Not an actual picture of Greg, but it accurately captures the moment when the fridge bought the farm.

The other morning, I was sitting in the office of my home, eating breakfast at around 5:15 while viewing a documentary on People’s Car vehicle design when a strange sound pulled my attention away. Sounds have always piqued my attention creating an instant need to identify what the cause is (just part of my brain wiring).

At first I thought it was part of the soundtrack of the ancient Kübelwagen that was on the screen but it just didn’t fit.  I paused the computer and went to investigate. My office is adjacent to our kitchen and the sound increased as I opened my office door. I went to the refrigerator as the noise was clearly emanating from it. The sound started to lessen and then faded away similarly to the way a tire exhales its last bit of air as it goes totally flat.

This was an “Uh-Oh” type sound as my brain came up with the only logical explanation: I had just witnessed the death of our 10-year old refrigerator. Just like a dying breath, the hermetically sealed refrigeration system was no longer hermetically sealed. All of the high pressure liquid refrigerant had now changed to low pressure gas as it escaped into our own ozone layer hole.

I hate waste as I am a fixer. My first thought was to rip it down and find the offending component, go hunt one down and kill it, haul it back… but then I stopped. Who am I kidding? The chances of me (or anyone else) doing this efficiently were slim to none. Refrigerators have become commodity items <sigh>.  Sure, parts can be ordered. Repair persons can repair it. The question is, at what cost?  Not so much the monetary type of cost, but another type. Time.

As I age, I am painfully aware that things wear out. Our bodies require more maintenance as we work to mitigate the problems that start to pile up. Computers need, well, they need pretty constant attention, right? This is the way of things whether we like it or not: things wear out and break.

Our cars are not exempt either. They require more maintenance as they age too. They will need eventual replacement, when it’s no longer efficient to maintain them. We can help you reach that decision when the time comes. We strive to be sensible stewards of your trust and vehicle needs. To squeeze as many miles out of your investment as reasonably possible for you.  It’s part of our culture. We care, we just do.

– Greg Skolnik