I failed to mention the fact that my car's exhaust system pretty much gave up and died from rust a couple weeks back. You know what happens when your car's exhaust system resembles swiss cheese from rust? It sounds like a dirt bike. For real. I couldn't hear the radio over the sound of the car. It was pretty bad. I drove it a couple of times like that, but it was kind of embarrassing. And annoying. So, to the mechanic with the car.
We went to pick it up yesterday, after yet ANOTHER patch job by the mechanic, who informed us that he had performed his last patching miracle on my piece of shit car (not his actual words), and that next time, we would actually have to replace pipe, instead of gluing pieces together with baling twine and chewing gum. Or whatever.
Anyway. We got in Big Red the pick-up to go to the mechanic, and A. discovered that Big Red had little to no brakes. One of the brake lines was giving out. He drove it to the mechanic anyway (it's mostly uphill on rural roads with few cars and no stops, and with a standard, you can kind of shift down to slow the car), where we traded out one shitty vehicle for another.
And that, my friends, is the story of my life.
7 comments:
Did you know hydraulic brake lines can be under a lot of pressure? Do you know what it looks like when a hydraulic line under pressure develops a pinhole leak?
Our whole family was in a Volkswagon Beetle headed down a steep hill with a busy intersection at the bottom. We had the red light, so my dad stepped on the brakes. Suddenly there was a puff of what looked like steam coming up from under his seat, and his foot went to the floor.
All at the same time, he downshifted, got on the horn, and started pulling the emergency brake -- which, by the way, you can't just apply like normal brakes. We coasted through the intersection in the oncoming traffic lanes, started up the hill on the other side, and finally came to a stop.
Then I learned some new words from my dad.
Word verification: "mulcan" -- what they would call Spock if he were a character in Harry Potter.
I hear ya on car repairs. Our "Big Blue" as we call our 1 1/2 ton truck, needs repairs every year or so, and it's not little things. Oh no. Usually the prices start at $600 and only go up. We had to have new rear brakes, and then when my husband was at the repair shop he called and said, "They said I have a leaky caliper." I immediately thought, "You should see a doctor about that," but I didn't say it. Total bill? $1380. Yikes! Had to get it repaired since we'll be driving through the mountains to get to AZ, and will be towing our 18,000 lb trailer behind us. You gotta feel safe, right?
You brought up a vivid memory for me too. The last time I had an exhaust system break I was driving an aging diesel Volvo wagon to Ohio where I went directly to the hospital to meet my mother. I was a bit late so the doctor had already told my parents that my dad's multiple myeloma was no longer treatable. As my mother and I drove out of the hospital parking lot our emotional distress was surpassed by the mortification we felt about the horrific noise the car was making. We had an incredibly cathartic ride home laughing and crying all the way.
I set off a car alarm with my muffler once. It was a proud moment.
susan- so funny!
Yup. We got a lot of use out of our "maggot"(white stationwagon) and "pukemobile" (yellow volvo). I would suggest you do not call your new wheels shitty. They can hear.
Wendy: They're not new. Which is why they're shitty. When I said "traded," I meant we had dropped off the truck to be fixed when we picked up my car. Now we have both old vehicles back, and are keeping our fingers crossed that they keep running until next summer.
I have my doubts.
Yep, it is always a good idea to keep an eye out for a good deal on a decent used vehicle..with vehicles like ours. Who says lawyers are independently weatlhy?
word verification dogo the word that comes out of your mouth after kicking the dog sleeping on the dark kitchen floor while falling to the floor in a heap.
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