Thanks for the Info

Big Red and I get along famously for the most part. Aside from the occasions when I frustrate Ms. Navigation Lady, we co-exist peacefully.

But, Big Red has demonstrated on several occasions that it considers itself smarter than me. If a door isn't closed exactly right and I press the button to lock things up, I get a long and mournful warning signal to let me know that all is not right. The same warning issues if I try to lock up when one of the remotes is still inside the car.

If I, God forbid, should decide to open the door while the engine is running and without putting it in park first, I get a big flashing red alert symbol on the dash. "Danger, danger, Will Robinson!"

And the thing gets downright hysterical if you or your passenger disengages the seat belt before you've powered down. (This not having a key leads to the necessity of different terminology. I just realized that I "power down" the car.)

The dash has an impressive array of lights and symbols that I seldom see except during the "power up". I've seen the low tire pressure light once. I see the maintenance light when it's time for an oil change. I've seen the door ajar light once or twice.

But this week it pulled a new trick. After the big hail and thunderstorm that went through Round Rock the other day (when Big Red was safely inside the garage at home, thank goodness), the ground was littered with leaves and branches the next morning. As I drove into the parking lot at work, I drove over something that produced a very slight skid for about a half-second and I saw a yellow light flicker and then go out on the dash before I could tell what it was.

I'm still a little nervous about the ultra-electronics that drive Big Red, so my immediate concern was whether something was about to go wrong. I was careful to check the location of that light when I next started the car.

I was being warned that the road was slippery.

Uh-huh. Just what I need on the occasion that I really go into a skid - a sensor in my car telling me the road is slippery. I think I can probably figure that one out without help.

Darned smart-alecky car.

LSW