Getting the Xterra Ready for the Trip to Antelope Wells

Strawberries are coming in to the grocery stores. My Excaliber dehydrator will hold about 7 lbs on the five trays per load. I love strawberries!



The wind has been howling for two days now. It has worked out okay, because I took a personal day on Wednesday to run errands that required driving around in the Xterra. In the process I discovered that a hose on my air conditioning has blown out and I need to replace it. As much as I hate to spend money on the vehicle, I do take care of my equipment.

Besides, I need it to drive about 300 miles south to Antelope Wells in three weeks for the start of my GDMBR ride, and there is no way my wife is going to tolerate not having the air conditioning working in the Chihauhaun Desert. I also ordered some new tires. Although mine still have good tread, they are six years old and are starting to dry crack. I drive slowly and carefully, but I know once she drops me off she will be running at much higher speeds than I do. I do not want her to have a problem on the drive home by herself.

I received a postcard from the local dealer claiming that they were going to be competitive on the tires. So I stopped by to price some tires and to get an estimate on the charges to fix the air conditioning. The tire prices were astronomical and I was told that it would be $85 to "diagnose" the air conditioning problem. So I walked out to the parking lot and popped the hood. I glanced at it and went back in to find out how much it would be for a new discharge hose and a recharge. Guess what? It is the same price regardless of the problem! That is: between $350-$400 for the ac repair.

So I ordered a new discharge hose for about a $100, including the shipping, on the Internet. The dealer wanted $150 for the hose, which is probably from the same Who-Flung-Dung Chinese factory. I suspect that I could have just gotten the actual hose replaced onto the old fittings locally for a lot less, but this time I will go the full route on the parts. However, I will save the old hose and fittings and have it fixed locally the next time it blows out. I already have the refrigerant from another ac hose blowing vehicle from a couple of years ago, but I still need to either buy my own gauges or borrow my son-in-law's. I think I will check for gauges at Harbor Freight first.

As I finish the school year and tidy up the loose ends for the big trip, the days are ticking off faster and faster.