Getting My Subaru
Chapter 5
Exit 59 off of Interstate 80 is
a microcosm of the perfect cross country driving stop. It has half a dozen
motels, a small department store, gas stations, and nearly every fast food
restaurant in America. It also has the headquarters store of a large sporting
goods company. That building helped me keep my sanity. Across the road from
my motel room was a gas station with a large sign showing the time and
the temperature. I was never in doubt about just how cold it was. After
checking in and eating the first of many fast food meals I had nothing to
do until Monday morning. When I went for a short evening walk it was 18
degrees and falling. It was a very short walk.
Monday morning I walked over to Sauder's Auto Repair
to let them know why there was another car in their lot. I explained that
I had a warranty and it stipulated that no work could be done until the
insurance company gave the OK. I then went back to my room and called Serge
in Philadelphia to give him the bad news. He promised to talk with the insurance
people and fax them the info they needed. Now all I could do was sit and
wait. Serge called back to say that he would let the shop know as soon as
the warranty insurance company gave the OK to get started. Well, the folks
back east took a whole day to get me on their computer and let us proceed.
In the mean time it started getting colder and windier. Walking the 1/4 mile
to the shop in 20 degree temperatures with a 20 mph wind was as cold as
any winter hike I have done in the mountains of Washington. Tuesday morning
the insurance people gave the OK and the shop tore my engine apart to find
out what was wrong. They expected it to be a blown head gasket and if so
the engine very well might be toast. During this time I had the wonderful
opportunity to see every movie showing on cable television. In fact, I saw
several of them more than once. I finally called family back in Seattle to
say that I would be returning a little later than I had planned.
You have no idea what isolation is until you spend
most of a week at a freeway exit in far western Nebraska. I did venture
over to Cabelas. It was like having an REI store nearby. The only difference
is that this one was much more geared towards hunting. Every gun and bow
and arrow imaginable is in that store. Many tents and packs and boots are
as well. It was like an avid reader being stuck in the middle of nowhere
with nothing but a library for a diversion. I could have done much worse.
Tuesday afternoon Sauder's called to confirm that my head gasket was gone.
The good news was that there was no additional damage to the engine. They
were surprised by that. Chalk one up for Subaru. Now they had to get the
OK from the insurance folks before starting the repair. In the mean time
they sent out for needed parts. Once again I heard from Serge. He wanted
to know how he could help. There are numerous stories about the greedy used
car dealer who gleefully rips off the unsuspecting customer. Who would have
guessed that I went all the way across the country and found an honest and
caring one. The car was sold "as is" and when I drove off the lot Serge no
longer had a responsibility to me. He made several calls and by Wednesday
morning the shop was told that the insurance would cover the repairs.
One other piece of information needs to be related
here. When I bought the car I knew that there was one more job I would need
to do immediately. The 1997 Outback has a timing belt that is scheduled to
be replaced at 100,000 miles. Most shops in Seattle charge about $400 -
$500 to do it. If the belt were to break then major damage is a certainty.
I priced that into what I was willing to pay for the car. Now to replace
the head gasket it's necessary to take off the timing belt. The belt is cheap
it's all the labor that is expensive. I made sure to tell Roger Sauder to
put in a new belt when he put it all back together. At least that would save
me a few bucks. By Wednesday they had much of the engine reassembled. The
last big job was to have the heads machined. Bits of the old head gasket melted
in place and the surface had to be completely smooth. That's when I received
a call from Roger.
The shop was very busy and Roger wanted to know
if I could drive to the machine shop to get my heads machined. Since I
didn't exactly have much else to do I jumped at the chance. After walking
over to the shop in arctic conditions Roger explained that the shop was
outside of Sterling, Colorado. Hmm... Where is that? Armed with my heads
and some hand written directions I headed south to Colorado. I was behind
the wheel of a minivan driving on slightly icy roads to who knows where.
The land is mostly flat with rolling hills and precious few trees. About
as different from Seattle as you can get. This place was outside of town
and I had a heck of a time finding it. The shop was on a gravel road amid
homes and farms. Of course there were about 30 identical gravel roads on
the left side after the last landmark mentioned. I tried several of them
and finally found the place. Now I just had to kill an hour or so until the
job was done. I tried going for a walk on the gravel road and about froze.
I never did get used to 20 degrees with a wind chill down to about zero.
When the heads were done I became the delivery man.
I stopped in town to pick up various parts for the shop. Small town America
is a lot different than the big cities. The idea that a business would hand
over the keys to a virtual stranger and have then run errands would be
unbelievable in Seattle. Out there they just did it. By the time I was ready
to head back it was getting dark. It's one thing to follow directions in
the day. It's quite another in the dark. I made one wrong turn in Sterling
and had a heck of a time getting back on course. When I did it was smooth
sailing. I made it back just as the shop was closing up for the day. Back
I went to my motel room to contemplate my big decision of the day. Would
it be Whoppers, Arby's, tacos, fried chicken, or Big Macs. That evening I
watched the temperature sign go down to 10 degrees.
Thursday morning I watched the Harry Potter movie
for the second time (or was it the third?) and called the shop. They hoped
to have the car all together by the end of the day. In the mean time I
watched the forecasts of an end to the cold clear weather and the approach
of snow. I would just as soon not have to cross the Rockies in a winter
storm. By late afternoon I had the word that they had the engine put together
but still needed to test it on the road. That would be done in the morning
and if all went well I could be on my way. I went downstairs to renew my
room for one more night (I hoped).