A Girl and Her Car: Part IV

Yes, I realize it has been quite a while since I told a tale about this girl and her car. At least a year and a half! Well, I guess last year's car tale doesn't really count much as I shared with you the sad story of some moron in a Subaru ignoring a two-way stop, thus cutting me off to make a left-hand turn, and therefore killing the 2002 5-speed Saturn SL that I'd had since I was 19. It really was a tragic tale of woe.

So, thanks to some inspiration from TTLL, here's another chapter to add to the story about this girl and her car, which, in case anyone has forgotten, is a 2012 Mazda 3 Sport GS with a 6-speed manual transmission that I acquired in March 2013. I really liked the 5-speed, and I really do miss my Saturn something awful, because that little blue berry was a beast, but there is just something about that extra gear that really gives this standard driver a feeling of superiority!

I guess this portion of the tale begins with getting my first oil change with my Mazda sometime last year. So long as my car is still under warranty, I'll take it to the dealership to get any work done, such as oil changes. However, I'm a wee bit trepidatious when it comes to dealerships, because I had a terrible experience many years ago with my Saturn that involved them wanting to "repair" parts that weren't broken, refrain from doing repairs that needed to be done, and kicking out my clutch and refusing to fix it (it was a standard problem for manual Saturns to have clutches that would pop out). But, I learned quickly to educate myself about my vehicle as much as possible so I'd have a fighting chance against mechanics who think that they can pull the wool over female-client eyes.

Anyways...

I went for my first oil change, and the service representative says to me, "because of the year your car was manufactured, and the Skyactiv, we used a different oil." I asked which type, and his response was, "synthetic." Any ladies who are reading this, here's tip numero uno for showing that you're knowledgeable about your vehicle, even if it's minimal: know your oil. I had replied with, "my previous vehicle took 5W30. Now, what oil does this car use?" The answer, for anyone who is curious, is 0W20.

I had often thought that knowing what type of oil your vehicle takes, whether it's regular or synthetic, was something that most people would make themselves aware of. Apparently not. So that's my first suggestion, especially to you ladies out there. Aside from it being a good idea should you ever have to go get yourself a litre of oil for whatever reason, but the slightest bit of knowledge about your car will tell sketchy mechanics that you have a clue, and they won't try as hard to screw you for anything (or at least that's the theory). Or at least this time around, Mazda, unlike Saturn, hasn't tried to pull any funny business. Of course, they could own souls, and that might be the reason why they're well-behaved instead. And for the record, I like to believe that all you wonderful readers are smart enough to figure out if a mechanic or dealership seems half a bubble off plum.

Last month, I went with my parents to XS Cargo as they were having a going-out-of-business sale. If you've never been to XS Cargo, all you need to know is that they have a little bit of everything, usually stuff that's been recalled and repaired, or is out of season, so they take it to sell at discount prices. Sometimes, you can really luck out and get good deals on decent merchandise. In this part of the tale, I got myself two wipers for about $10 total, give or take a few bucks. Once again, little things that I thought more people would think about, but don't.

For those who have no idea, windshield wipers come in various sizes. I'm an odd duck, because I actually know that not only does my Mazda take two sizes, but I know what those sizes are... and XS Cargo happened to have those sizes in stock. I was told that I was actually quite brilliant about this, despite my thinking that it was standard smarts, knowing what size wipers my car takes. But what really impressed my mother was my logic for buying them: winters in Canada are brutal. If this winter is going to be anything like the last (and given the lack of walnuts on the trees, it'll probably be worse), I know that there's a good chance that my wipers are going to get destroyed quick. So, I bought spares. I now keep them in my hatch, so if my current ones do bite the dust, I'm prepared. It's just like keeping an extra jug of washer fluid, and an easy-pour funnel handy (because trying to top up fluids with a wind is a supreme pain in the arse... and you waste so much when it slops all over...).  

And so concludes the latest chapter in the "A Girl and Her Car" saga. I guess the moral in this part of the story is take a few minutes and educate yourself. Know what oil you take, learn your wiper size, and even the most foolish thing will make your life easier, and maybe even save you some money. And you'll impress a few people along the way.