The Case of the Mystery Alarm
Happy Birthday, ixchelmala!
So I had an adventure today.
For the hp_orangecounty meetup this month, we were all planning to go to the beach. The weather was lovely and I got all ready to go on time, stopping to pick up prncspnut and then heading over to get chavalah from her hotel. As soon as we all got back in the car (which I'd never turned off since it was a brief stop), an alarm went off. We all thought it must be one of the cars in the parking lot, but as we drove away, the alarm didn't get any softer, and we quickly realized that it was my car doing the yelling. This was especially bizarre because I don't have a car alarm; the previous owners had one installed, but it had been deactivated and I never went through the process of getting it back, because anyone trying to steal my car is really getting the worse end of the deal.
We pulled over in a corporate park as soon as we could and tried turning the car off and on to shut it off. Not only did that not help, but the engine wouldn't turn over, so we were completely stuck at the drive's stop sign, alarm blaring away. It would eventually stop on its own, until we did something crazy like open the door. Jenn got on her phone and called the nearby Ford Dealership (no help) and then AAA, who arrived quickly. The first thing the guy said was that it was my alternator and he'd have to tow it - not what I wanted to hear, as you may imagine. Jenn knows much more about cars than I do and did not believe this diagnosis, and when the guy checked things out further, he decided that it was the battery.
Who knew a dying battery would cause your car to ring an alarm you didn't know existed? Not I!
So he charged it up and we went to Pep Boys. Jenn's mom came to pick her and Rachel up, since it was going to be at least two hours. Fortunately, I had a book and water with me, and I'd already packed on the sunscreen, so I was able to sit outside and read while I waited (it was smelly inside and they had bad music playing, though I did get a visit from a dachsund, and no, I have no idea how the name of those "hot dogs" is spelled). As expected, they said I needed a new battery. I stood inside while they replaced it because staring at people makes them work faster. The alarm went off again briefly when they were putting it in, but they shut it off again.
The rest was denouement. I went home and got in touch with the beaching crew, who said they'd be there longer and gave me better directions. After stopping by In-N-Out (because I deserved it, dammit!), I joined them and hung out for about an hour and a half before we all headed home.
Not how I would have liked my day to go, but not the end of the world, and it wasn't even that expensive. Just a stressful few hours.
So I had an adventure today.
For the hp_orangecounty meetup this month, we were all planning to go to the beach. The weather was lovely and I got all ready to go on time, stopping to pick up prncspnut and then heading over to get chavalah from her hotel. As soon as we all got back in the car (which I'd never turned off since it was a brief stop), an alarm went off. We all thought it must be one of the cars in the parking lot, but as we drove away, the alarm didn't get any softer, and we quickly realized that it was my car doing the yelling. This was especially bizarre because I don't have a car alarm; the previous owners had one installed, but it had been deactivated and I never went through the process of getting it back, because anyone trying to steal my car is really getting the worse end of the deal.
We pulled over in a corporate park as soon as we could and tried turning the car off and on to shut it off. Not only did that not help, but the engine wouldn't turn over, so we were completely stuck at the drive's stop sign, alarm blaring away. It would eventually stop on its own, until we did something crazy like open the door. Jenn got on her phone and called the nearby Ford Dealership (no help) and then AAA, who arrived quickly. The first thing the guy said was that it was my alternator and he'd have to tow it - not what I wanted to hear, as you may imagine. Jenn knows much more about cars than I do and did not believe this diagnosis, and when the guy checked things out further, he decided that it was the battery.
Who knew a dying battery would cause your car to ring an alarm you didn't know existed? Not I!
So he charged it up and we went to Pep Boys. Jenn's mom came to pick her and Rachel up, since it was going to be at least two hours. Fortunately, I had a book and water with me, and I'd already packed on the sunscreen, so I was able to sit outside and read while I waited (it was smelly inside and they had bad music playing, though I did get a visit from a dachsund, and no, I have no idea how the name of those "hot dogs" is spelled). As expected, they said I needed a new battery. I stood inside while they replaced it because staring at people makes them work faster. The alarm went off again briefly when they were putting it in, but they shut it off again.
The rest was denouement. I went home and got in touch with the beaching crew, who said they'd be there longer and gave me better directions. After stopping by In-N-Out (because I deserved it, dammit!), I joined them and hung out for about an hour and a half before we all headed home.
Not how I would have liked my day to go, but not the end of the world, and it wasn't even that expensive. Just a stressful few hours.