The saga of the Audi convertible top that would not close has come to an end. A successful one.

My top would neither go up or down.

I read the book that comes with the car. The one they leave in the glove compartment. There were 7 or 8 pages covering the convertible top. The pages required more than a Phd. to comprehend. Of no assistance!

The Audi emergency service which came with the car or which I paid extra to purchase was of no help. They would flatbed the car to the nearest Audi dealer for repair. That is Miami. My headache to get the car back. The fact that the Miami dealer is 155 miles away meant nothing. I would have had to rent a car or fly to Miami to retrieve the car.

I sought assistance from the readers of this blog. Both here and on Facebook.

The response was fantastic! E mails, telephone calls and what have you. Every one wanted to help.The suggestions were excellent. However, none hit the mark. Some I had already tried. Others were tried and failed.

Some came close to the source of the problem as it turned out. The car’s battery.

Son in law Corey finally hit on the remedy.

Corey said everything is run by a computer. The computer feeds off the battery. Some things computer operated require more battery power than others.

I did not agree. I am a lawyer and know everything. If the lights, radio and windows were working, as well as the car running, how could it be the battery?

Lisa now comes into the picture. Last year she purchased an item for me on the Home Shopping Network. A gift that cost all of $8. A small battery. About 2″ x 2″. If your car battery goes dead or neeeds charging, you plug this small battery replica into the cigarette lighter. And 10 minutes later, the car battery is charged! Or so it is claimed!

Corey says lets try it. I did. After 10 minutes of letting this “toy” do its thing, I turned the key to start the car. It still started. Then I pressed the convertible top button. The top went down. As it was supposed to. Sweet and smooth!

Corey was right! Brilliant!

Obviously my battery was weakening and could not handle the convertible top motor which probably required a bit extra juice.

I was saved! Thank you, Corey! And thank you Lisa for what I thought was a useless gift when you gave it to me. What do I know!

Last night I happily drove my self into Key West in my car. An experience that earlier in the day I doubted would occur.

My first stop was the Chart Room. Congenial Michael bartending. Frank, Sean and Katherine at the bar.

I have not seen Sean and Katherine for about a month. Our paths just did not cross. Sean continues to be Key West’s finest news reporter. Katherine just got a big promotion at the Ocean Key House. In responsibility and bucks. She is now Sales Coordinator. Good for her!

Every one asked about my convertible top. Frank did not agree with Corey or the resolution. He said there is a glich in the car. It will happen again. Get rid of it!

Dinner was at the bar at La Trattoria. Erin bartending. The place crowded, as usual. I chatted with several locals who were dining at the bar also. Had a good time!

Then home to bed.

Syracuse continues its basketball roll. Beat Marquette yesterday. Now 18-1. A good record!

Texas got beat yesterday. Actually destroyed. By Connecticut. So Texas is no longer undefeated. That should drop Texas from #1 to # 5 in the rankings and move Syracuse up from at least #5 to #4. Not much room to move when you are so high up in the rankings.

The weather is fantastic! High 80s yesterday. A bit humid. Unusually warm weather for January in Key West. Just as 42 degrees two weeks ago was unusually cold. There is global warming and it screws up both hot and cold.

Today is Sunday. Love Sundays!

My goal today is to definitely be at Kate Miano’s Gardens at 5 tonight. It has been weeks since I have made it. There is music to hear and people to see.

Enjoy your day!

4 comments on “

  1. Lou: As a person that had convertibles since they were originally manufacturered, I had every problem you can think of over the years: REPLACE THE FINIGIN PIN. It's less than $5.

  2. Lou, my money is on Frank !! Leave the top up !! Or, you can go to Grinnell St and buy your Finigin pin[although its actually called a finagler pin].. Patrick and JoAnn..

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