Catmobile breakdown :-( / :-)
Mar. 11th, 2010 10:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stephbgAll sorts of things happened today, but for this post I'll concentrate on The Catmobile's breakdown which was, all things considered, one of the best breakdowns one is likely to have. I'm pretty good at doing the bright side thing, but really, this just made it easy. What's the opposite of Murphy's Law?
So, short version: I had a flat battery, but it went OK.
This afternoon at about 5:30pm I came out of the local supermarket thinking that I haven't mentioned the car for a while, because I've been all distracted by the laptop (which has subsequently failed again, and come back), termite damage and maintenance plans at Sector 7, and horsies (horsies!). Truth be told I've been trying to ignore The Catmobile and just concentrate on getting from A to B without pondering the subtleties of handling and performance.
And then she failed to start, which was a little hard to ignore. The first of many fortunate circumstances was that this happened in my quiet local supermarket carpark, and not in the middle of peak hour Osborne Park in the vicinity of the freeway onramp where I'd been half an hour before *boggle*. It could have been *awesomely* nasty in literally dozens of spots where the engine might have stalled in traffic. Ye gods, I'd have made the news.
It was hot yes, but overcast, and if there'd been any shadows I could have sat under one reasonably close to the car. I chose instead to shelter under my umbrella, which seemed a little surprised to be called out of its coma and into action. I've been trying to convince myself that "it wasn't raining" was also a bonus, but my thinking on that score is a little twisted.
About the only weak point in the process was trying to describe my location to the breakdown phone operator: I was in a large carpark at the rear of a medium-sized sprawling shopping centre in the middle of a tangle of crescents and roundabouts. "The nearest corner" wasn't something I could readily describe by voice alone. But everyone found me (thanks to The Trolley Guy for redirecting The Battery Guy in my direction) so all was well. If they'd really been lost they could have called me and I could have talked them in.
I didn't need to go to the loo, but if I had there were multiple choices of facilities to hand (although I'd have risked missing the RAC, but I didn't, so that was good). Have you ever waited for a tow truck with a full bladder? It's not a fun experience.
I was wearing comfortable clothes, and felt in reasonable health for me.
It was daylight, but if darkness had fallen I was not far from a lighting tower.
If my mobile phone battery had gone flat--which happens pretty often--I was within walking distance of two public phones, and I had money. But it held on. I even had the RAC breakdown number in my phonebook for just such an occasion. Actually that's the main reason I have a mobile at all. If both of those phones had been out of order I'd have been able to approach several businesses where I know I'm recognised and could ask for help.
I didn't have a big load of expensive heat-sensitive shopping to go off, but since it was Husband's day off and he was home, he was able to come and rescue the lettuce. So, no gooey cheesy or meaty messes in the boot.
Far from feeling threatened by scary people I was offered help by no fewer than 4 individuals (1 female, 3 male for those keeping score). I love my suburb.
The RAC breakdown service and then subsequently the battery people arrived within 20-30 minutes of the calls, so I was only out of action for an hour or so total.
I wasn't on my way to a job interview, a plane flight, a business meeting, an assignation, a promise, the theatre, a spy exchange, a medical appointment or a funeral. It was the end of the day and only the couch and TV knew I'd been delayed. No-one else was inconvenienced a bit, so I felt no guilt or angst.
I didn't have any pets, children, eldery, frail or indeed anyone with me to protect/sort/redirect/abandon, so I felt no guilt or angst.
I couldn't have reasonably predicted or prevented this failure, so I felt no guilt or angst.
I sense a trend.
If I had needed a tow, I would only have needed to travel about 200m to the place where I normally get serviced. If that had been the case it was a feasible walk home, if Husband hadn't been waiting on my call. I can think of two other friends' houses within walking distance as well.
I had water to drink. It was hot and probably swimming with bacteria, but I thought of Bear Grylls and was grateful it wasn't elephant dung. If pressed I could have easily acquired chilled water.
While hovering about I checked my coolant level, a thing I haven't done between services for quite some time. It was a bit on the low side and it looked like there might have been some recent boil-off, so I topped it up with the bottle of coolant that I've been carrying around for something like 7 years. There was a code of some sort on the bottle that included '2003' so that's a guess; it might have been older. The Battery Guy said it didn't go off.
The Breakdown Guy had called in the wrong model so The Battery Guy had picked up the wrong kind of battery. Fortunately he happened to have the right model in stock in the van, so there was minor confusion but no delay. It even cost less than I was quoted.
Never have the words "it could have been worse" seemed so true.
Also I <3 the RAC.
So, short version: I had a flat battery, but it went OK.
This afternoon at about 5:30pm I came out of the local supermarket thinking that I haven't mentioned the car for a while, because I've been all distracted by the laptop (which has subsequently failed again, and come back), termite damage and maintenance plans at Sector 7, and horsies (horsies!). Truth be told I've been trying to ignore The Catmobile and just concentrate on getting from A to B without pondering the subtleties of handling and performance.
And then she failed to start, which was a little hard to ignore. The first of many fortunate circumstances was that this happened in my quiet local supermarket carpark, and not in the middle of peak hour Osborne Park in the vicinity of the freeway onramp where I'd been half an hour before *boggle*. It could have been *awesomely* nasty in literally dozens of spots where the engine might have stalled in traffic. Ye gods, I'd have made the news.
It was hot yes, but overcast, and if there'd been any shadows I could have sat under one reasonably close to the car. I chose instead to shelter under my umbrella, which seemed a little surprised to be called out of its coma and into action. I've been trying to convince myself that "it wasn't raining" was also a bonus, but my thinking on that score is a little twisted.
About the only weak point in the process was trying to describe my location to the breakdown phone operator: I was in a large carpark at the rear of a medium-sized sprawling shopping centre in the middle of a tangle of crescents and roundabouts. "The nearest corner" wasn't something I could readily describe by voice alone. But everyone found me (thanks to The Trolley Guy for redirecting The Battery Guy in my direction) so all was well. If they'd really been lost they could have called me and I could have talked them in.
I didn't need to go to the loo, but if I had there were multiple choices of facilities to hand (although I'd have risked missing the RAC, but I didn't, so that was good). Have you ever waited for a tow truck with a full bladder? It's not a fun experience.
I was wearing comfortable clothes, and felt in reasonable health for me.
It was daylight, but if darkness had fallen I was not far from a lighting tower.
If my mobile phone battery had gone flat--which happens pretty often--I was within walking distance of two public phones, and I had money. But it held on. I even had the RAC breakdown number in my phonebook for just such an occasion. Actually that's the main reason I have a mobile at all. If both of those phones had been out of order I'd have been able to approach several businesses where I know I'm recognised and could ask for help.
I didn't have a big load of expensive heat-sensitive shopping to go off, but since it was Husband's day off and he was home, he was able to come and rescue the lettuce. So, no gooey cheesy or meaty messes in the boot.
Far from feeling threatened by scary people I was offered help by no fewer than 4 individuals (1 female, 3 male for those keeping score). I love my suburb.
The RAC breakdown service and then subsequently the battery people arrived within 20-30 minutes of the calls, so I was only out of action for an hour or so total.
I wasn't on my way to a job interview, a plane flight, a business meeting, an assignation, a promise, the theatre, a spy exchange, a medical appointment or a funeral. It was the end of the day and only the couch and TV knew I'd been delayed. No-one else was inconvenienced a bit, so I felt no guilt or angst.
I didn't have any pets, children, eldery, frail or indeed anyone with me to protect/sort/redirect/abandon, so I felt no guilt or angst.
I couldn't have reasonably predicted or prevented this failure, so I felt no guilt or angst.
I sense a trend.
If I had needed a tow, I would only have needed to travel about 200m to the place where I normally get serviced. If that had been the case it was a feasible walk home, if Husband hadn't been waiting on my call. I can think of two other friends' houses within walking distance as well.
I had water to drink. It was hot and probably swimming with bacteria, but I thought of Bear Grylls and was grateful it wasn't elephant dung. If pressed I could have easily acquired chilled water.
While hovering about I checked my coolant level, a thing I haven't done between services for quite some time. It was a bit on the low side and it looked like there might have been some recent boil-off, so I topped it up with the bottle of coolant that I've been carrying around for something like 7 years. There was a code of some sort on the bottle that included '2003' so that's a guess; it might have been older. The Battery Guy said it didn't go off.
The Breakdown Guy had called in the wrong model so The Battery Guy had picked up the wrong kind of battery. Fortunately he happened to have the right model in stock in the van, so there was minor confusion but no delay. It even cost less than I was quoted.
Never have the words "it could have been worse" seemed so true.
Also I <3 the RAC.
