Be Careful What You Think About!!!

Prologue: Meari braves the cold weather on her lunch hour to go to the post office and then get the oil changed in her car. Following is her first hand account of what happened over the course of an hour:

As I went to leave the post office on Friday, my car acted a little funny when I started it. Since the weather was SO cold, I thought it had something to do with it. My mind wandered over my various financial situations and I thought to myself: “Nothing major has happened to my car lately, I wonder when the next thing will be?” I continued on my merry way to the oil/lube place to get my oil changed.

Cute Lube Guy: “Do you know something is chewing up your belt?”

Me: “Uh, no.”

He showed me belt shrapnel all over my battery, pointed out a shiny thing down in the motor, and showed me how loose the serpentine belt was. (Yeah, the same belt I had replaced last year!) While this was going on, we heard something fall in the engine. A plastic pulley melted and fell off the side of the supercharger (Not good!).

CLG: “You’re lucky you stopped in when you did.”

Me: “Yeah, no kidding. Can I drive it to my shop downtown?”

CLG: “I wouldn’t recommend you drive it anywhere.”

Me: (thinking to myself) “Crap!”

CLG: “Do you still want us to do the oil change?”

Me: “Yeah, you’ve already got it in there, you may as well.”

I called the shop and they said to have it towed down there. Me, not ever having had to call a tow truck, came across as soooo ignorant and actually asked him what I should say to the towing company. LOL

I then called the towing company. Meanwhile the shop called back.

Mechanic Dude: “How soon do you need your car?”

Me: (thinking -- Oh, this is not sounding good.) “As soon as possible. It’s my only vehicle.”

MD: “Well, we can’t get to it until Monday. We’re open tomorrow and might be able to look at it but we’re only open 4 hours and already have 5 cars ahead of yours.”

Me: “I guess if that’s the soonest, that’s what it’ll have to be.”

Then I called my coworker to come pick me up. Oh, btw, there are *some* good Samaritans out there. The guy who was having his oil changed in the next bay offered to give me a ride to wherever I wanted to go.

CLG: “That’ll be $47.02”

Me: (laughing) “That’s one expensive oil change.... “ (Referring of course, to the additional repairs required)

My coworker came and picked me up, and after I explained what happened, she asked: “Do you have towing insurance?”’

Me: “Heck if I know. I’ve never had to call a tow truck.”

When we got back to the office, I called my insurance company. Guess what? I have towing coverage!!

One bright spot... and here I thought it was going to be the fact the sun was shining... in my otherwise pitiful lunch hour.

Epilogue: Meari catches a ride home with her coworker, and will spend an entire weekend stranded at home until Sunday. That’s when her Dad agreed to lend her his car for Monday.