Tue., 5/28/2024 7:20 am EDT - I will update ASAP. Prayers are appreciated.

[Tu5-28-24-0720E]

Wed., 4/17/24 10:43 pm EDT - I'm losing a lot of sleep, which makes me unable to function, meeting deadlines for the apartment. I will update regarding the car when the next steps are taken. I'm sure what I'm going through is one way seniors are divested of all their belongings and forced into a nursing home or even killed off from the stress and sleep loss.

Please continue to pray for me, especially that I stay calm in the face of chaos.

[W4-17-24-2242E] 

Thu., 3/28/24 10:32 am EDT - I called the 4th mechanic, who said  the PCM is not working and the alternator (new on 2/2/23) is bad. Changing the alternator and putting a used PCM in (Ford no longer makes mine) will cost upwards of $3,000. There is no guarantee that fixing the PCM will result in a fix for the entire electrical system, since the source of the problem is unknown and other modules may be bad, or more problems can be created. The diagnosis fee so far is over $600. I said to let me digest this.

I called the Department of Motor Vehicles to see what I need to do to dispose of an inoperative car. At the very least, I'll need to pay the $20 late fee for the February emissions test I missed.

My plan is to pay the diagnosis fee and sell the car as junk for around $400-$500. When I prayed for a speedy repair, I was "asking amiss," since I didn't know for sure that the car couldn't be repaired.

The next step is to try to find a way to buy another car, if possible.

(Edit: I need to apply for a pre-approved car loan first. If I can't get a big enough loan, I'll need to start paying $1,000s for car repairs.)

Before or after that, I need to work on staying in my apartment. I need prayers through all of this.

[Th3-28-24-2058E]

On Th 3/14/24 I called the 4th mechanic, where my car has been since 2/27/24. He said the alternator is bad. I said it was brand new 2/2/23; maybe it was defective. He said he needed more time, and it could cost $600. I said OK. [Note: on 1/15/24 when I first called him, he said "a complex electrical diagnosis is $140.]

On F 3/15/24 I sent him a long email, detailing everything I could think of on the car that related to the electrical system.

On M 3/18/24 I called, and the mechanic said the problem was complex and he needed some uninterrupted time to work on it, hoped to do it that afternoon.

I called this morning (F 3/22/24), and got the same story. He said the problem is tracking down the communication breakdown between various modules. He has two technicians who work for him, and they are the ones who try to do something with my car as they find time. He has a small shop, and he has to finish the "small jobs" before he can turn to a complex job like my car, because he has to get his work done by the end of the day. I asked if he could hire a person specifically for my car diagnosis. He said that would be almost impossible. I wondered if there's a place online where you can find a good mechanic, though you wouldn't know the quality of their work. He said that's right, unless you know them. I jokingly volunteered to go and help him out, since he's had my car almost a month. He promised to get to my car in the next couple of days. (What can I do in a situation like this?)

Meanwhile, I'm stressing my arms by pulling and lifting that rolling luggage bag when it has heavy groceries in it. It feels like the muscles are being torn. I had to lie down with a heating pad on my right upper arm a few days ago. At home I'm mostly on the computer, getting next to no exercise (the fitness tracker says that 3/16-20 I got 641, 1,023, 574, 921, and 335 steps). Then yesterday I had a doctor's appointment and did several errands requiring a lot of walking, logging 8,627 steps. Last night I slept about 3 hours and woke up with painful cramps in my lower legs from the sudden dramatic increase in walking.

The extra time for getting anything done outside of my home is preventing me from doing basic chores at home. Taking buses makes it impossible to quickly run to a specific store to check on and/or buy an item I need, or to combine several errands efficiently. And I can't do anything in the late evening (when I'm awake and ready to get things done) because the buses start running less frequently and then shut down. The geography of our car culture is spread out and we rely on our vehicles to make our lives work in this configuration. Not having a car cuts the lifeline to almost everything you need, and it definitely slows you down and you grind to a halt.

I need prayers for this mechanic to get my electrical car diagnosis completed pronto.

[F3-22-24-0846E]

I'm still waiting for the 4th & final diagnosis on my car. I called on Wednesday, 3/6/24 (I waited 8 days to call), and the office assistant said they hadn't gotten to it yet.

I notice that without my car, I'm beginning to stay at home. It's not agoraphobia, but the effect is the same. I'm not exercising, and this has to change. Thankfully, we're beginning to see some warmer weather in the 40's & 50's with an occasional 60°. At night the temperature usually drops to freezing.

Prayers would be appreciated for my online income efforts and for other challenges.

[St3-9-24-0055E]

On Friday, 2/16th/24, I finished the 5-day regimen of antibiotics. What a blessing. I had run out of zinc a while back and had reduced my Ester-C from 4 grams to 1 gram a day "to save money," LOL. I usually don't get sick, so I think these two changes left my immune system vulnerable. I immediately returned to 22 mg zinc picolinate and 4 g Ester-C (Vit. C with bioflavonoids). 

I have spent most of my time getting, preparing, and eating food, plus sleeping in 2- to 4-hour periods. The grocery shopping is more frequent than normal, 3 or 4 times a week, and each trip is long and becomes even longer when I add extra errands (as long as I'm out I may as well go for it).

I also spent time studying my online income options and researching used cars in case I need to get a different car. I was ready to give up on repairing my car, and even got a quote of almost $500 from carbrain.com for it. They would pick up the car and give me money on the spot. But every time I started to plan this end-of-life scenario for my wagon, my mind would briefly go into something like a mental thunderstorm, with lightning-bolt-like splintered images. I eventually realized that this meant my subconscious mind wasn't in sync with my conscious mind. My subconscious mind knew something (from all my research and experiences) that the conscious "I" wasn't taking into account. So I decided to have one last diagnosis done, the 4th.

On Monday, 2/26th/24, I went to Ford and paid for their diagnosis. I also spoke to a salesman and looked at three crossovers (Ford, Volkswagon, and Toyota). The next day, Tuesday, 2/27th/24, I went to Ford and used their phone to try to resolve my smartphone's inability to connect to its mobile data (that problem started the previous night). I called AAA and the tow truck took over 2 hours to arrive. Five minutes before the truck got there, I changed the batteries in the two car key fobs, which I have never changed over the many years I've had the car. (Later, I'll reset them when the car battery is recharged.) At a little before 5 pm, I called Ford from the tow truck to say the car was leaving the lot, but the phone suddenly lost the call. The battery died! I didn't have the charger with me.

At almost 5:30 pm, we got to the 4th auto repair shop, one I had passed up in January because it was too far from home. But the owner conspicuously bills himself as a great auto electrician, so I decided this will be the final attempt to get a completed electrical diagnosis. If this mechanic can't do it for a reasonable price, the car needs to be junked.

At that point, the new goal will be to find money for a down payment and try to get a car loan (which means 2019 or newer). Even used cars are very expensive now, so I don't know how this will turn out. You can't get a loan for an old car, unless you maybe get a personal loan for a few thousand dollars and buy a cheap car with that (buying the problems that come with an old car, perhaps winding up with another dead car and a loan that still has to be paid). Thank God I have excellent credit (the silver lining around this cloud).

Since I got to the auto electrician too late last Tuesday, I'll get a call this week when he has time to get to my car. It has been non-operational for over five months now: almost half a year. Not fun!! Without my car, I quickly die. It's my lifeline to good food and supplements, plus other things to which a private car can transport you.

[Tu3-5th-24-0429E]

Here's a video I made Fri., 2/9th/24 on Rock Spring Road in Stamford., CT. I was walking uphill slowly from the Hope Street bus stop to the Tully Center urgent care, hoping to get an antibiotic after spending 11 days mostly in bed. I did get the antibiotic I wanted, and the doctor there also prescribed an inhaler to help clear my lungs. After two days I was able to use the inhaler without spasms of coughing, and I began to feel stronger and more energetic. (Oops, the file is too large.)

[M2-12th-24-0506E]

My chest congestion lingered on and on. Last week I cancelled a telehealth appointment I had made to try to get an antibiotic. I was struggling to get 8 hours of sleep per day, since I know that being sick requires sleep for healing. My sleep was very fragmented, so I spent what seemed like over 12 hours in bed every day, trying to get my fitness tracker to recognize 8 hours of sleep. Today, Tue., 2/6th/24, I slept in my fragmented way until 1:30 pm, but wasn't motivated to move my body. Last night I finally walked to the pharmacy for water and walked to the post office for the first time in a week. I was very weak and exhausted, so I dragged myself back home with my little rolling luggage bag. Don't even ask me when was the last time I did any laundry! I keep wearing the same dirty outfit. Laundry is a high priority, but not as high as getting my car from Ford. I called Emilio at about 4 pm and left a message for him to call me back.

[Tu2-6th-24-2032E]

The first diagnosis was never completed because the auto electrician was out of the country till the last week of January and I towed the car to a second shop. There, the mechanic said on Tue., 1/30th/24, that the car wouldn't start and there was no electronic communication. I paid for his diagnosis.

I towed the car to the Ford dealer that same day for a diagnosis on Wed., 1/31/24. On Thu., 2/1st/24, Ford told me the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) wasn't communicating. It was unknown whether the PCM itself was the problem, and I would need to pay an additional $1,100 for further electrical diagnosis. That was a shock. They said the value of the car is $500. I left the car at Ford while deciding what to do next.

I've spent time researching the PCM (what it looks like, location on the vehicle, and whether I can find a certified pre-owned PCM that costs $200-$400 instead of $1,000+). The labor is minimal (maybe 20'), but the part itself is expensive unless you can find a remanufactured one or have the old one repaired.

Please pray for me to find a way to own a working car, whether this one or a different one.

[F2-2nd-24-2359E]

After I thought I was better last Friday, 1/26th/2024, I was still exhausted, and I developed chest congestion that lingered for another 5 days or more.

After I had my car moved on Tuesday afternoon, 1/30th/2024, I had to take the bus in the frigid cold to sign the work order. Then I had to walk to a bus stop and wait in the frigid cold for a bus to the Hub. From there I took a different bus north to buy food and got potato chips because I had barely eaten that day. The expected bus back down to the Hub didn't come at a quarter to 6, and I was left waiting in the frigid cold for a half hour again for the following bus. It went to theTransportation Center (I sometimes call it the Hub) and I changed to the bus for my street. After only 10'-15' on the bus trip home, I began to feel nauseous (maybe from eating oily chips on an empty stomach?) and had to get off the bus at almost 7 pm and wait a half hour in the frigid cold for the bus after that one. I got home at around 7:30 pm. It took 1 h 45' to make a trip that would be 15' by car. I was exhausted, and have stayed that way.

[W1-31st-24-2331E]

On Tuesday, 1/30th/2024, I moved my car for a third diagnosis. I'm still waiting for the results.

[W1-31st-24-2311E]

I'm sorry to report that the donor using the name of Karl Maasikas was engaging in suspected wrongful activity, so his $1,000 donation was refunded to him.

[W-1-31st-24-23-02E]

I'm happy to report that as of 1/27/2024 we have together raised $2,605 in donations, which translates into net proceeds of $2,548.71 ($1,873.71 + $675 offline). Two donations from 1/20/2024 ($50 & $250) were removed due to questionable activity.

The car is still in the diagnosis phase due to electrical system complications. I'm getting more than one opinion on it, to be sure that the options are clear for whether or not to attempt a repair. The electrical system was not in my original list of repairs needed on the car.

For every person who has donated, however much or little, I want to express my deepest gratitude for your outpouring of support. God bless you,

As I move forward on this, I will have to determine whether it makes more sense to get a different car. I've already posted a Wanted ad on Freecycle.org for someone to donate to me a reliable used car.

I will advise everyone here of the various diagnosis fees incurred when they've been paid out.

[St1-27th-24-1830E]

With yesterday's $1,000 donation, we've topped the $2,000 goal and then some. This is fantastic. Now on to the diagnosis, which is still in process with more than one opinion.

[F1-26th-24-0941E]

On Tue., 1/23/24, I was out of food, so I took the bus at about 6 pm to the grocery store. I paid for my food at about 7:15 pm, and when I went outside, I saw my bus going up the street. That was the last northbound bus for the night. I went to the southbound bus stop and waited 1 hr 10' in the frigid cold for the next bus to the Transportation Center (which came at about 8:25 pm). I had to wait about 25' (in the terminal), then at 9:05 pm I took the northbound bus, which goes up a different avenue and then over to my street going south. At about 9:25 pm I got off and walked to the post office, then walked home, still in the frigid cold, arriving at about 10 pm. Missing that 7:20 pm bus added 2 1/2 hours to my grocery trip.

At 10:40 pm I fell asleep on the bed, fully clothed., for 4 1/2 hours, till a little after 3 am..

On Wed., 1/24/24, at 6:30 am, I slept another hour, and another hour at 12:30 pm. Then at 3 pm I fell asleep for 16 1/2 hours, into Thursday morning at 10 am.

By then I had a fever. I don't remember when the coughing started. After almost 3 hours I had a small snack and a 45' tele-health consultation for something else, after which I fell asleep again for another 4 hours.

Now my day-nght schedule is out of whack, but I'm much better.

Because I could foresee this kind of problem without a car, I decided that getting my own wheels rolling under me again was top priority.

[F1-26th-24-0904E]

Yesterday, Sat., 1/20th/2024, I caught up on most of the sleep I lost due to getting up early, and when I woke up I had all the symptoms of a cold coming on: very runny nose, very watery eyes, and sneezing. I thought maybe I was getting sick from being out in the very cold weather that morning, getting to Norwalk and dealing with the tow truck. It occurred to me that having a cold or being otherwise ill is antithetical to coping without a car. So true, especially in frigid weather.

Then I remembered that I had gone to Dunkin' to get food before the tow truck came, and had few choices. I wound up buying avocado spread on a wheat croissant and hot chocolate that probably had cream in it. In the past I have experienced "cold" symptoms from eating wheat and dairy.

I don't normally use medicines or antihistamines, but I just happened to have recently bought Zyrtec on the recommendation of an online source that said it was the best antihistamine for allergies, especially for seniors. I took one, and very soon my symptoms began to go away. Within an hour or two my symptoms were gone and didn't return.

Amazing. Don't you just love it when you find a magic bullet?

[Sn1-21st-24-1247E]

Yesterday morning, Sat., 1/20th/2024, I towed the car to a different auto repair shop;. The head mechanic wasn't sure he could get the car diagnosed on Monday. Let's hope it's soon and that the problem isn't overwhelming. I'm still in good spirits. I'm going to need that for the next non-car challenges that are already on me.              

"Cast down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:9)

Hymn words by Samuel Medley. Best music (hymn tune & title "Preservation") by Elder John R. Daily. First line: "Now in Thy praise, eternal King, be all my thoughts employed."

There's nothing better than a good song or hymn whose music and words help you get through a rough spot in life. Long live the placebo effect, a.k.a. belief.

[Sn1-21st-24-1227E]

[1/27/24 update: The $50 & $250 ($300) donations were removed due to donor violations of the do-not-advertise policy.]

With today's $300 in donations, we've reached $1,905 (95.25% of our initial gross donation goal). That means we are within $95 of the initial gross $2,000 goal.

Net proceeds are at $1,197.31, and with the $675 offline donation, we're at $1,872.31. In order to net $2,000, we need another $127.69 net from a gross donation amount of about $132 ($132 x 0.973 - $0.30 = net $128.14). Cf. Update #7 for more numbers (1/2/24 at 5:10 pm).

We're so close! OK, team, let's call for another $135 in donations.

Rah, rah, sis-boom-bah and all that.

[St1-20th-24-2152E]

We're at $1,605 (80.25%). Let's keep pushing. Thanks to the many supporters in this team effort. [F1-19th-24-1923E]

Yea! We've raised $1,405: 70.25% of the gross donation goal of $2,000. Thank you to all who are providing life support for my car. We can do this!

Over the past month, there have been two separate occasions when warmer air swept through this area bringing a day with wind gusts up to 60 mph. To keep the car hood from being opened by a strong gust of wind, the mechanic installed a cable from the hood latch area over the grill and down the front bumper (standard procedure for such weather). [F-1-12th-24-2109E]

On Thu., 1/11/2024, after an afternoon doctor's appointment, I took the bus on over to Emilio's shop, snapped a photo of my car, and touched the car to keep it physically connected to me and my mind. I chatted with the secretary and the mechanic. He interestingly said trying to start the car would pop a fuse every time but he didn't know which fuse was involved. At my residence, there was silence; no clicking. Then after I had the new battery recharged, the symptoms indicated a good battery with all dashboard lights functioning, and a functioning (fluttering) solenoid not engaging the (probably bad) starter motor. The mechanic also said again that he would contact me when the car is repaired. It has been at his shop 28 days, since Dec. 15. I'm keeping all that in mind.

The mechanic's secretary told me 1/8/24 that the trusted electrician is out of the country & won't be back for a couple more weeks. I'm thinking about my options.

On 12/10/23, I made a truncated video (ran out of phone storage) at Hope Street and Grade A while walking home from CVS pharmacy in the dark with light rain. It turned out sideways! I don't have the proper software to rotate the video, but I took a face shot from the rotated VLC version of the video. After all that work, it said it only works on the VLC playback. And I didn't see a way to save the results even on VLC. I didn't really have the time to put all that effort in for such a poor outcome. But it's done in real time and under real conditions: "It was a dark and stormy night." (Credit: Snoopy cartoons)

We're at $1,280 (64% of the gross donation goal). That's great! 

The fee on a $100 donation comes out to $3.00 ($2.70 + $0.30). Fees are 2.7% + $0.30 per donation.

So far, the net amount raised is $1,260.67 ($585.67 on $605 + $675 offline). ($605 - $585.67 = $19.33 in fees)

The final $720 will cost $19.44 + $0.30 per donation, bringing the net amount raised to around $1,960, so I think I'll look for a few more donations beyond that.

Thanks to all of you who are helping materially and/or spiritually!

[Tu1-2-24-1710E]

I'm happy to report that together (with today's offline donation) we've raised $1,175 (58.75% of the gross donation goal). I took some time over the past week to read some online advice on crowdfunding, and to figure out the Facebook roadblocks I was running into.

One friend said he couldn't give very much and felt it wouldn't be of much help. But the truth is that if only 12 people gave $5 each, it would yield enough net donation to cover my oil change (with tax). And you know what happens if you don't change the dirty oil in your car engine!  So $5 multiplied by a dozen donors would help save my car's engine. That's not an insignificant thing.

Thank you to everyone who's giving in whatever way they can, whether moral support or actual dollars.

I think the car mechanic can see the numbers tomorrow and finish his electrical diagnosis.

God is blessing this campaign. 

[M1-1-24-1652E]

Here's the QR Code that can be scanned to come here to my campaign page. [F12-29-23-0206E]

As of Wed., 12/27/23, together we've raised $400, which is 20% of the $2,000 goal. Thank you to all who are helping. The mechanic is looking at the electrical system. Let's hope it's a minor thing.

Photo of Emilio's Auto Repair, taken just after I left my car there on Friday, 12/15/2023 at 3:05 pm EST. [W12-20-23-2141E]

Fri., 12/15/2023 9:45 pm - I got home 15' ago by bus. I called AAA at 11:10 am, and the tow truck was supposed to get to me an hour later at 12:10 pm. However, he was 1 hr 45' late, getting to me at about 1:50 pm.

I went with the tow truck driver, and I'm glad I did! The AAA map showed the wrong place as being the address of my mechanic's shop, a different auto repair shop on the main street. AAA hasn't had time to update its maps, because my guy has only been open, his Grand Opening, for a couple of weeks. The driver would have been totally lost if I hadn't been with him. I showed him the picture of what the shop looks like. Also, the street my mechanic is on was closed for road work, so at 2:50 pm I called the mechanic, who said we had to "go around." And what an "around" it was! This was no easy "go around the city block" situation. Zig-zagging this way and that, avoiding dead end streets, the driver eventually came out on the correct street and we saw the shop. That was at almost 3 pm.

So I got to see the 3-bay garage and I met the mechanic's new secretary.

I gave him the web address of my GiveSendGo crowdfunding campaign, so he can see what I'm doing.

Since I don't yet have money for the repairs, he's going to do the diagnosis when he has time. Meanwhile, my car is sitting on his lot, stripped of all but the glovebox essentials.

First step completed! Now I can focus more on publicizing my campaign. Spread the word. Share my fundraising url: https://www.givesendgo.com/villagefixacar.

#villagefixacar

[F12-15-23-2222E]