Automotive Repair, Post Mortem
Okay, either i've gotten better over the years with Not Getting Emotional (distinct possibility) or i've done a LOT of work in the last 8 years or so to build up contingency plans around automotive & mechanical failure.
I've been slightly less than panicked this time around than I have in the past... Of course, no matter how close i'm cutting it now, its not nearly as bad as it has been. For one, i've actually got a baby emergency fund now...
So. First things first, Clutch was beginning to slip, so I took it to Clutch Doctors in Lynnwood because they beat the Dealership's quote by a good $300. Got that done.
Critiques: The clutch pedal was adjusted a bit higher than my legs allow; so I was having trouble easing off the clutch properly without banging the transmission. It was also making loud & horrible BANG noises when trying to reverse up a steep-ish incline. 2 weeks ago was the last straw; it made it as far as the Nowhere, Tulalip before it crapped out.
Benefits: Thinking it was something to do with the clutch, I had it towed back to Clutch Doctors. They established it was NOT the clutch, more likely a transmission issue; got that replace under the Glorious Platinum Warranty that i'd paid for. $1500; covered by the Warranty guys, and there's a check for $200 on its way to reimburse me for the tow from Tulalip. I will say they were pretty good about calling me almost every day to give me updates, they do get bonus points for that. They also get points for taking Freak & I on a pickup test drive lesson; we both got scolded for driving it too hard (freak's issue) and shifting too early (my bad habit). For that scolding alone, it was almost worth the inconvenience - Freak doesn't believe i know anything about cars & how to treat them. Admittedly much of what I know I learned from listening & watching him over the years; but still. Anyway.
Picked up the car; drove home, drove to work, drove home for lunch & back to work; then trying to go home that night the car started acting like my alternator was dead. Headlights dimming, car slowing & dying... I got it into a parking spot, still at work, then finagled a ride home. Next morning I hitched a ride with a neighbor to work a couple hours early; tried & failed to jump it off a coworker's car. So, had it towed back to Clutch Doctors, figuring they'd reconnect anything they'd accidentally disconnected for free; or they'd get the warranty company to pay them for replacing the alternator.
Turned out to simply be my battery was long past time for replacement. Odds are it was mostly drained while it sat being repaired; at which point it would no longer hold a charge. Cost me $188 for the tow plus a new battery.
At that point the issue i'd noticed when taking the car for a test-drive was getting dramatically more noticeable. There was this loud metallic banshee-quality wail when braking; also intermittently when starting to drive. Not the usual "time for a brake job" noise. So, yesterday I called to see if I could come in for an inspection today; they said yes, however the only slot was at 7:30 AM. I took it. Got 3 hours of sleep & went in...
They told me that something they'd done at Clutch Doctors had bent some piece so it was touching the brake rotor, causing the shrieking. They bent them back & charged me $54 for the inspection/repair.
HOWEVER. Apparently my ball joints (?) were also mangled over at Clutch Doctors... Which can be fixed, to the tune of $817 plus tax. Not under warranty. I could take it back to C.D. and raise holy hell... demand they fix what they fucked up & not make me pay for it. At this point i'm disinclined to have anything to do with them though. I'm kinda sick of them; I'd almost rather save up the $800+ and just pay for the repairs at the dealership out of pocket, simply so I don't have to deal with them again. We'll see how I feel after i've had a few days to get some sleep & think about it though.
One benefit to the ball joint situation is that Rodland said my repairs window is "sometime in the next year" instead of "Holy Crap Now Or We're All Dead" - June is the final lump payment on my appliances financing; which means my plan of throwing all that "minimum payment" money into quickly paying down the credit card on which i'd want to put those repairs will come to fruition fairly quickly.
I'm somewhat of a believer in the theory that the Universe is a lifeform itself, including the capability of communicating "do this, don't do that" type guidance as needed. Sort of a path-of-least-resistance-to-harmonic-success sort of hippie/pagan thinking. I've learned a lot of "Stupid Lessons" over the years by looking at the fucked-up events of my life & trying to figure out what i'm doing wrong, what to do different to painlessly upgrade my existence, instead of doing the same stupid shit over & over, all the while wondering why me? Admittedly I really don't need to assign this "power" to an external, omniscient/omnipotent/omnipresent consciousness, i'm sure there's a mechanical/scienc-y theory like Entropy I could assign this to, but hey. So the question i'm left with is, what's the Stupid Lesson here? What did I do wrong, and what should I do going forward? Is this a Cosmic Communication that I should only go to the dealership with this car, for my own sanity/serenity if nothing else? Or is this a communication that I should plan out a carpool & walk to work all summer?
Who knows. I'm hoping I figure it out, BEFORE the noticeable string of inconvenient misfortune begins to REALLY pile up...
I've been slightly less than panicked this time around than I have in the past... Of course, no matter how close i'm cutting it now, its not nearly as bad as it has been. For one, i've actually got a baby emergency fund now...
So. First things first, Clutch was beginning to slip, so I took it to Clutch Doctors in Lynnwood because they beat the Dealership's quote by a good $300. Got that done.
Critiques: The clutch pedal was adjusted a bit higher than my legs allow; so I was having trouble easing off the clutch properly without banging the transmission. It was also making loud & horrible BANG noises when trying to reverse up a steep-ish incline. 2 weeks ago was the last straw; it made it as far as the Nowhere, Tulalip before it crapped out.
Benefits: Thinking it was something to do with the clutch, I had it towed back to Clutch Doctors. They established it was NOT the clutch, more likely a transmission issue; got that replace under the Glorious Platinum Warranty that i'd paid for. $1500; covered by the Warranty guys, and there's a check for $200 on its way to reimburse me for the tow from Tulalip. I will say they were pretty good about calling me almost every day to give me updates, they do get bonus points for that. They also get points for taking Freak & I on a pickup test drive lesson; we both got scolded for driving it too hard (freak's issue) and shifting too early (my bad habit). For that scolding alone, it was almost worth the inconvenience - Freak doesn't believe i know anything about cars & how to treat them. Admittedly much of what I know I learned from listening & watching him over the years; but still. Anyway.
Picked up the car; drove home, drove to work, drove home for lunch & back to work; then trying to go home that night the car started acting like my alternator was dead. Headlights dimming, car slowing & dying... I got it into a parking spot, still at work, then finagled a ride home. Next morning I hitched a ride with a neighbor to work a couple hours early; tried & failed to jump it off a coworker's car. So, had it towed back to Clutch Doctors, figuring they'd reconnect anything they'd accidentally disconnected for free; or they'd get the warranty company to pay them for replacing the alternator.
Turned out to simply be my battery was long past time for replacement. Odds are it was mostly drained while it sat being repaired; at which point it would no longer hold a charge. Cost me $188 for the tow plus a new battery.
At that point the issue i'd noticed when taking the car for a test-drive was getting dramatically more noticeable. There was this loud metallic banshee-quality wail when braking; also intermittently when starting to drive. Not the usual "time for a brake job" noise. So, yesterday I called to see if I could come in for an inspection today; they said yes, however the only slot was at 7:30 AM. I took it. Got 3 hours of sleep & went in...
They told me that something they'd done at Clutch Doctors had bent some piece so it was touching the brake rotor, causing the shrieking. They bent them back & charged me $54 for the inspection/repair.
HOWEVER. Apparently my ball joints (?) were also mangled over at Clutch Doctors... Which can be fixed, to the tune of $817 plus tax. Not under warranty. I could take it back to C.D. and raise holy hell... demand they fix what they fucked up & not make me pay for it. At this point i'm disinclined to have anything to do with them though. I'm kinda sick of them; I'd almost rather save up the $800+ and just pay for the repairs at the dealership out of pocket, simply so I don't have to deal with them again. We'll see how I feel after i've had a few days to get some sleep & think about it though.
One benefit to the ball joint situation is that Rodland said my repairs window is "sometime in the next year" instead of "Holy Crap Now Or We're All Dead" - June is the final lump payment on my appliances financing; which means my plan of throwing all that "minimum payment" money into quickly paying down the credit card on which i'd want to put those repairs will come to fruition fairly quickly.
I'm somewhat of a believer in the theory that the Universe is a lifeform itself, including the capability of communicating "do this, don't do that" type guidance as needed. Sort of a path-of-least-resistance-to-harmonic-success sort of hippie/pagan thinking. I've learned a lot of "Stupid Lessons" over the years by looking at the fucked-up events of my life & trying to figure out what i'm doing wrong, what to do different to painlessly upgrade my existence, instead of doing the same stupid shit over & over, all the while wondering why me? Admittedly I really don't need to assign this "power" to an external, omniscient/omnipotent/omnipresent consciousness, i'm sure there's a mechanical/scienc-y theory like Entropy I could assign this to, but hey. So the question i'm left with is, what's the Stupid Lesson here? What did I do wrong, and what should I do going forward? Is this a Cosmic Communication that I should only go to the dealership with this car, for my own sanity/serenity if nothing else? Or is this a communication that I should plan out a carpool & walk to work all summer?
Who knows. I'm hoping I figure it out, BEFORE the noticeable string of inconvenient misfortune begins to REALLY pile up...