But my car is getting older, right along with me, and these last couple of years things have started wearing out on it. Most recently, it developed a coolant leak, which I got fixed, but right on the tail of that, I started getting a random "CHECK CHARGING SYSTEM" message from the car.
The first few times, it just flashed on, then off within thirty seconds or so. This was August so I blamed it on the heat. Never mind that it's been plenty hot before and I'd never seen the message previously. I can get into denial just as well as the next person.
Sure enough, ignoring the problem didn't make it go away, and the message started popping up more often, for longer periods of time. Figures. Not wanting to keep flirting with danger - eventually that alternator was going to finish breaking - I brought the car into the mechanic to get it replaced when I returned home from California. (again. I'd replaced it just two years ago, but their theory is that the coolant leak managed to get some liquid where it didn't belong, and electronics don't like to take baths. Made sense to me.)
It took a couple days to get the parts in and get the car back, but when it was done, the light was gone, and the engine was purring. I figured I was good for a while.
Or, not.
It was just four days later. I was driving home from the hardware store on a beautiful fall day. I had the top down and was feeling proud of myself for making good progress on my outdoor projects. As I drove, I smelled a hot metal smell, but thought nothing of it. A LOT of my neighbors are doing home improvements, and I figured someone nearby was working on a something.
Still clueless, I pulled into my drive, put the top back up, and started to pull into the open garage. As soon as the top went up, that hot metal smell got worse. Uh, oh.
I looked at the hood of the car. Was that ....smoke???... coming from under the hood? I killed the engine, popped the hood, and jumped out to see what was up.
I cautiously opened it fully, ready to run get an extinguisher if need be, just in time to see some last wisps of smoke wafting from the now-blackened windings of the new alternator. *sigh*
I called AAA, and got it towed back to the shop. I was on tenterhooks for a day or so. There was no way to know if the fire had done damage to the rest of the electrical system until they got the car running again, and, of course, it took an extra day to get the replacement part in. I heaved a huge sigh of relief when I found out I'd turned the car off in time to prevent damage to the rest of the electrical system. *whew*
Right now, I am grateful. This story could have been so. much. worse. Yeah, I had to rearrange my life around being car-less for the second time in two weeks, but. I didn't get stranded on the highway. I didn't burn up the car, or the garage. And, they didn't charge me for the do-over. (I didn't really think they would. We all know alternators should last more than four days.)
Yesterday, I was out driving with the top down, and smelled hot metal again. This time, I immediately took a close look at the dash to make sure all the gauges were in the green, and no idiot lights were on. This time, it really was some nearby construction.
Trust me. It'll be a while before I again cavalierly assume that any odd, random smells are NOT coming from my engine.
I can learn.
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