We pulled out of our site in time to get to Boerne Dodge in time for our scheduled appointment to hopefully have the steering angle sensor calibrated to turn the lights off on the dash that no longer concern me, which is now what concerns me 😉
The drive went great and we made it there a half hour early. Jen and the kids grabbed their homeschooling gear and headed into the lobby while I went to the service counter with Molly to get checked in. The service tech took a look at the van and asked what year it was. She then went back to talk to the service manager which wasn’t a good sign. They both came back and informed me that they don’t have the proper scanner to communicate with our van that is made by Mercedes but badged and sold as a Dodge Sprinter. They were super kind about it all and even went as far as calling to the Mercedes dealership across the highway to see if they could get me in right away. So I found Jen and the kids, gave them the news, and we loaded back into the van the same way we brought it. A 5 minute drive brought us the the MB dealership where they had a plethora of sprinters lined up along the frontage road. A good sign for sure. We pulled into the service area where we looked like iron pyrite surrounded by diamonds. The service guy did a double take, no doubt looking for the MB Star on our grill and confirming his suspicion when he asked what “Is this”? A quick conversation later and we were again tromping into the service waiting area while they were going to “see what they could do while we waited”. The kids had just enough time to pick out bars from the complimentary counter when a tech came back to let me know that they couldn’t “fix” it but did confirm my suspicions that the culprit is the steering angle sensor. So with that knowledge we packed up in the van for the third time this morning and discussed our options for the rest of the day. We had an appointment at Costco to have the tires rotated and balanced, but were close to a museum that is part of out ASTC passport program. So with less time than we’d usually allot for such a stop, we cruised to The Doseum for some fun.
After playing and learning at The Doseum, we got back in the van and drove over to Costco for our tire appointment. We called in an order for Pizza and took a seat on a grassy island in the parking lot while they worked on the van. The van and pizza were both ready at about the same time, so we ate pizza at our own table and discussed our options for where to park for the night.
With the tires rotated, balance, and our bellies full. We drove over to a Walmart which we didn’t think we’d utilize much on this trip, but for the right times, it’s been a blessing to be able to park at them overnight. It works out for them as well, as looking at Mint, Walmart is the merchant we’ve spent the most money at so far this year.
This walmart was more hospitable than others we’ve been at. While Jen did some grocery shopping and the kids rode their Razor scooters on the sidewalk in front of the van, I pulled the steering wheel off (cause who needs that?) to replace the clock spring to eliminate one of the lights on the dashboard and get a look at the steering angle sensor to see if there was an easily identifiable issue that could be fixed. The work did result in the airbag light going off, but no luck with the steering angle sensor issue. I got the steering wheel back in place, the kids in their beds, and we had a nice quiet night.