Car Trauma

Fasten your safety belts, folks. This is a long, sad story.

It all started back in mid-May when I finally decided it was time to take Matt's car in for a long overdue oil change. Imagine my horror as I approached the oil place and the car died while I was stopped at a stop light. Trying not to panic, I quickly turned the car back on, it started and I continued the trip. But of course at the very next light, the car died again. Fortunately, it started right back up again. So I got to the shop and got my oil changed.

Unfortunately, the oil change place doesn't do other car work, so I knew I was going to have to get the car to a car repair shop. Because we rarely use Matt's car and I didn't have a lot of time that day, Matt and I decided (via the phone) to put off the repair and I drove Matt's car home, revving the engine each time I stopped to ensure that it would not die. We left Matt's car alone for a week or so, waiting until we had more time to get it fixed.

Wouldn't you know it, after a little over a week, the Service Engine Soon light in my car came on. Now we were in trouble. Both cars - out of commission. Fortunately, my friend, Rebecca graciously followed me to the auto shop to drop off my car and gave Ellie and I a ride home. Even more fortunate, was the fact that my car needed a new motor sensor which could be done that day.

So that evening, I drove Matt's car (revving at every light) to the auto shop, picked up my fixed car and dropped off Matt's to have them take a look at it. (It was about time that we stopped putting it off anyway).

You'd think the saga is over, but it's not. It continues. Matt's car was in the shop for over two weeks, while they diagnosed the problem (we needed a new idle motor sensor or something like that) and then waited for the new part to come from Michigan. They finished it last Thursday and we went to pick it up.

But wouldn't you know it, as Matt was driving his car home from the shop it died at the stoplight yet again!! So we took it back to the shop Friday and they said that the new part was probably either defective or not put in properly but that they would fix it right away.

Saturday we decided to take a quick trip to NYC to visit Matt's brother and his family as well as his visiting parents (who were on a two day layover in NYC before heading to Europe). We had a good time with all of them and even offered to drop his parents off at Newark Airport Sunday afternoon, even though we knew it would be a tight fit with Matt, Ellie, me and his parents and luggage in my little sedan. We made everything fit, however and as I turned the key in the ignition, my heart stopped as the car did not start. It was completely dead. Dead, dead, dead, dead.

So here we are stuck in upper Manhattan, on a Sunday when no auto stores are open, Matt's parents need to get to the airport asap, and my car (the currently functioning car of our family) is on the fritz.

It would take too long to explain all of the details, but the end result is that Matt's parents took a $70 taxi to the airport, making it to their plane just in time. We were saved by a very kind and generous passing neighbor who worked with Matt on the car for over an hour trying to determine the problem and getting the car to go. We got the car going, drove to the nearest gas station a mile away and filled up the car. The car again would not start, so we paid a guy from a nearby car wash $5 to jump the battery again. And then we drove. We drove and drove and did not stop until we pulled in front of our townhome 4.5 hours later. I will be forever grateful that it only takes a tank full of gas to get to NYC.

Sure enough, when we tried to start the car this morning, it was completely dead. Dead, dead, dead. So now it is clear that my car must be fixed. When we called the auto shop to check on Matt's car, we discovered that they are still trying to determine the problem and fix it.

So here we are - two cars completely inoperable. We are now pursuing our only option which is to get my car also into the shop and hope against all hope that it is a quick fix (just a battery replacement) and wait for good news about Matt's car.

Matt's brother, Randy, had a pretty funny and truthful comeback when Matt complained "I hate having to deal with car problems." "Me too," he said, "which is why I moved to NYC."

Who knows how long it will be before all of this car saga is over. All I can say is, I am this close to trading in both cars and buying a new one...