My Car Again.

[Chuck Messer]

GOD FUCKING DAMN IT.

I moved my car, reparked it behind the scale shack after Rob (from the previous shift) left, just like always. The ignition switch jammed. My car key is stuck in there, it will not turn, cannot be budged. The car can't be started.

I'm going to have to have my car towed again. That goddamn ingition switch is only a year old!It should not be jamming now. I don't remember the name of the electrical garage I took it to, but I'm not going to them again. No way. I got the name of a dealer garage from a friend, and I've got roadside assistance from my insurance, who have been stand-up guys.

Of course, this happened during the first part of the month, when I pay rent and my margins are rather thin. Fortunately, I have some socked away in savings and I've already transferred some of it to checking. It always happens at this time of the month. It couldn't have waited ONE FUCKING WEEK, oh no.

Sorry, just had to vent.

Chuck

[Moderator]

Vent away, Chuck. Cars seem to be creating problems all over.

I was on the freeway Monday. Everyone but the guy behind me came to a slow stop. He apparently decided to use my bumper instead of his brakes.

[FrankChurch]

Chuck, you've had a hard time of it lately. I pray for better luck soon.

[Chuck Messer]

I got back from the dealership. They had to drive me home. The inginition switch will have to be replaced. They should be able to get the part in an hour or two. Getting the old, jammed cylinder lock out and the new one in could take all day. The labor costs are headed for the moon.

Screwed again. Whoopie.

Chuck

[Chuck Messer]

This pretty much sums up the way I feel right now:

http://fapit.net/imgs/376/fate.jpg

[Moderator]

The labor costs are headed for the moon.

Screwed again. Whoopie.

Chuck

Hold it. Wasn't this a relatively new piece of equipment THEY installed?

I'd be a little annoyed and might escalate it to the Service Manager if not higher. If tey'd done the repair properly to begin with you'd still be on the road none the poorer.

[Lori Koonce]

Chuck

Barber has a point. If you can remember where you got the first repair, you should at least go back and tell them what happened and ask for them to pay the bill for the new repair.

And if that doesn't work, there is always small claims court. That could net you court costs and up to 5k, at least here in Cali. Don't know if that's a nationwide thing or not. But at least you'd be getting a bit of cash for the trouble.

Good energy headed your way. I'm the only one in my life who deserves it more than you do!!

[FrankChurch]

I was reading Consumer Reports and they were talking about how devious car companies are at hiding defects. I think there's like a record number of recalls.

Odd, you would have thought they would know how to build cars by now.

Try denting a 58 Chevy. Quality has lowered. In all things.

[Duane]

Also, sign up for AAA. For $44/year you get 4 free tows up to, I think, seven miles each, along with roadside assistance (out of gas, dead battery, lockout, etc.) I pay $79 and get free towing up to 100 miles, which is beneficial for someone who loves driving his rickety, 15 year old Honda Civic to remote trailheads.

[FrankChurch]

Or ride the bus.

[RocRizzo]

I know it's late for this reply, but when I had a car where the key got stuck in the ignition, it was because the key was old, and the steering wheel lock locked in place. There was play in the steering wheel, so I moved it back and forth, and after a few tries, it worked. I used my spare key, and it didn't happen again. I also made a copy of the spare key. When I compared it with my other key, I noticed the wear in the other key (the one I used most of the time).

[Chuck Messer]

Alas, it wasn't a worn-out key. The cylinder lock was stuck in the 'accessory' position, and the steering wheel turned freely -- which made it a lot easier to tow.

The car's fixed, it runs just fine for a car with 199,000 miles on it. There are a number of things that need work, but I can get to them later. That's one of the things I was saving up for. It turned out the cause of the problem was an aluminum mounting cylinder the igniton switch went into. It was badly scored when the old ignition switch failed catastrophically, causing smoke to come out from under the dash. It was a freak occurrance. The original garage couldn't get that part last year. Not to mention the fact that I was out of commission for several days, while they waited for parts.

The GMC garage decided not to charge me for the labor to install the mounting cylinder, which would not come in until first thing in the morning. So, they arranged to pay for a rental car from Enterprise, which has a place about a block from me. It was a Chevy Colorado pickup. The bill was significant, but not a back-breaker. It took about a day.

And, as Walter Cronkite once said, that's all there is.

Chuck

[Chuck Messer]

Oh, and Frank, public transit doesn't go anywhere near my place of work. It's way out in the back of beyond. Believe me, if I could, I'd park the car and use the bus for going to work. Save some wear and tear on the old jalopy.

Chuck