Neanderpundit

there was a Jetta on fire on the way to work. It was in the eastbound lanes while I was in the west, so it didn’t affect me, but I did get to see it, huffing and puffing smoke and belching fire from under the hood. It was a diesel, I could smell the kerosene burn.

I have been thinking about a Jetta diesel as a work car eventually, but there have been several issues; they aren’t AWD and I like AWD. I want a stick but the idea of rowing a clutch 110 miles in Chicago traffic every day doesn’t appeal too much.And now this.

I realize a diesel is much less likely to toast itself than a gas engine, but I always wonder, is it lack of maintenance that ense up with a flaming car by the road, or what? I have known people who will NOT check their car until the engine siezes, or the brakes fail, but other than normal deterioration from age and sitting (Like the brakes on Ed’s FireArrow) don’t you NOTICE that the brakes are going to shit? I guess not everyone drives enough that they can feel the squealer hit the rotor with their foot.

and I do wish the hell Velikovsky would just get to the fucking point. It’s like reading Clavell, you have to have a history lesson before he can tell you the name of the protagonist. Good lord almighty, this is almost as dull as Rand.

but it’s been 80 degrees all damned day.

I’m confident it will be cold enough soon enough. Here’s the unit installed- sorry about the crappy cellphone pic.

Lots of wood to burn, just too damned hot to burn it.