Wednesday, February 9, 2011

A Faux Fiasco

It was around eleven yesterday when I called the Mister to check on my car. I had to take Chloe to preschool at noon, and at that time I had no mode of transportation. He told me to drive his white truck (which doesn't start well in extreme cold), but by the time I went out to start it, he pulled up to pick us up.

"Do you want me to come, too? Or do you just want to run her to school?" I asked him.
"Get in. We'll take her to school then you can drive your car home."

I was satisfied. It sounded to me like my car was ready and he had come to get me so I could pick it up. However, as we passed by the shop I saw my car outside, hood up.

"Uh. Is it fixed?" I asked.
"Not quite. It's just a plug wire, though. It won't take five minutes."

Blood drained from my face. I thought we were on a quick drop-off mission. I was clad in Adidas pants, a white Mizzou shirt, a purple puffy coat, and HIS rubber boots. That are a size or two too big for HIM.

"I don't want to go in," I whined, "I look awful!" Of course I lost that battle since it was all of ten degrees outside. I tried not to feel self-conscious as old guy after old guy paraded through the shop. The particular wire that had been used as a snow day buffet was difficult to get to, so I was there a while.

Finally he enlisted the help of his dad to attach the wire on the back side. Dad-in-law got it plugged in and we started my car. Check engine light still flashing. TC light still on. Car still not running right. The solution? Unplug the battery to reset everything. Sometimes you have to do that. So they did that. Then they ate lunch. And I stood there looking like a complete idiot! When lunch was over and the battery reconnected? Same problems again. I was devastated. They didn't *see* any other problems (aka chewings), so I was going to have to take my car somewhere to have it diagnosed and go from there.

GREAT. I just bragged only HOURS before about how I like being the little lady who doesn't have to worry about such catastrophies. How I get to just send off my car with the Mister and not fret about it. Darn you, Universe! Always putting me in my place!

I took my car back at the end of the day, because Mister has an acquaintance who has a computer hooker-upper thingy (see why I can't go do this on my own?). He hooked it up and the only problem it reported was a misfire of cylinder 5, the one they already replaced.

He popped the hood and climbed in there looking for the problem. I heard laughing, he made some kind of adjustment, then closed the hood and started the car. Engine light off. TC light off. Running like usual. When the Mister got back in the driver's seat I asked how he fixed it so quickly.

"My dad put the wire on a bolt, not on the plug," he said laughing.

Thank goodness!  Although Dad-in-law didn't find it quite as funny as we did ;)

3 comments:

  1. That is pretty funny! Don't pick on your father in law too much!

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  2. Oh man..so crazy when things like this happen! Glad it turned out to not be that big of a deal in the end..LOL!

    Just found your blog..am enjoying it! :)

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  3. Rachel he picks on me constantly so it was nice for it to go the other way for a change ;)

    Daydreaming Fool, so glad you found me and kept reading :)

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