Val Thevictorian, Doing Everyone Else's Job, Resentfully

There's the best of times. There's the worst of times. And there's the half-a$$ed times. Which is the era we're living in. Nobody can do a job well, because nobody does a job to completion.

A couple weeks ago, Hick took T-Hoe for an inspection, so he could renew the license. He also got an oil change, because the oil life gauge said T-Hoe was down to about 30% oil life. Can't have T-Hoe runnin' sluggish.

Once I had T-Hoe back in my possession, I tapped through the gauges to look at the oil reading, and it was still the same. Well. Not the same. It was into the 20%s. Since I totally trusted Hick when he specifically told me that he had the oil changed saw on the receipt of the inspection that Walmart automotive department had also done an oil change...I could only surmise that they had NOT reset the oil life.

Seriously. How hard is THAT? They work with cars every day. It's their job. I'm pretty sure they have to look up stuff about what kind of oil, and how much to put in. So you'd think they'd have access to instructions for resetting the oil life. It's not like that information is a state secret. Or even the recipe for Coca Cola or Kentucky Fried Chicken. The details are out there. I found them myself.

Well. I found them myself, after three tries. I'd forgotten, you see, how I reset the oil life LAST TIME it was changed, and not reset. I was on my Shiba upstairs, so I couldn't check my files to see if I'd saved those instructions on New Delly.

Once I Googled, things started looking familiar for my 2008 T-Hoe. I seemed to recall trying those instructions about pumping the gas pedal. Trouble was...one tip said to turn on the key but not start it, and depress the gas pedal three times within five seconds. But the tip just below it said to turn on the key but not start it, and depress the gas pedal five times within three seconds. Huh.

I tried the three-in-five routine down at the mailboxes. Didn't reset. So I figured I'd experiment. I tapped through the button with the symbol that looks like a gas pump to me. Went through various settings like tire pressures until I got to OIL LIFE. Then I held in the button with the symbol that's a check mark. For a long time. Maybe five seconds.

AND THE OIL LIFE RESET!

If I can do it...why can't the people Hick paid to change the oil?