SuDoy Sengmey (SuDoy's woes)
I got a flat tire in Quakertown today. I think the valve stem cracked, because the air was leaking very quickly out of it. I heard a hissing sound when I got out of the car at the grocery store, but thought, "If it's serious, I'll check it when I get back." I spent ten minutes in the store, came back, and it was still hissing. And about half flat. I thought I'd try to get my butt home, but had gone less than half a mile when I realised the tire was too flat to safely drive on. It was affecting my steering, so I pulled into AutoZone's parking lot. A very nice fellow named Jon agreed to help me (and teach me to) change the tire. He put the jack in a bad place and was unable to get it jacked up. So I called the 24-hour roadside assistance attached to my auto insurance. I was told it'd take 45 minutes for the guy to get there, as he was coming from Pottstown. I figured it would take him at least that long, with traffic. So I went into Wendy's and got a soda and sat with my newspaper for a bit. I went back after about half an hour, just in case the guy got there early. I didn't want him to show up whilst I was away from the car. Incidentally, I tried to do a phone post, but the Green Lane number is nonresponsive. (I just looked it up on the FAQ and it seems they've changed to an 800 number and I missed the memo. Meh.)
Anyhow, I came back and sat in my car for a while, reading the sale flyer for Michael's (which I didn't get to visit today for obvious reasons). Jon came out about 45 minutes after I'd placed my call, I guess just to check what was up with the service people. Shortly after that, another young guy pulled up and started talking to Jon. It turned out they were friends and next-door neighbours and the second guy had brought a better jack. He also placed it in what is probably the correct location: behind the front wheel. The pair of them jacked up my car, took off the flat tire (and wheel: I have aluminum wheels), and replaced it with the full-size spare in the trunk. No sooner had they finished than the roadside assistance guy showed up. I somewhat apologetically told him these nice, nice fellows had *just* finished fixing the flat tire. He said something about traffic, and I made sure he knew I was in no way upset with him -- it just happened that I got help from the friendly people who were around. I signed his paper so he could get paid (he had quite the Hispanic accent), and off he went. I went over to Jon's friend and shook his hand, thanking him again for his help. He said something to the effect of: if everybody would be helpful like this, the world would be a much nicer place. Truer words I have not heard.
So, the tire's been taken to Scooty's and SuDoy has an appointment on Monday to have his hesitation problem checked out (Scooty thinks that could be due to a faulty throttle sensor) and to have his front end looked at, since he has a tendency to go through tie rods quickly and his steering is somewhat loose.
All's well that ends well, I suppose. With luck SuDoy won't rack up a heap of money at the mechanic's. I should probably practise taking the wheel off and putting it back on ... I wish I knew more about cars! I wish I were strong enough to take the lug nuts off my car after the mechanic's has put them on. Jon had to stand on the arm of the wrench to pop them off! I'm glad I got this flat in the middle of the day in a place where I could pull off to a parking lot (of an auto parts store, no less!) and not worry about losing control on the highway or standing on the side of the road and getting annihilated by some bozo driving too fast or some crapola... phew.
Anyhow, I came back and sat in my car for a while, reading the sale flyer for Michael's (which I didn't get to visit today for obvious reasons). Jon came out about 45 minutes after I'd placed my call, I guess just to check what was up with the service people. Shortly after that, another young guy pulled up and started talking to Jon. It turned out they were friends and next-door neighbours and the second guy had brought a better jack. He also placed it in what is probably the correct location: behind the front wheel. The pair of them jacked up my car, took off the flat tire (and wheel: I have aluminum wheels), and replaced it with the full-size spare in the trunk. No sooner had they finished than the roadside assistance guy showed up. I somewhat apologetically told him these nice, nice fellows had *just* finished fixing the flat tire. He said something about traffic, and I made sure he knew I was in no way upset with him -- it just happened that I got help from the friendly people who were around. I signed his paper so he could get paid (he had quite the Hispanic accent), and off he went. I went over to Jon's friend and shook his hand, thanking him again for his help. He said something to the effect of: if everybody would be helpful like this, the world would be a much nicer place. Truer words I have not heard.
So, the tire's been taken to Scooty's and SuDoy has an appointment on Monday to have his hesitation problem checked out (Scooty thinks that could be due to a faulty throttle sensor) and to have his front end looked at, since he has a tendency to go through tie rods quickly and his steering is somewhat loose.
All's well that ends well, I suppose. With luck SuDoy won't rack up a heap of money at the mechanic's. I should probably practise taking the wheel off and putting it back on ... I wish I knew more about cars! I wish I were strong enough to take the lug nuts off my car after the mechanic's has put them on. Jon had to stand on the arm of the wrench to pop them off! I'm glad I got this flat in the middle of the day in a place where I could pull off to a parking lot (of an auto parts store, no less!) and not worry about losing control on the highway or standing on the side of the road and getting annihilated by some bozo driving too fast or some crapola... phew.