(“S” Light at the bottom right, under temperature)

Guess what? The mechanic solved the “S” indicator as soon as I told him the problem. The cause of the “S” light: a button at the side of the stick was pressed. As simple as that. I felt so stupid when the mechanic gave me that “you-don’t-know-that?” kind of look. I also learned that the button is a switch if you want to toggle between “NORMAL” driving and “SPORTS” driving.

Moral: Know thy car and get a hold of its manual.

So when I learned that a family friend’s brother is getting rid of his car due to limited parking space, I took the offer. Who could resist a $600 second-hand car? It was a good deal, I thought.

The car is older than ALL of my students, but whenever they see me driving or getting in or out of the car, they’ll say: “Nice car, Mr. P!” and I can’t help but chuckle by their innocence.

Here’s the pic.

A week later, one afternoon when all students were all gone and most teachers had left, my car wouldn’t start! After numerous attempts, it simply won’t go alive. It was almost 5pm, I don’t want to be stuck in traffic. I admit, I’m a computer doctor, but I know nothing about a car’s anatomy. So I phoned my father for tips. He said maybe it’s the battery, and he asked me to push the gas a couple of times while starting the car. Won’t start. Press the brake, then start again. Ugly sound.

Then I remembered my favorite movie: Back To The Future. If you have seen it, you probably knew what I’m going to tell you. Do you remember when Marty was about to go back to the future but all of a sudden, the DeLorean “died”? When he ran out of time he simply banged his head on the stirring wheel then surprisingly, the car started!

But I didn’t do that. I’m not yet nuts to hurt my own head, it is my life. What I did was, I hit the wheel (and the horn) with my forearm and then click the key simultaneously. Boy, it worked! Thank you, Marty!

Eversince, it happened few times, and my solution worked most of the time. So I made a theory that maybe, the battery needed an electrical catalyst (in this case, the wheel and the horn) to somehow jumpstart it. I told you I’m not good at cars. I can’t support my theory with strong facts but a sci-fi movie. If you’re a car expert, is my theory correct?

My students, especially the little children, still like my Accord, they still say “Nice car, Mr. P!” and I still chuckle. Kids.