Dede was complaining that her Taurus wasn’t blowing cold air. I dug out some of my old hoses and gauges for A/C diagnostic purposes and the repair manual. None of the fittings work on the newer cars. (Not to mention you can’t pick up a $2 can of R-12 at the Pep Boys anymore) So I left the car with the technician at Western(?) Auto for the afternoon. Can’t be fixed. Numerous leaks at “O” rings and the evaporator. Needs new accumulator/receiver/dryer while your at it. $800 estimate. Geez. I would hate to see what it costs to fix a MBZ or BMW these days. This is for a generic Ford here. All I wanted was a little bit of freon added. (I think what they wanted to do was change over to the new environmentally friendly refrigerant which basically implies converting the entire system for the higher pressures.) No thanks. I’ll help the environment. I’ll roll down the windows! This doesn’t fly with Dede. Okay. You can drive the Pontiac, (now age 17) that has functional AC, during the summer. Do I sound like my Dad?

You might guess who won out– the conversion was undertaken so happy wife happy life.