As I wrote in a previous blog, I have the good luck to own a new Ford 150 truck that I bought a few months ago. It really is a nice piece of equipment and very comfortable to drive. I tend to spend a lot of time in it just driving around and listening to Audiobooks.
It does have a few drawbacks that I wish I could do something about but somehow, I can’t see that happening. I don’t know if any of you may have noticed but the size of regular pickup trucks especially the double wide cab has increased dramatically. When I first drove it home, I did as I have done for years with my other vehicles and that was to open the garage door and drive it in. As I slowly made my way into the garage, it was obvious that this truck was going to be a tight fit if there was any fit at all. When the front of the truck was touching the far wall and the back was still sticking out beyond the overhead door, I knew I was in trouble.
I backed the truck out of the garage and from that point on, the truck has had to sit outside. The good thing about it is that I have a lot of free space in the garage now that the truck is not there. Bad news is the truck is already super heated with our Texas temperatures by the time I want to get into it for any reason and it seems to get dirty a lot quicker. The other problem that I have is in parking the darn thing. I’m not talking about the actual process of parking but about the fact that I cannot see the front of the hood and have no idea how close I am to anything in front of me. I have to park, get out and take a look and then make the necessary adjustments if they are needed. The truck is fitted with what Ford calls a “back up assist” which is essentially several cameras located in the rear bumper that show a picture on the dashboard screen. I used to have front ones installed on the Escape that I traded in but I guess I didn’t get the right model for front cameras on the truck. Oh well, I will just have to back in to all of my future parking places.
The reason for writing this particular blog is due to the fact that I keep getting a message on the little screen telling me to “Change oil very soon”. So, I am currently sitting in my Ford dealership waiting to get the truck serviced with an oil change and tire rotation. They told me when I came in that it would take at least two hours they were so busy. If you think that is a long wait for an oil change, I was here yesterday both in the morning and afternoon and both times was told there was a four hour wait to get the service work done. Needless to say, I declined both times and was about to drive on my way when one of the Service Reps came out and gave me her card and told me to call ahead next time and she would be able to tell me the estimated length of the wait. They have this flag system so that the Service Reps have a rough idea of the time. The black flag means around four hours, the green flag around two hours and the white flag means come back some other time. I had followed her instructions and gave her a call and she had told me to “Come ahead” which is Texas talk to get here as quickly as you can because the situation may change. It is a thirty minute drive from my house to the dealership and any number of vehicles could drive inline in front of me in that time.
So, I am in the waiting room sitting in front of my Surface computer and writing away hoping that the promised two hours will be a lot shorter. It does allow me time to write so it is not all bad. Wait, I hear someone calling my name. It is my service guy telling me that my truck is ready. I quickly made my way to the front desk to settle up my account very pleased that in fact, it had only taken forty five minutes and I will be on my way.
Not bad at all. Now to face the rush hour traffic which will be stop and go for a large part of the way home. I know of a Starbucks just around the corner so a Grande Latte will sure help as I sit in that traffic along with all of the hundreds of frustrated drivers.
Written 6/8/2018
