I got a call last night, just before dark, and so far, the
coldest day of the year. Her car wouldn’t start. Call security, call the
insurance company, talk to the tow company. Wait, wait. Cold, cold. Two guys
with briefcase jumpers are unsuccessful. Tow it? Where? $75.
Ask the tow truck operator to try a real jump and charge the
battery a bit before hooking up the tow, I suggest. Uggh. I hear cold hands and
fingers in her voice. I hear her missing yoga, her sanity. Missing protein and
carbs after a long day of dieting and no dinner. Just ask him, I urge. What can
it hurt? Maybe he’ll get it started and you can drive it to the dealer and
we’ll leave the car and I’ll pick you up and I’ll wait on the car in the
morning and you can drive my mine to work. Uggh.
Will it be the $5 nickel-sized battery in the key fob? (how
embarrassing) The $300 12-volt battery? (no, it’s not one I can get at
AutoZone) The $2,000 hybrid battery? (OMG) Or something totally unexpected?
Whew! It’s the 12-volt. No need to be embarrassed; no need
to raid savings. It’s the first battery replacement and I can’t complain since
it’s an ’07 with 182,000 miles. Knock on wood, we’ve only ever had to do
maintenance on this car. And at 50 mpg, it’s almost like getting paid to drive
the thing.
Still. The warning signals were there. I shudda paid
attention.
The
time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining. - John F. Kennedy
What signals are you getting?
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