I’m afraid I have some bad news.
The LeMousine, car of myth and adventure… of legend and lore… is dying.
The first signs came on Saturday, when the cruise control suddenly stopped working, followed by the abrupt malfunction of the dashboard and brake lights two days later. Today, I took him in to the Toyota dealer, and found out that:
- An electrical connection in one of the lights has degraded to the point that two connectors are touching that normally aren’t supposed to, causing several fuses to blow. Hence the malfunctioning dashboard and brake lights.
- One of the rear tires is “badly cupped” and needs to be replaced.
- New spark plugs are needed.
- The CV boots on the front axle are leaking, which, if left untreated, can lead to axle failure.
- A power steering hose is leaking.
- The clutch could go at any moment, which was causing the engine to over-rev (is that a word?) and was preventing the operation of the cruise control.
The final tally put the repair bill at a level higher than the value of the car itself… so arrangements are currently being made for LeMousine’s replacement. More as the situation develops…