mellowtigger | car trouble (Reply)

My car died about 10 blocks from home. I need to go back to it now, so I can call for a tow truck. I needed to come home to transfer a few thousand dollars from savings to checking, to be certain I can cover tow and minor expenses for repairs. If it ends up being lots of money for repairs, then today might finally be the day that I give up my old rust bucket. I was hoping it would be a more "intentional" moment than this. :(

The car worked fine on Monday, when I filled up the tank and got groceries. But I had to move it today, because Minneapolis is banning parking on even-numbered sides of city streets tonight... indefinitely. There's just too much snow for emergency vehicles to navigate residential areas. My car seemed to stabilize quickly after it finally started, so I decided to dash to my usual repair shop. I didn't make it very far.

And... I'm off again.

edit 2:45pm: Tow called. 90-120 minutes to wait in my car with a dead engine. At least it's only below freezing but not bitterly cold like last time.

edit 3:45pm: My fingers and toes are cold. I'm glad I used the restroom at home before I walked back to the car.

edit 4:00pm: It's getting a lot colder as the sun sets. Is there a cold front moving through? Weather app says it's currently -10C/14F. It was warmer for most of this week.

edit 4:18pm: Text message. On their way. 15 minutes estimate. Yay, cuz I'm cold!

edit 5:10pm: Car and I are both at the repair shop. I'm out $250 already (about $110 for the tow), and the problem isn't even identified yet.

edit 6:45pm: Still waiting. Yes, it's a cold front coming thru. No idea how I'm getting back home tonight. I downloaded the Lyft app for a taxi ride, as a last resort.

edit 7:45pm: Back home. It is very cold outside, and large snowflakes are starting to fall. I installed the Lyft app at the repair shop and used it for a ride home. Even with a very generous tip, it was still less than US$20 for the trip. The car is dead. May it rust in peace.

Ever since I got it a decade ago, it was a thirsty oil consumer. I long ago stopped buying quarts of oil for lubrication, and I bought gallon jugs instead. That past finally caught up with it. They said the engine was badly "carbonized", and it would not run again. The cheapest replacement cost of $4k (better quality would cost twice that) was not going to happen. Interestingly, they said the computer had "no codes", meaning the dummy "Check Engine" light was being its usual stupid self and not recognizing any ongoing problem. The little engine ran just fine until it suddenly couldn't. Tonight, I need to find the title, so I can sign the car over to them for scrap metal.