on friday, i was driving along, humming to the newsradio themesong and listening for the weather report when suddenly there came a crunchy thumpthumpthumpthump from the undercarriage. i pulled off the main road and into an empty church parking lot to assess the damage.
after several rounds of kicking and no sign of hissing, i decided the tires were fine. but when i drove in circles in around the parking lot islands the suspicious banging only seemed to get worse. it sounded like something under there was dangling precariously close to dragging on the asphalt and making sparks that would ignite my fuel tank and toast me to a burnt crisp. so i called work to say i wasn't going to make it in and tried to roll back toward home slowly, hoping that if it was going to fall to pieces or blow up, my car would at least have the decency to do so within a populated area so someone would be able to identify me and call my mother.
needless to say, i made it home. i didn't have another way to go the 36 miles to work and back, but that didn't stop me from feeling horrible for the entirety of what would have been my shift. i never was good at playing hooky; the guilt sucks every second of joy i might get from the freedom, so i don't even bother.
however, today was a different story. i got in to see the mechanic and finally felt some relief. i can show the boss my big fat receipt for shiny new stabilizers and a brand-new front axle. if that had completely broken down on me in the middle of the highway, i think guilt would have been the least of my emotions.
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8 comments:
Next time I hear someone say their car is "decent" I'll say, "You mean it will break down and/or blow up in a populated area, so someone can call your mother?"
I'm looking forward to the experience. Thanks!
(glad you're okay, though I'm guessing a less expensive excuse would've been better)
I'm no mechanic, but I think it's good that you got your axle fixed, specially that front one. I'm pretty sure front axles are important.
I, like Jam, loved that sentence too. My car (which I now have back, yayness!) is still making weird thump-thump noises too, like something in the under carriage isn't attached properly and may do exactly what you describe.
A two way bust up, 9000 malaysian ringgit and a new paint job later, the car is still retaining some lemon-like qualities. *shakes head*
i miss driving.
i don't miss having a car. mine were always breaking.
Cars are nice to have until they break down :( Two things I hate are cars that suck and vacuum cleaners that don't!
One of the good things about living in a small country...our mechanic is always within reach. phew. Actually, he's so darn good, he keeps the car in good shape...time for a check up.
Car troubles.......hate it! I remember in the span of one year, a lemon I owned spewed its transmission twice. Talk about a huge bill! Sorry about the car troubles
Glad you're ok. I know how a dead car can ruin your day. Mine does it every 1,000 miles or so. I'm about ready to go back to riding horses...
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