Monday, December 3, 2007

Getting Cold

So this morning it dipped below 32 for the first time. Kelli couldn't start her car. Well...let me rewind. She was in the garage using a cigarette lighter powered air compressor to fill up the air in her tires. I came out and heard it was running slow. She thought it was the unit....I knew it was her car. She started her car and backed out...and then turned the car off. That's where the fun began. The Prius is not a normal car. She came in and stated it wouldn't start again. I went out and sure enough all the lights on the dash came on and flashed. Not good. I figured I could jump start it. I backed my car out, opened my trunk...and realized that my jumper cables are in my Toyota Matrix...that I traded in 2 1/2 years ago. Nice. I then tell Kelli to call her Roadside Assistance. I keep fumbling with her car. I remember reading in the Prius owners manual or via a Prius forum that the car may not start if the battery is low and the key is not inserted into the slot. I insert the key and it fires right up on the second try. Before you get crazy the Prius has a smart key system that can normally just "sense" the key somewhere in the car and start up. Inserting the key allowed for direct contact. I back out and drive in circles in the cul-de-sac. I then go inside, grab my phone (in case the car dies) and drive around the neighborhood to charge up the battery. I think her battery is going out. It's the original battery and is 4 years old. A new one is $80. It's stored in the trunk....but shouldn't be too hard to replace.

Training is going well. I am in the simulator phase now. I am "done" training next week...then off to the real thing.

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