After reading the owners manual, I learned that my car radio has an anti theft protection system built in to it.  If the radio ever looses power, It won’t operate until you enter the five digit security code.

Great, how do I find the security code? Well, It should be on my radio card.  What radio card?   I don’t know!!

I checked the owners manual and they assured me that if I couldn’t find the card, I only needed the VIN and the radio serial number and the dealership could help me.

Great!!.  I could get the VIN easily  enough but the radio serial number was another matter.  I didn’t even know where to look.  Fortunately, I found the radio code card in the glove compartment.  I entered the code and the radio fired right up.  Cool!!

I will make a point in writing down that code in the owners manual.

When I got home, I pulled out the owners manual to see just how to reset the maintenance code.  Sure enough, there were the instructions.  Push in the odometer button for ten seconds.  When the display starts to flash, push it in again for five seconds.  Your maintenance indicator will be reset.  And so it was.  Cool! One problem solved!!

When I started down the road after the oil change, I noticed that the radio was off.  Since most mechanics shut off the radio, I didn’t think much of it.  Then, I noticed that my clock was also flashing.  Then, I realized that the dead battery had reset everything.  So, after I had reset the time, I tried to turn on the radio.  But, the radio display kept asking me to “enter code”.  Since I wasn’t sure what code it wanted or even how to enter it, I deferred that for another day.  I just wanted to get home.

When I went to get into my car after the oil change, I stuck the key in the ignition and gave it a turn.  The lights dimmed and it just made a chattering sound.  Great, a dead battery.

And, I knew why it happened.  The head lights will stay on as long as the drivers door is open.   And, since the mechanic was trying to reset the maintenance indicator, he was sitting in the car with the drivers side door open.  Thus the head lights stayed on for a half hour, thus the battery went dead.

I quickly went back into the office and announced my dilemma.  Moments later, the mechanic appeared with a battery boosting box and got me started.  Great!! I was tired and hungry and just wanted to do home.

Normally, an oil change takes about 1/2 hour.  But, for some reason, this one was taking much longer.  And, usually when that happens, it means the there is something wrong with the car.  I was a bit concerned until the garage manager asked me if I knew how to reset the maintenance indicator. Apparently, the mechanic had been trying for over a half hour to reset the maintenance indicator.  Since it was getting late and I wanted to go home, I told them not to worry about the maintenance indicator as I would reset it my self.  They were elated and I cashed out to head home.

My oil change light came on the other day.  Thinking that I had just had my oil changed, I checked the millage sticker on my windshield.  Sure enough, I wasn’t due for a change just yet.

While the garage recommends an oil change every 3,000 miles, my oil change indicator recommends every 7,500 miles.  And, since I try to compromise, I change my oil less frequently than the garage recommends but more often than the oil change indicator.  So, the fact that my oil change light was lit, I concluded that the garage had not reset my oil change indicator after the last oil change.  No problem, I was due for an oil change anyway.