DIY

The sprinkler for the car wipers didn't work one day for some reason. Among the most common if not the most common reasons for sprinklers not working is that the nozzles are clogged. Clogging can be caused by dust especially the fine ones that hit the car while one is driving. Clogging can also be caused by car wax, either the liquid that eventually dries upon application or the gooey kind that's usually popular with car buffs (pun intended). Perhaps in this case it might be wax inadvertently applied to the area or the same material in its dried form as it was being rubbed from the car to produce the desired shine. I would like to believe that there was nothing wrong with the sprinkler's motor because the thing was practically new considering we had the original one replaced after it was damaged when the car went under the flood waters of Ketsana. I also did a quick check and could hear the motor running when I engaged the sprinklers. But I wasn't sure if the sound was a good one as I am admittedly not an expert on these things, especially with regards to the Clairvoyant's car. I also didn't want to try troubleshooting as the outcomes may just be that - trouble. And we all know that a mistake may lead to a more expensive bill when you finally have it fixed by qualified technicians.

I decided to call the casa to schedule a check on the sprinkler and I went to the shop last Saturday, arriving quite early (just as the gate opened) only to find out that the guy who fielded my call didn't take down my details for an appointment that morning. I ended up waiting for my turn after the staff attended to those who had appointments. After about 40 minutes of patiently waiting, a person who looked like the manager or perhaps the owner of the dealership approached me and explained that they may not be able to check the car as all those who had appointments showed up. The guy was accommodating and assisted me in making another appointment. I appreciated this and the customer relations of this dealership was one of the reasons we transferred our car here.

Nevertheless, I was a little disappointed that the sprinkler was not fixed that day. It was quite an important part of the car especially these days when it rains almost everyday. Other times, it can be quite dry and the dust can accumulate on the windshield. The combination of dust and rain is most potent as dust plus rain (and dirty rain at that) turns to what appears like muck on your windshield a while after the rains stopped. You would need a good wiper wash delivered by your sprinkler for this stuff. Otherwise, you would have to pour clean water on the windshield as the wiper is engaged for a quick wash and it is not something you'd want to do almost everyday just before driving home from work.

As I had some time this morning before taking the dorgs to the vet, I decided to tinker with the nozzles and succeeded in detaching the hose in one (it was quite easy). I then engaged the sprinklers to see if the motor was able to pump the wash through the hose. It did and this was confirmation that there was nothing wrong with the sprinkler motor. I did the same for the other hose just to make sure my conclusion was correct and also to determine if both hoses were not clogged. With this initial success, I was encouraged to further troubleshooting, this time succeeding to detach the nozzles from the hood after carefully studying the set-up. With the hypothesis that these were clogged, I proceeded blowing into the nozzle and then jabbing the exit points with the smallest pin I could find in the house. I did this several times and finally decided to re-attach the nozzles and reconnect the hoses. The moment of truth finally arrived as I turned on the sprinklers and voila! The sprinkler worked perfectly. The accomplishment definitely made my day as being able to fix things are surefire ways to boost one's confidence. It might be a male-thing but its something that proves one can definitely "do it yourself" as long as you know what your doing and put some care into the work. Next up...the cabinet hinges!