Why Me? Or rather, Why My Mazda?

Can a car have bad karma?

After getting over all the problems I had with the Mazda dealership, I thought perhaps I would try them again, but got freshly aggravated when I learned recently that although they advertise service hours until 7 PM most weeknights, the techs leave at 4. ("So you're not really open until 7," I pointed out, to which the little miss on the phone said snippily that well, you can pick up your car until 7. How helpful.)

So, I decided not to go there right now. Yes, I could go on a Saturday, but they keep pissing me off, and I don't feel like giving them my business, you know? But I am (over)due for an oil change, so I went in to NTB*, where I had had an oil change before without incident. I was going to have them look at my alignment, too, since the potholes have been wicked lately, but they didn't have a mechanic working tonight, they're shorthanded, oh fine just change the oil.

*National Tire and Battery, it's a chain

It took about 45 minutes, which I spent knitting the baby blanket, and then they were done and away I went.

Sort of.

I noticed the hesitant acceleration as I was leaving the parking lot. I turned onto the street and immediately knew something was wrong. There's a shopping plaza near there, so I went in to the parking lot to be sure I wasn't missing something before going back. And then I saw the smoke.

I was laying down a cloud of smoke like nothing you want to see. Oh, yuck! And my poor little car not 2 years old. It was foul.

I turned right around and limped back to NTB, and went storming back inside. I wanted to make An Entrance, hopefully in front of several prospective customers, but unfortunately the guy was out back, so I had to wait a moment before I could declaim, "What did you do to my car?!?"

To give him credit, he didn't hesitate or waffle before coming to see, and then when he brought the car around to the back I heard him tell someone that "This is a priority." Good reactions, both, if a bit too late...

It turns out, they overfilled it. Another 45 minute wait, essentially another oil change, and it drove just fine with no smoke aside from a puff when I first started it (which I half-expected). Hopefully, there will be no harm done. They did give me certificates for 2 free oil changes, but I very much don't want to go back there, for some strange reason. (Do I sound capricious to you?) If anyone's got a Tire Kingdom/Merchant's Tire & Auto/NTB near them and wants an oil change from them, send me your address.

And now I have to find a mechanic, for real. I thought I could put that off to Another Day, but enough is enough.