Among other unpleasant things to make your heart go pitty-pat...

For me, breaking down on a long road trip qualifies.

We took the big truck to Michigan. Lots of space for the kids, camping stuff, etc. Diesel's high, sure, but it gets good mileage (25mpg going!) if you knock the speed back a bit. It gets points for having room for the folks & their dog for expeditions - seatbelts for all but the dog, too. And having the room to bring back a big dresser for H's room was definitely a bonus.

Still, a road-trip in a high mileage vehicle is always a gamble, isn't it? You just never know what mechanical gremlins are lurking. I really like vehicle-related problems to strike close to home, or better yet, not at all!

We did the oil-change thing before leaving, and everything was ticking over like clockwork. Should have known it was too good to be true for long. Halfway back we pulled in to a gas station and were treated to lovely white smoke drifting up from the vicinity of the left rear brake. Eek!

And right there at the gas pump, too. We now have an auto-rated fire extinguisher. In the truck. Where I can reach it. Easily.

Back in May the truck had what we thought was a stuck brake - same side, same symptoms.... But after taking it apart and reassembling, (gotta love country neighbors who don't mind assisting - and volunteering essential tools - when you pull into their yards unexpectedly billowing smoke!) it seemed to be fixed.

So, still about 6 hours from home we pulled in to a Chevy dealership with a service station - hey, it was handy, across the street from the gas station, and I wasn't driving far while smoke was still trickling out of the rear of the truck!

Kind mechanic's immediate verdict: it's not brakes - there's a leak in the rear axle differential seal. To quote him, "Not a deal breaker. It's safe to drive, just get it serviced when you get home." Whew. Okay, I could live with that. With that fire extinguisher handy, just in case!

Back at home we dropped the behemoth off with the mechanic Monday afternoon. Tuesday morning's diagnosis was not pretty. Not one, but two new seals, new pad(s?) for the emergency brake (old ones were saturated with differential fluid), and they highly recommended replacing the back brakes (both of them) while they had everything torn apart. Sigh. Yep, pads had a fair amount of wear in May when we pulled the wheels, so that wasn't a total surprise.

I love my truck. I certainly appreciate having new brakes: stopping on demand is a good thing. I will be very happy when it has a clear bill of health and I'm not checking the rearview mirror for smoke if I turn too sharply while braking.

I just wish that sense of security didn't cost an arm and a leg!