Inspection I

My how time flies. Before Thanksgiving I had to decide whether to have Mr. Q serviced in Atlanta, where I’d be spending my holiday or in Charlotte. I opted to wait till I got home, and take him into Hendrick Mini.

Inspection I is a biggie, usually due up at around 30,000 miles. I had a few other things to take care of. I tend to store up the little things rather than make a lot of trips to the dealer. I REALLY hate going to dealers, and if not for the car still being under warranty, I’d chose an independent garage in a heartbeat.

The only thing they didn’t do that is part of inspection I is check my tire pressure. As previously mentioned, my tires are filled with nitrogen. The dealer doesn’t have a nitro tank so they left them alone. Other things I had done: my dome light was burned out. I didn’t want to attempt prying it off and breaking it. : ) My vanity mirror cover popped off. I thought I just wasn’t pressing it in hard enough, but turns out it was “missing an important piece.” Don’t know where the piece went. I’ve opened the vanity mirror about 3 times since I’ve owned Mr. Q. Wiper blades were replaced; the rear wiper motor and assembly were replaced. My driver’s window was readjusted; it hasn’t been closing properly since they replaced the motor.

I also picked up my touchup paint that had been on backorder for 3 months. I have a nasty door ding I got when I moved to Charlotte that I want to take care of. I also have a bad case of road rash on one tire from a pothole in Atlanta, and figured I’d try the roof white on the wheels.

The window seems to be fixed. It wasn’t raining when I left the dealer, so I forgot to try out the rear wiper to see if it is still making noise. The dome light is working fine. I have to go back next week for the vanity mirror since they had to order the part.

Next up for Mr. Q is a full detail. We’re in a Christmas parade on Friday and I want him looking nice n purdy.

While my car was in the shop I had a loaner car. A Cooper Convertible CVT. I only accidentally stepped on the brake once out of habit of putting in the clutch. : ) I got a little lost getting to work from the dealer. I sure wish the loaners had the SatNav in them. Since it was raining I had to keep the top up … dang those ragtops have some wicked blind spots.

In all, the service seems to have gone OK. Now I guess I wait for the dreaded strive for 5 call. I really hate those survey calls.