Car issues. I always have car issues. :(

It’s been a stressful 13 hours. I dropped my car off at the same place that I always drop it off when there is something wrong with it at about 6:30 last night. The drive, which would take about 15 minutes under normal conditions, took nearly an hour and a half thanks to the snow. Dave and his roommate picked me up from the auto repair shop and the three of us drove a couple of blocks to an Italian place for some pasta and a glass of wine.

Let me preface what I’m about to say by explaining something: I brought my car in because it was involved in a hit and run on Halloween night. My car was parked in front of my apartment and was hit by some drunk 40 or 50 something white guy in a white 4-door sedan. I know this because I watched it happen… and then in my horror watched him speed off. I didn’t get his license plate. The damage to my car wasn’t horrible… it was drivable… but my tail light needed repair and the dude hit my car hard enough that he dented the body of my car behind my tail light so that it could no longer sit flush with the tail light. Also, he tore up my paint job and there was a bunch of exposed metal. In weather like you see in the pictures to follow, exposed metal turns to rust really, really quickly. Additionally, on an unrelated note, my car had been leaking coolant. I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone and have the car guys take a look at that situation while my car was at the repair shop.

Less than an hour after dropping my car off the repair shop called me to announce that they’d inspected my car and found a bunch of things wrong with it:

1. The coolant situation was caused by a leaky plastic thingamajig that all of the hoses from the car go to. This made sense to me because it wasn’t just my coolant that had been leaking. There were a lot of fluids leaking from my car- I first noticed the issue almost three years ago but just lived with it. I’d top off my coolant, my windshield wiper fluid, my oil… whatever. It drove fine as long as I kept everything where it needed to be. This is apparently a $285 fix.

2. Aaand this is where it gets serious and/or fishy. Apparently they also noticed something funky going on with my back calipers. The guy said (and forgive me because I know next to nothing about cars and am definitely not quoting this verbatim) that something- and I can’t remember what he said- had been dragging, causing my brakes to essentially be on slightly at all times- even when I’ve been driving. He said that this had caused the brake pads and other things to get severely worn out. The guy said that my calipers were hot to the touch and the metal had been discolored due to the heat that it produced while driving. This would be a $800 fix.

3. Something funky was also going on with my tie rod. I didn’t even bother asking what- I told the guy that I had to call my dad to tell him all of this because something wasn’t feeling quite right.

What wasn’t feeling right was the fact that I knew what a tie rod was, and I knew what calipers were. Why? Because I had my tie rod replaced at the same place four years ago when I hit a tree that had fallen into the street during an extremely severe storm in my neighborhood (it was raining heavily with winds that eventually became the first tornado to rip through the city in something like 50 years). The calipers? Yeah, I knew what those were too because just two years ago during an oil change the same place told me that all four of my calipers and break pads were so worn out that they all needed to be replaced. So, I replaced them to the tune of a lot of money. Additionally, my sister Erin brought her car in to the same place last year and was told a very similar story. My dad, who thought that this was strange, told the guys to put the worn calipers in the back of her car so that he could see them when he came to pick up the car.

When my dad arrived, the guy behind the desk told him that they hadn’t needed to replace the calipers afterall.

I told Dave everything that the guy told me and he was instantly angered and told me that we needed to go get my car for a second opinion. I’d been dating Dave when the caliper situation happened the first time and he was skeptical then because he said it was highly unlikely that all four calipers would go at once like that. When it happened to my sister he became even more angry. "Do you really think that this is just a coincidence?" He said. The tie rod thing was just icing on the cake- he said that he’d never had to replace a tie rod on a car, ever. And yes, Dave has owned some nice cars in the years that we’ve been dating, but in the past he drove old junkers. Oooold, falling apart, rusted-out junkers. For the issue to happen once after an accident was no surprise, but to need to replace an otherwise brand new tie rod four years after having a brand new one installed, again? He said that he didn’t believe it at all.

I agreed with him but argued that I didn’t have time to bring my car around for a second opinion- I need it fixed so that I could have a car again. I have work Monday through Friday and have no other way of getting there- a bus would take over an hour in one direction. When it comes to cars, I know nothing. It’s always easier to just go with whatever they say than it is to spend all kinds of time driving it all over the metro to get a bunch of other opinions about what may or may not be going on with it. And what if they really are telling the truth? Then I’ve wasted all of this extra time… and I’m already so short on time as it is.

"You’re just the kind of person that they count on." He said.

Dave called my dad and explained the situation to him. Initially my dad agreed with me, but changed his mind when Dave said that he’d do everything he could to help me out while my car is being looked at. I think that my dad was just worried about how I’d live without my car… it really would be extremely tough to get to and from work without one.

Anyway, the plan right now is this: 

At 10:30am Enterprise rental is coming to pick me up so that I have a car to use while we’re getting my car situation figured out. After I get my rental I’m supposed to get in touch with Dave. Dave’s dad is attempting to get a hold of his mechanic friend in hopes that he can give us a second opinion. If that man does not have time to see us, then I’ll bring it to a dealership which can see me at noon today.

I just called enterprise to see if they could come and get me earlier than 10:30 so that I have some extra time before I have to potentially be at the dealership. They should be here within the next 20 minutes. Wish me luck!

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Bonus pictures from this morning:
 

Out another window in my apartment. This is actually the street that my car was hit and run on.

My car was actually parked right where that silver station wagon thing was parked.

aaand the boots that I get to wear out in this brand new foot of snow.