Americans love cars. There is something about the freedom of movement that owning a car gives a person that fits well with the American psyche. Sure, other nations have automobiles and people who like them but America is special. Here more people own cars, there are more highways and byways to travel on and there are more clubs that are dedicated to a particular model or design of car than anywhere else on the planet.

That being said, I hate my car. Oh, not really. It's just that lately it has had a problem. It won't start. Not every time you try it and not even particularly often but every once in a while it just refuses to start.

Oh, it cranks over nice and fast so the battery is strong. It will even fire off if I spray ether into the air intake. There is just something that keeps it from starting on these occassions.

I've gone through quite a bit of head scratching trying to figure out what it is. Admittedly my mechanical skills are modest at best and with modern cars I'm limited to changing the oil and maybe the spark plugs. So I gave in and decided to take it to a garage. The owner is a good mechanic and is quite busy, mostly because a lot of people recognize he is good.

He had the car for the better part of two days and couldnt' figure out what was wrong. Not because of anything to do with his mechanical skills but because the stupid car wouldn't not start. Yeah, I know - double negative and all that but you get the picture. The car started every time he tried it. You can't fix something that isn't broken and the car acted like it is supposed to when I'm behind the wheel, but doesn't.

The next day I drove to work and parked the car in the lot. When I came out at noon - wait for it - the car wouldn't start. I called the garage and one of the mechanics came out and looked under the hood. After a few minutes of checking this and that he had me turn on the key and was looking at a component when he moved the wiring a little bit and a relay clicked.

He had me crank the engine over and it started. He moved the wiring again and the engine died. At least now I know what the problem is. I've got an appointment for Monday and after that it shouldn't be a problem.

Ahhh, victory is mine!

I love my car.