Sunday, July 20, 2014

On Whether Or Not a Car Door Is Truly Open

My car started doing something weird recently.


Every time I start the ignition, or accelerate out of a red light, the "Door Open" light goes on. I alluded to this in a recent blog, when I was due for a vehicle inspection and worried this would cause me to get a reject sticker. Obviously it's disconcerting because of the potential safety repercussions. That said, I've leaned on the door [the driver's side front door is the one that is allegedly open] while it was closed and even gone so far as to kick it. Hard. And yet it seems as shut as all the other doors.


So the other day I had an appointment with the dealer for an oil change, and decide to ask them about it. They said they'd take a look.


A service technician comes out a few minutes later.


He asks me, "Do you slam your car door a lot?"


Here's the deal:


My current car (a Honda Civic) is the first foreign-brand car I've ever driven. My experience with all my domestic cars is that they're heavier, which means they have heavier doors, which always compelled me to slam them so that I know they're actually closed. (This slamming-doors habit of mine was once the source of a wicked argument between myself and an ex-girlfriend.)


The ex-girlfriend was right -- I really didn't need to slam car doors back then. And I definitely don't need to do it now. Apparently my constant door-slamming damaged the electronic door sensor.


The dealership repaired the door sensor. My car no longer thinks the car door is open. Problem solved.


Now I need to exercise a little more self-control when shutting car doors.


No comments:

Post a Comment