Last Thursday, I was returning home after having gone to the Mall, after work, to get a massage, and then dinner at KFC (Senior Buffet). This was one of the “cleaning” days in which Marie spends two hours cleaning my apartment. This is done every two weeks, on Thursday.
The massage went really well. I hope I remember the masseuse, because he massaged hard enough, and around the shoulders to really make it feel good afterwards.
I then went to KFC for the Senior Buffet, which is about $8+ including tax and drink.
It takes about 12 minutes to drive from the Mall to home just off of McCloskey Road. Everything was fine until I came to a stop, first in line (only in line, which was unusual) at the stop light for the ramp off of I295 onto Ramsey Street. When I stopped, the dashboard light lit up and then most went dark. There as a small puff of colored steam from under the hood and the engine went dead. I tried several times to restart the car, but it wouldn’t.
Several light cycles went through and a black man asked if he could help push me out of the way. I thanked him and we managed to get my little Civic in what was a “blind spot” to the different traffic patterns beneath the I295 overpass. Ramp traffic could get by, the two lanes. The two lanes heading up Ramsey could go by, and the two lanes from Ramsey heading up the ramp toward Bragg could also pass. I stood beside the car and waited for AAA and an police officer to arrive.
A Deputy Sheriff arrived shortly before the Mitchell’s tow truck sent from AAA. I was quickly hooked up (the car) and the deputy blocked traffic, both ways so that the wrecker could do a U-Turn back up Ramsey Street to Black’s Tires. This was after Black’s Tires had closed for the day, but I called them, first thing on Friday morning.
I was already scheduled to be on Vacation for Friday, so that worked out well. Black’s Tires opened at 7:30 am, and I called then and let them know I would be bringing the keys by after I got a rental car.
Enterprise Rent-a-Car opened at 8 am, and I called, but it was going to be 1 pm before they could send someone to pick me up at my apartment. It wasn’t an issue of not having the type of car I wanted, and I ended up getting a Black 2018 Toyota Corolla, which I liked.
The Hendricks called on Friday morning to ask how I was doing. They had seen me standing by my car the night before, but by the time they had turned around I was already gone (with the tow truck). Funny, but I had seen the Hendricks also, not realizing they had seen me. They were passing by closely looking
at my car, but not at me. I wasn’t sure if they recognized my car, and didn’t know they had already seen me. *They were nice enough to stop by, with their new Avalon, and take me to Black’s Tire to leave my keys.
Black’s Tires called and I was going to need a new engine. They had two choices, a used engine with 67K miles on it, for about $3.9K, or a rebuilt engine for about $5K. I went with the cheaper choice. *I was already planning to give Jeff Mitchell my car, so that Chad, his oldest boy could have a car. Chad is taking Driver’s Ed in June. I might have kept the car longer, but now plan to get me a new one sometime by June and give him the white Honda Civic (2011).
The engine install was supposed to take until either Thursday or Friday. Ordered on Friday, but not expected to arrive before Wed. But, Black’s Tire called yesterday, Tuesday, and said my car was ready to be picked up. I asked if I could pick it up this morning, Wed., to which they said, “Yes.” The bill was an even $3,884. I moved money around in my MFCU account last night and wrote the check this morning.
I ate breakfast this morning at the Rainbow. Afterwards I leapfrogged to Enterprise and was checked out quickly for about $189 total. They drove me down to Black’s Tire. *I forgot to get my parking pass, leaving it on the mirror in the rental car. I only noticed this just before entering FSU and had to turn around.
The car wasn’t at Enterprise. They had taken the return rental to Firestone for an oil change. I went to Firestone and, yep, the parking pass was hanging from the mirror. I got it and headed on to work. *I need to let the FSU Police know that the sticker is back on my own vehicle.
x
I go to lunch after noon and on the way back to work I hear a squealing beneath the hood. I turn around and head to Black’s Tire.
Black’s looks at it, fiddles a little and sends me on my way. I don’t make it to the next traffic light before I hear a flapping under the hood toward my right front tire, and the battery light comes on, bright red, and stays on. The power assisted steering is gone but I make it around onto Ramsey Street and then right back into Black’s Tire.
They take another look and after about an hour I’m told they had the wrong sized belt. I wait, and wait, and eventually I am told they have tried 3 different belts and none of them have fit. *Ends up that, probably when I turned on the air conditioning, something that wasn’t bolted down came loose and part of the air conditioning unit that includes the belt shifted, and this caused the total belt length to modify and not fit correctly. They finally figure this out and I am pulling out of Black’s Tire at 4:59 pm… to head home.
Seems to be working. I made it home and now this morning to breakfast and now am at work.
Bill Gibson, II 