What Heidi Needs

My BMW 323is is 10 years old this year. On Thursday the check coolant light came on for the third time in three days. When I opened the hood to look at it in the sunlight (as apposed to the dim lights of the garage), I could see the coolant I’d added over the past day sprayed over the radiator and the engine. Uh oh.

Chad and I were out running errands, and luckily, we were by the mechanic I had been wanting to try out (Martin Motor Sports in Alexandria). Luckily, one of the mechanics happened to be there to help a friend out with his car. The second thing he said to me was “sounds like you need a new water pump.” They weren’t officially open, but I was able to drop the car off.

I just got off of the phone with the owner, Gary Martin. He told me what I needed, and none of it was a surprise:
- Water Pump and Associated Hoses
- Replace hose for Windshield Wiper (hasn’t worked for a couple months)
- Oil Service (light just turned on)
- Replace the emissions intake boot
- Replace some of the original hoses for the power steering (it’s been making power steering noises for about a month)

*sigh* I had a feeling all of this was coming, and frankly, I’m glad there’s nothing unexpected there. Such are the joys of owning a 10 year old car. It’s not going to be cheap, but it’s still cheaper than having a car payment. That, and my repairs still cost less than that crack in the engine block in Blue (Dad’s ’74 2002 tii).