I've learned, for example ...
- In our hands 100,000 miles or about 10 years means replacing spark plugs and wires.
- Using an aftermarket rebuilt alternator may not provide enough current to power a car and an inverter.
- When a radio is messed up by hapless mechanics twiddling wires, a prolonged battery disconnect is worth a try.
- If you don't know the local mechanics and you need car repair, look for a dealer mechanic. They are probably not the best bargain, but they are likely to know the basics.
We left Norway with the care essentially unfixed, and not far from the Sault we got stuttering engine output, our check engine light and battery light went on, and the movie went off when accelerating while the kids were watching a DVD powered by an inverter. From what I learned later we had pretty corroded and marginal sparks and wires, and a (newly installed) underpowered alternator. Pressing the gas sent current to the gas pump, dropped power to the inverter, and the power drop and bad sparks gave the battery and check engine lights.
Phew.
We tottered into the Sault and stayed across from the car dealer. They replaced all our (corroded) sparks and wires, and the radio rebooted. Meanwhile we toured the boardwalk and took the bus around town. It was kind of a good day, though a bit hard on kids who like certainty. Local folks were very kind to us, I don't think they see many kids there much less families like ours. In fact I didn't see that many kids from the Sault to Sudbury. I wonder about the demographics of Northern Ontario.
Tomorrow to Ottawa. We'll stay two nights there and arrive in Montreal one day later, then stay there one day longer. We're sorting out the schedule after that, but we don't trust the van much. We may need a direct and slower route back to home.