SE Mass to Central Me - 4.5 hrs - with no problems. The 5.8L engine - 184,000+ miles - had no negative feedback. Loves to drink, though.

When I got to my road, I didn't have to use the 4wd....it powered on like a champ. Very much unlike my 2.0T Front WD 2007 VW Passat that hates this kind of road (loves the highway, 37 mpg, though) It'd get 2/3 up the hill and say, "fuck it, close enough". Not the Dakota, no sireee!

So here I am, alone as you can be, inspired by the views, but isolated from everyone. I've had practice, no BFD....but I wish all safe paassge thru these trying times. I have never lived in a time of immense, national danger with a buffoon calling the shots.

God help us all.

[csziggy]

16. After all teh suggestions about the gas cap, it could be something completely different

My old GMC Suburban's check engine light has been on for quite a while. I had it checked out and it turns out that the wire for the pollution sensor was chewed through - probably by squirrels. Simple fix, all they have to do is to order the parts and plug in a new wire. Problem is the last two times we've had it in for work we forgot to call ahead for them to get the part in.

We haven't had a chance to get it back in, but it's running great and we're not that worried.

AS for your seasonal cold - try one of teh over the counter ant-allergy nasal sprays. That's what my doctor has recommended for my nasal stuff. I also take Zyrtec generic which I get at Costco , under $20 for a year's worth.

[OAITW r.2.0]

17. Intersesting. Chewed wiring is always an option.

Funny story. I brought my VW in for check...I wasn't getting any heat.

They found 3 lbs of seeds and a nest inside the air syste.

[csziggy]

18. One of our cars had a nest with abandoned eggs on top of the engine

We're just lucky that we found it before we drove down the road. I don't remember why we opened the engine compartment, but there it was. The eggs were dry and rattled slightly, so it had been there a while. The car had not been driven for some months - I had two surgeries a month apart and an extended recovery time.

[OAITW r.2.0]

19. Wow, glad it worked out.

Leon Redbone - Please don't talk about me when I am Gone. Yoube, someplce.