this is me being horrified
So, a lot of stuff to write about. Like why Fords are crappy. And how I manage to live in a little bubble where I like to believe that people aren't really as racist as they used to be. And yes, these two statements are related.
***This is the part where I forget how to do a cut, so if you don't want to read about horrible Ford customer service, at least skip down to the end and read the horrifying racist bit. It will have stars by it.
So my car has been doing this fun little thing where it dies at stoplights, or basically any time I have to idle for more than 15 seconds. It will restart, which is good, but it's still not fun. Then it started doing this thing where it pulses when I have the lights and heater on at the same time. Like the lights dim and brighten and the air pulses weaker then stronger. Very weird. Then it dies when I'm not even idling. And I mean, it [i]dies.[/i] Like someone pulled the plug on it. I was driving, decelerating, and everything goes off, including my clock resetting.
Since I have to drive almost 40 minutes to and from work, and really have to be on time, I decided that I should probably go ahead and take it to Ford. Plus, you know, my check engine light has been on for almost a year. Now bear in mind that I have had nothing but miserable experiences with Ford in the past (remind me to tell you about the time Eliz and I went to Austin), but I took it there anyway. They "fixed" the car, telling me it was some hose thingy, and I let them replace the air and fuel filters. They charge me almost $300. I drive away, and at the first stoplight, it dies. So I take it back. They find that it's THE FREAKING BATTERY that needs to be replaced. Now tell me, why wouldn't this be the first thing you check? And by then it's after 5, so I have to wait until tomorrow because the parts are all locked up and stuff. My mother-in-law, being the wonderful person that she is, was with me and got very not-happy with the Ford guy. I'm not good at being mean, so I was glad she was there. Then she agrees to pick up my car tomorrow.
She picks it up, leaves, and it has THE SAME PROBLEM. So she takes it back, they come up with another thing that needs to be replaced, and she takes it somewhere else instead.
Unfortunately, the other place tells us the same thing, which basically all boils down to my engine is about to explode and I need a new car because it's not worth repairing it.
****So that all sucked, but hey, I get to get a new car. We can actually reasonably afford a new car, crazy as that sounds. And here's where the racist part comes in.
We go to the Toyota place and look around. This salesgirl comes out to talk to us. It's about 4:30 p.m., and the sun is pretty much right in our faces. So she's introducing herself, squinting at me, and then says, very nonchalantly,
"Let me move over here (to the shade) - I feel like I'm looking at you like a chink."
At the TOYOTA place. Hello? I was completely horrified. If I hadn't been so floored, I might've thought to say something like, "My grandmother is Chinese," or some other lie to put her in her place.
It was crazy. Apparently in the South you have to whisper if you say "black," but you can just come right out and say chink to a stranger. Maybe I'm just too naive? But Anderson was equally horrified/offended.
***This is the part where I forget how to do a cut, so if you don't want to read about horrible Ford customer service, at least skip down to the end and read the horrifying racist bit. It will have stars by it.
So my car has been doing this fun little thing where it dies at stoplights, or basically any time I have to idle for more than 15 seconds. It will restart, which is good, but it's still not fun. Then it started doing this thing where it pulses when I have the lights and heater on at the same time. Like the lights dim and brighten and the air pulses weaker then stronger. Very weird. Then it dies when I'm not even idling. And I mean, it [i]dies.[/i] Like someone pulled the plug on it. I was driving, decelerating, and everything goes off, including my clock resetting.
Since I have to drive almost 40 minutes to and from work, and really have to be on time, I decided that I should probably go ahead and take it to Ford. Plus, you know, my check engine light has been on for almost a year. Now bear in mind that I have had nothing but miserable experiences with Ford in the past (remind me to tell you about the time Eliz and I went to Austin), but I took it there anyway. They "fixed" the car, telling me it was some hose thingy, and I let them replace the air and fuel filters. They charge me almost $300. I drive away, and at the first stoplight, it dies. So I take it back. They find that it's THE FREAKING BATTERY that needs to be replaced. Now tell me, why wouldn't this be the first thing you check? And by then it's after 5, so I have to wait until tomorrow because the parts are all locked up and stuff. My mother-in-law, being the wonderful person that she is, was with me and got very not-happy with the Ford guy. I'm not good at being mean, so I was glad she was there. Then she agrees to pick up my car tomorrow.
She picks it up, leaves, and it has THE SAME PROBLEM. So she takes it back, they come up with another thing that needs to be replaced, and she takes it somewhere else instead.
Unfortunately, the other place tells us the same thing, which basically all boils down to my engine is about to explode and I need a new car because it's not worth repairing it.
****So that all sucked, but hey, I get to get a new car. We can actually reasonably afford a new car, crazy as that sounds. And here's where the racist part comes in.
We go to the Toyota place and look around. This salesgirl comes out to talk to us. It's about 4:30 p.m., and the sun is pretty much right in our faces. So she's introducing herself, squinting at me, and then says, very nonchalantly,
"Let me move over here (to the shade) - I feel like I'm looking at you like a chink."
At the TOYOTA place. Hello? I was completely horrified. If I hadn't been so floored, I might've thought to say something like, "My grandmother is Chinese," or some other lie to put her in her place.
It was crazy. Apparently in the South you have to whisper if you say "black," but you can just come right out and say chink to a stranger. Maybe I'm just too naive? But Anderson was equally horrified/offended.