Running Report, VOL III.

New window is costing $175. They stole a bag containing my journal, $200 in books, and a Target Gift Card. I lost a half a day at work. All in all, they managed to cancel out any hours I worked this week. But then, that means little to those who don't work, but prey off those who do.
It rained last night, and I'm trying to get the seats dry before they mildew. On a side street, I hit full throttle in second gear, all the way to red-line. Just had to remember why I like all this stuff. I guess it's partly my fault for leaving the bag on the seat, but really, it's the fault of those who steal.
I'll catch you up on other maintenance in a later post. Pissed, really, really pissed.

Running Report, Vol II.

Well, the tires have been taken care of, at least at the front. The bill came to $344 including a four-wheel alignment which seems reasonable for two Dunlop Direzza DZ 101 sized 215/45/17. It does hurt a little bit as I was hoping to swap the fronts to the back and change all four in a couple months for a set of Pirelli P-Zeros. It may turn out to be a good thing though because having tread on all the tires whilst simultaneously having them point in the correct direction has shown how far gone the dampers are and this, combined with the soft clutch and need for a timing belt would have turned the more serious rubber into money quite literally thrown in the street.

Next month hopefully I'll be able to play a little catchup with some of these jobs and then decide what to do with the car. I like it a lot, and it has more than a little sentimental value as well, but it may be time for something a little easier to care for, or more fun.

Right now though, it could use a good bath...

Running Report, Vol I.

It's been hot all day, and I was really looking forward to heading south tonight to visit with some friends. There's been a slow leak in one of the front tires on my Focus SVT recently, and I've been putting off doing much about it because work has been taking up all my time. Well, that situation has come to a bit of a head tonight. I'm not sure whether the leak is being caused by the slight amount of cord showing on the inside, or by the rather large nail sticking out of the tire, but between them they have conspired to cancel my trip south.

I knew the front tires were going to need attention soon, but I was hoping that they would last through the next couple weeks because by then some other financial matters would be cleared up and I could go ahead and give the car the attention it deserved. In retrospect, I should have taken a morning off work and had the front aligned because without the cord showing I could probably still have gotten away with a plug for the next few thousand miles...

If all of this sounds beneath an SVT owner, all I can tell you is that I agree. It's just been a rough couple months, and I haven't had time to do more than oil changes and washing. So at this point the Focus is up for a timing belt, water pump (it isn't bad, but it's good to do it while you're changing the belt), dampers, and tires & alignment. It's not a small list, and I'm not sure how much I'm willing to commit to the job at this point. I love the car, but it's taking up a fair amount of finances that could go to other projects, and as it stands it's more of an expensive commuter car than the canyon-carver I bought three years ago. Still, a lot of that list would need doing before I could really sell the car anyway, and by the time it's done, I'll probably end up wanting to keep it. Stay tuned.