I received the title to my car earlier this month. I was so proud and excited. I bought the car while I was a bank teller making $10/hr without a co-signer. It was a sign that I was legitimately entering adulthood. Is it my dream car? Not a chance. It has manual everything: windows, locks, transmission. The windows aren't tinted. It's an '04 and it has a tape deck. A tape deck! It's just a basic car that gets me from Point A to Point B. Does it have a lot of sentimental value? You bet. As the first car I actually purchased from a dealership, and the above mentioned financing, the car makes me proud. It's also the first car that was actually in good shape when I bought it and I've had relatively few problems with it. I drive a lot, too. I actually enjoy driving when I'm not in a rush to get somewhere. There was one weekend a couple years ago I put 200 miles on the car. I didn't leave town. So, we have a bond, my car and me. On the flip-side, I have taken it for granted. It's a Hyundai. It's supposed to last for a million years, or something like that. Sure I get the oil changed, and I've had the tires replaced a few times. But there was one weekend a couple years ago that I put 200 miles on the car without leaving town. Cuts both ways, right? I haven't neglected the car, but I certainly haven't babied it.
This weekend, I was heading to church and I just made it off the freeway when the car stalled out. Not in an I-didn't-give-it-enough-gas-before-releasing-the-clutch sort of way. More like, holy-mother-eff-my-car-just-died sort of way. The engine wouldn't turn. I just replaced the battery about six months ago, so it couldn't be that. After being passed by all the good Christians hurrying to be on time to church, a good Christian leaving the previous service stopped and helped me push the car out of the middle of the road and into a U-Haul parking lot. Lucky for him, it was a downhill push. He then went back to his car and came over to try to jump my car. Didn't work. I thanked him profusely for his help and sent him on his way with his family. My friend Randi was also on her way to church, so she stopped and I sat in her air conditioning and made a couple phone calls. One to my friend Chris, because I knew she and her sister know way more about cars than myself and that they would come help a sista out. Another was to my ex, because he lives on that side of town and I knew he would bring me a water bottle then kick the tires and come to the conclusion that he didn't know what to do. Chris answered. My ex did not.
Once Chris and D arrived, they quickly determined the most likely cause was the alternator. I sent Randi on her way as Chris pulled out her tools and got under my car to remove the alternator. I believe that everything happens for a reason. I had made plans with Chris and D to go to the pool after I left church, so I had sunscreen with me. Since I have documented my ability to sunburn in this blog before, I don't need to tell you here how lucky I was to have the sunscreen. I noticed a nearby billboard had one of those time and temperature readings in the corner of it. It was 12:15 pm and 105 degrees. After finally removing the alternator, we locked up my car and headed for Auto Zone to have it tested. Their machine didn't work. So then we headed toward downtown Henderson to another location. After a brief stop at Pep Boys, whose machine also did not work, and which actually wasn't so brief since the guy helping us couldn't be bothered to put some pep in his step, we arrived at the Henderson location. They tested the alternator. The slip printed by the machine after the test was pretty unambiguous. It said, "alternator is bad." We got a good laugh out of that and then purchased a new alternator. We picked up some lunch on the way back to the car and then installed the new alternator. The car started!!! We celebrated with sweaty, car oil hugs. Chris and D saved the day!!!
As I put the car into gear, wait. It didn't go into gear. It didn't go into gear!! I won't share the words that came out of my mouth next. My mother would be aghast. I got out of the car. There was part on the ground and the car was now leaking like crazy. Of all the tools my friends had, tow straps were not included. I called my cousin's husband. He drove across town to come get me. By the time he arrived, it was close to 4:00 pm and 111 degrees according to the billboard. He attached the tow straps and away we went. I don't know if you've ever had to steer a car being towed, so I'll do my best to describe the experience: I was a nervous wreck! The feeling of the car jerking when you have to brake to get the tension back is incredibly unsettling. Riding on the freeway not knowing what idiot driver is not going to pay enough attention to the situation is also very frazzling. My shoulders must have been up to my ears from the tension I was feeling when we stopped at the shop.
Long story short, I invited Chris and D to our Sunday dinner that night, after they went home and showered of course. The shop said that I need a new clutch and hydraulic system that supports the clutch. So, just a few weeks of celebrating a lack of car payments for a while, I now have to put about 5x the amount of my car payment into the car. Awesome. Oh, and school started up this week. And rent is due this week, too. Needless to say, I can't wait for the week to be over.
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