My wife gave me a kiss on her way out the door going to her doctor's appointment this afternoon. About 20 minutes later, I got THE CALL. "Hey, the car broke down. I'm in town at 59 and 77."
"OK, I'll be right there."
Setting a new land speed record, I was there 15 minutes later, and told her to get in the truck. She said she already postponed her appointment, then explained, "I stopped at the stop sign and pulled out onto the highway, and the engine died. I coasted to the side and restarted it, and it limped a block or two, but I couldn't get over 20 mph."
"OK, so swap with me and follow me down to the repair shop." We were only a few blocks from a somewhat reputable car repair place I've used before, so I started in that direction with her following in the truck. As advertised, the car wouldn't go over 20 mph, and it tapered off from that to near nothing. I pulled off the road and called my insurance company to arrange a tow.
I never got to speak to a human. After inputting my ID on the phone, I received a text telling me to click on the link and follow the instructions. Oh, goody... after 15 - 20 minutes of diddling with the phone, they finally dispatched a tow truck... from 60 miles away.
In the meantime, my wife had killed the truck. When I told her to go somewhere cool and sit while I wait for the tow truck, she said, " The truck won't start." Apparently the 5-yr-old battery I had been meaning to replace chose that time to go to battery heaven (or hell).
One of our neighbors was passing and stopped to offer help, so I got him to jump the truck off, then sent my wife in the truck to Walmart to get a new battery installed. A few minutes later, she called to say it would be 2 hours before she could get a battery installed at Walmart. Someone there suggested she go to Auto Zone, so I approved that and sent her on her way. Auto Zone fixed her right up for only $186, and she made it back before the tow truck got there.
The tow truck arrived an hour and 20 minutes after my call to the insurance company, and he very efficiently and quickly loaded the car up and hauled it to the shop. I went inside to make arrangements with the shop owner, and we left it in his care.
When I got home, the shop owner called and said the upper catalytic converter had apparently emptied its bowels into the lower catalytic converter, plugging the exhaust. He said he'd probably have to replace both. He won't know until tomorrow morning what the cost of that will be, but I'm hoping it will be cheaper than a new car.
"OK, I'll be right there."
Setting a new land speed record, I was there 15 minutes later, and told her to get in the truck. She said she already postponed her appointment, then explained, "I stopped at the stop sign and pulled out onto the highway, and the engine died. I coasted to the side and restarted it, and it limped a block or two, but I couldn't get over 20 mph."
"OK, so swap with me and follow me down to the repair shop." We were only a few blocks from a somewhat reputable car repair place I've used before, so I started in that direction with her following in the truck. As advertised, the car wouldn't go over 20 mph, and it tapered off from that to near nothing. I pulled off the road and called my insurance company to arrange a tow.
I never got to speak to a human. After inputting my ID on the phone, I received a text telling me to click on the link and follow the instructions. Oh, goody... after 15 - 20 minutes of diddling with the phone, they finally dispatched a tow truck... from 60 miles away.
In the meantime, my wife had killed the truck. When I told her to go somewhere cool and sit while I wait for the tow truck, she said, " The truck won't start." Apparently the 5-yr-old battery I had been meaning to replace chose that time to go to battery heaven (or hell).
One of our neighbors was passing and stopped to offer help, so I got him to jump the truck off, then sent my wife in the truck to Walmart to get a new battery installed. A few minutes later, she called to say it would be 2 hours before she could get a battery installed at Walmart. Someone there suggested she go to Auto Zone, so I approved that and sent her on her way. Auto Zone fixed her right up for only $186, and she made it back before the tow truck got there.
The tow truck arrived an hour and 20 minutes after my call to the insurance company, and he very efficiently and quickly loaded the car up and hauled it to the shop. I went inside to make arrangements with the shop owner, and we left it in his care.
When I got home, the shop owner called and said the upper catalytic converter had apparently emptied its bowels into the lower catalytic converter, plugging the exhaust. He said he'd probably have to replace both. He won't know until tomorrow morning what the cost of that will be, but I'm hoping it will be cheaper than a new car.
