This just about Summarizes my Life
Jan. 13th, 2012 11:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
breezeshadowI was woken up by the dog barking, and then by my mother yelling at him in a rage. After a while I get up, change into my jeans from yesterday (I'm already wearing yesterday's clothes otherwise) and head upstairs to discover that Charlie apparently peed and shit all over the house despite my mother bringing him outside multiple times. He's going to earn the nickname Asshole at this rate. My mother was venting about how she may return him to the pound. We loaded him into the cat carrier, my mother in frustration accidentally hitting the dog's head on the top of the crate, and then got him into my car to go to the vet.
He's quiet on the way there, licking the sides of the carrier for some reason. My car seems a little off, and as it struggles on a hill I press down on the gas.
The car beeps frantically at me, displays three warning lights, and the engine shuts off. Shit, I think, but I really need to go to the vet and if the car dies I will just walk the dog there and call AAA. I pull over as I coast into battery mode -- yay for hybrids -- and put my emergency lights on, though since this is CT people don't realize that means PASS ME. I reach the vet, they aren't even open yet, I pace around with Charlie on a leash since the carrier was just because we don't have a better way to transport him in the car.
The vet opens and I drop Charlie off with plans to call around 3 to see how he did and to pick him up tomorrow (he's getting neutered, microchipped, and tested for heartworm). Then I go back to my car. It displays two lights when I turn it on: "Check engine" and the big fat "OH GOD NO DON'T DRIVE ME DANGER!" exclamation point red light.
Because it's 8AM, I haven't been sleeping well, and I'm a LITTLE too enthusiastic about my hybrid, I try to drive it solely on batter to the toyota dealer across town. Of course it can't do it. It makes it at most one mile before it stops displaying the MPH at all and I coast it to a stop on the side of the road, get out, call AAA. As I'm on the phone with them a police car pulls over, lights on, probably because I'm a pulled-over car on Main street. I apologize to him and explain. He calls a tow truck because apparently when the police contact AAA it's serious business.
We chat a bit, the policeman agreeing that people are stupid when I told him that no one could figure out what pulling over and e-lights mean, and then the tow truck shows up and drives me the four miles over to Branch. They're confused since they got no warning a Prius would show up, but the tech gets to work on it. They don't know what's wrong. My phone dies in the mean time. I chat with my father using the service phone. We authorize another hour of service as the tech is apparently going insane and tearing the car apart to try and find the issue. I finally walk to Dunkin' Donuts around 10:30AM and have my first meal of the day.
Then after I have finished my hot chocolate and used the bathroom the guy gets me. I can't read his face. He seems dumbfounded but not happy. Finally worried I ask what the problem is.
He tells me about the way the gas pedal is hooked up to the engine and the throttle. And says the tech found a twig.
A TWIG. Not even a big stick, a little TWIG.
Apparently mice sometimes try to build nests inside the cars. The battery may be damaged from me running it so low but the tech took it out for a ten-mile drive and it did fine. It ran smoothly on the way home. I think the tech was trying out Nightwish, he had the stereo up to like 35 (I usually have it around 20) before he turned it off.
But yes.
I paid $202.07 because a twig got lodged in my car.
Poor tech. He needs a drink. I don't even feel TOO horribly ripped off because hell for ripping my entire car apart to find just THAT, he deserves a little extra. Yeah I'd rather have not paid that much on one little twig but he also recharged my battery, cleaned out the entire throttle body, and cleaned the sensor so.
Yeah.
My life is so weird.
He's quiet on the way there, licking the sides of the carrier for some reason. My car seems a little off, and as it struggles on a hill I press down on the gas.
The car beeps frantically at me, displays three warning lights, and the engine shuts off. Shit, I think, but I really need to go to the vet and if the car dies I will just walk the dog there and call AAA. I pull over as I coast into battery mode -- yay for hybrids -- and put my emergency lights on, though since this is CT people don't realize that means PASS ME. I reach the vet, they aren't even open yet, I pace around with Charlie on a leash since the carrier was just because we don't have a better way to transport him in the car.
The vet opens and I drop Charlie off with plans to call around 3 to see how he did and to pick him up tomorrow (he's getting neutered, microchipped, and tested for heartworm). Then I go back to my car. It displays two lights when I turn it on: "Check engine" and the big fat "OH GOD NO DON'T DRIVE ME DANGER!" exclamation point red light.
Because it's 8AM, I haven't been sleeping well, and I'm a LITTLE too enthusiastic about my hybrid, I try to drive it solely on batter to the toyota dealer across town. Of course it can't do it. It makes it at most one mile before it stops displaying the MPH at all and I coast it to a stop on the side of the road, get out, call AAA. As I'm on the phone with them a police car pulls over, lights on, probably because I'm a pulled-over car on Main street. I apologize to him and explain. He calls a tow truck because apparently when the police contact AAA it's serious business.
We chat a bit, the policeman agreeing that people are stupid when I told him that no one could figure out what pulling over and e-lights mean, and then the tow truck shows up and drives me the four miles over to Branch. They're confused since they got no warning a Prius would show up, but the tech gets to work on it. They don't know what's wrong. My phone dies in the mean time. I chat with my father using the service phone. We authorize another hour of service as the tech is apparently going insane and tearing the car apart to try and find the issue. I finally walk to Dunkin' Donuts around 10:30AM and have my first meal of the day.
Then after I have finished my hot chocolate and used the bathroom the guy gets me. I can't read his face. He seems dumbfounded but not happy. Finally worried I ask what the problem is.
He tells me about the way the gas pedal is hooked up to the engine and the throttle. And says the tech found a twig.
A TWIG. Not even a big stick, a little TWIG.
Apparently mice sometimes try to build nests inside the cars. The battery may be damaged from me running it so low but the tech took it out for a ten-mile drive and it did fine. It ran smoothly on the way home. I think the tech was trying out Nightwish, he had the stereo up to like 35 (I usually have it around 20) before he turned it off.
But yes.
I paid $202.07 because a twig got lodged in my car.
Poor tech. He needs a drink. I don't even feel TOO horribly ripped off because hell for ripping my entire car apart to find just THAT, he deserves a little extra. Yeah I'd rather have not paid that much on one little twig but he also recharged my battery, cleaned out the entire throttle body, and cleaned the sensor so.
Yeah.
My life is so weird.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-13 07:05 pm (UTC)Also: silly car troubles are the worst/best. At least it didn't need any parts replaced, I mean, but it's always disconcerting to realize just how fragile vehicles can be.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-13 07:32 pm (UTC)I'm amused by this more than anything; $200 is something I can pay back in a few paychecks, I just want it replaced because this car depleted my savings padding. I guess that's what it's there for, but still, I'd like it back post-haste.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-13 09:40 pm (UTC)