After three jump starts in less than two weeks, which were attributed to potential imminent alternator failure, the car began to lose pick-up on a long trip. The New York State Thruway and the NJ Turnpike are not great places to find that your car will not go over 40 mph! Over the course of a 250 mile drive, the car at first went beautifully, keeping up with the swift speeds of the superhighway bucked and heaved.

Then, within 10 miles of home, air conditioning failed completely. This was on viciously hot day, so it was dramatic. Shortly thereafter, a nearby motorist began yelling and waving at our passenger side - and we saw smoke.

Fortunately, we were able to coast all the way off the superhighway onto an exit and into a service station. This was not in a part of the city that we would normally visit, but we were grateful to be out of danger.

After a very long tow, four days in the shop, and nearly a thousand dollars in repairs, the AC compressor was replaced, and the serpentine belt as well. The mechanic at Mid-City Tire said that the engine was running hot, and recommended an oil change, which we approved.

Some portion of the mechanism had chewed itself up and was spitting tiny fragments of black onto the inner face of the radiator. That was A CLUE for the AAA driver that the AC was at fault.

Overall, this was a horrible and dangerous experience. The motor apparently could have seized up entirely, leaving us stopped in high speed traffic, and almost inevitably causing a pile-up. There was no warning that the compressor was about to give out. The engine light has been on, but the codes that it is sending have to do with the transmission, apparently, about which I will write separately.

This seems like a very expensive and dangerous failure for a fairly young car.