Under the hood

Living in a cold climate can present problems that some of you may never have considered. Starting your car once the temperature dipped below zero used to be very problematic but today's highly technical, computer driven beasts barely hesitate before jumping into life with the press of a button.

My car, a 2011 BMW X3, like the one before it, has been very reliable even though it has had to live outside during our transitional time. So last week, while heading to the office one cold morning, I was shocked and alarmed when it suddenly started to vibrate wildly and a nasty clanking sound was heard. Pulling quickly to the side of the road, I shut off the engine and all was still and quiet once again. What could have fallen off? Not terribly mechanically minded but hesitant to call my husband before at least an attempt at sleuthing, I tentatively turned on the auxiliary power and the vibrations kicked in with a vengeance. Now I know it is not the engine - phew!

It appeared that the blower for the heater was the culprit, I discovered. By reducing the fan speed I was able to reduce the amount of vibration until no heat equalled no vibration. These were not 'good vibrations' as the 70's song suggested. Pleased with myself for having diagnosed the problem but now irritated that an expensive car with only 8,000 miles traveled could be defective, I continued my short trip to the office with my seat heater and steering wheel heater on full blast. It could be worse!

In fact, it was going to get worse. The 40 minute drive to the dealership for repairs several days later, was enough to freeze my feet although my bum and my hands were toasty. The loaner they gave me was at least warm but lacked snow tires. With no snow in the immediate forecast and my feet still complaining this was an improvement.

The call from the service department came the next day. The blower fan will need to be replaced, I was told, and it will not be covered under the warranty. How is that possible, I was about to scream. Mice, he continued, are not covered under warranty. Mice!!!! When the technician removed the housing to the blower he was met with a very unpleasant sight. Body parts were splattered all over the inside together with pieces of fan blades. Mice, it seems had crawled up into the engine seeking warmth and had been blended once the fan kicked in. Not pretty! No photos attached.

$300+ later I was back in business but I fear that repairman may never be the same. The story does not end there. Stay tuned.