The Car Needs a New Air Conditioner

The Subaru needs a new air conditioner. Not exactly a surprise, because the car’s AC has been cutting out after only a few minutes for some time, but Jennifer had it into the dealership in Ottawa — local garages not being able to deal with exotic Japanese cooling technology — and had it confirmed. It’s going to cost a fair bit to replace, but we can afford it.

We’ve had this car — a 2004 Subaru Forester — for three years, and this is the first serious mechanical problem we’ve had to deal with. Our previous car, a 1998 Mazda Protegé, also had its AC flame out on us, so I’m now more or less expecting cars to require a new AC at some point in their lives. That Protegé also had a number of other things that needed fixing, including its exhaust system (twice), alternator, windshield wiper pump, headlight wiring … compared with that, the Subie has been a tank. The only other significant repairs we’ve had to deal with have been as a result of damage: a cracked windshield, a broken-off rear window wiper.

In any event, we should have the new AC installed before we head off to Readercon later this month.