InsaneJournal

Current mood:	tired
Current music:	"Early in Summer" - Piana

Car again, and the kindness of strangers
So, last night, on my way home from work, the car died on me at the top of the freeway offramp.



Well, at least I was nearly home, and it died on the offramp, not on the freeway.

I tried to restart it, but the starter cranked and the engine wouldn't catch. After a few more tries and some frustrated swearing, I got out and put my shoulder to the doorframe, to see if I could push it at all - and it suddenly moved. I looked back, and some nice stranger was pushing from the back. So I pushed and steered, and he pushed, and another nice stranger came up and joined him, and we managed to get it around the corner and parked at the curb. (In a red zone, but you can't have everything!).

I called odogoddess, then AAA, and only had to wait about 10 minutes for a tow truck. The driver took me and the poor ailing car to the garage (closed, of course), then very kindly backtracked a couple of miles and dropped me off at home.

Our friend J offered her husband-the-mechanic's expert services for a phone diagnosis (sadly, they're half-way across the country from us), so I'd have some idea what to expect when I talked to the garage. He said it sounded like the fuel system - probably the fuel pump, but possibly the relay or fuel filter.

I caught the bus to the garage this morning to drop off the keys (they don't have a drop box - but the manager assures me they'll have one when they move, next week. Oh, goody.) and waited for an hour or so while they checked the poor beastie out. They did a fuel system pressure test - zero pressure. Fuel pump. The "kit" for the fuel pump includes the relay and some associated paraphernalia that is also supposed to fix the wonky gas gauge, and with all that and installation, the price is going to be close as makes no difference to $1K.

*sigh*

Well, on the plus side, they sprang for the rental car, and my boss is willing to cut me an advance and let me pay it back over the next few paychecks.

So, all in all, it's an annoyance, not a calamity.

And there are still some nice, considerate people out there.

And we'd better pick up some lottery tickets. *rg*