Insurance Update

Repairs on the Blue Meanie are just about wrapped up. This Wednesday I will be bringing it in to have the lower front fender and air charge (intercooler) shroud replaced.

I'm convinced there is an exhaust leak, which affects the turbocharger. Several times, I have noticed exhaust at the front passenger side of the vehicle immediately following a cold start. I also have not been able to hear the familiar whir and whistle of the turbocharger spooling up. Unfortunately, I don't have the tools necessary to check for vacuum leaks. This one will have to be left up to the shop. That's just as well, since it will end up being part of the insurance claim.

I still haven't been able to work on Casper, but I may have an opportunity this evening. Once the fuel injectors are rebuilt, my cold starting issues should go away. Following that, I think I will go ahead with the installation of a coolant heater.

Speaking of coolant heaters, I was finally able to finish the install for the Meanie. It sure is tight under the hood, but it does fit. I haven't yet hook it up, but I will likely take care of that this evening, as well.

Doh! A deer! A female deer!

On December 8th, Linnea ran over a dead deer in the Meanie. In the name of expediency, I shuffled the repair work off to a shop. Lessons:

1. With one exception, I could have completed the work faster.
2. Get an exceptionally good look at the damage before bringing it in to a shop - you should know more about your car than they do.
3. Get an exceptionally good look at the completed repairs. In my case, they accidentally broke another non-vital part during repairs. Now they'll be paying to replace it.
4. The automotive bailout is 100% lame. My rental was a 2008 Dodge Caliber, and it was terrible. I'd take our 2002 VW New Beetle or 1989 Audi 200TQ over it any day.

We're insured through State Farm, and I must admit they are on the ball. I'd asked the owner of a body shop to rate insurance companies for me once, and he placed State Farm at the very top. Progressive was at the very bottom.

In other news, I've decided to give the fuel injectors in the Audi a thorough going over. The parts cost $85 (rebuilt injectors would cost ~$250), and should arrive within the next few days.

The Audi was starting very hard in cold weather, and I found a reasonable explanation: carbon build-up on the injectors occurs over time (19 years in my case) and begins to act like a sponge. This behavior is more evident in cold weather. I would crank the starter for a while, flutter the gas pedal, and eventually give up. Returning to the problem 30-45 minutes later, the car would roar to a start with one turn of the key, choke, then die. The fuel which had been absorbed by the carbon deposits had vaporized in that amount of time, filling each cylinder. However, since the fuel delivery issue hadn't been addressed I'd be back where I started.