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Sep. 26th, 2009 09:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hnpccDriving home from work last night and suddenly something in the car went 'clunk' and we lost all power. Fortunately we were able to change lanes and drift to a stop by the side of the road.
I tried turning over the engine. Nothing.
We rang the RACV. 30-50 minute wait. A brief argument while Dean tried to tell me what to tell the RACV call centre person while I was simultaneously listening to and answering the RACV person's questions on the mobile.
I realised I was hungry. Probably not least because we had drifted to our stop just up from two Chinese and one Thai restaurants (bizarre little shopping strip that) and I could smell the food. Dean stayed with the car while I went up and got some curry puffs from the Thai restaurant. By the time I got back Dean had put the hood up and decided he was now hungry. So he headed off to get dim sims from one of the Chinese restaurants while I settled in to eat.
The RACV man arrived. Had a quick look, tried turning over the engine and told me that one of the belts had snapped (I'm hopeless, forgotten which one it is. Dean tells me it's the timing belt aka cam belt. OK). We weren't going anywhere. He organised a tow truck for us ("might be a wait - I'll put you in as a high risk location because you're so close to the corner") and headed off to his next call. It was a busy night for him, not least because it had been raining so heavily, and there were accidents, floods and the usual stupid stuff happening all over the place.
A fire truck parked in front of us and headed in to get their takeaway. Dean rang his brother to come and get me, as it seemed unlikely that the tow truck would be able to take both of us. He rocked up about 20 minutes later, (the firies were just coming out again) and dropped me home, for which I was very grateful. The pouring rain had stopped, but the temperature had dropped and was continuing to do so.
About an hour after I got home I heard the beeps as the tow truck turned up with my poor little car and Dean. I checked our service records in the interim - the cam belt was due to be replaced at the next service, dammit!!!
So now we are kind of stuck. We're waiting for a mobile repair service to come and hopefully fix the cam belt, which would have to work out cheaper than towing it to a garage, and certainly cheaper than towing it to our normal garage.
On the other hand - this is basically why I have RACV membership. That's twice this week (the other was a flat tyre - yes, I can change a tyre, but am uncomfortable doing it when the car's parked on a steep slope. Or by the side of the Hume Freeway, but that's a different story) that we've called them. Twice more than last year. It's like the ambulance membership - you have it because you really hope you'll never have to use it, but it's better to have it handy if you do suddenly need it.
Edit: mobile repair guy here. Good, maybe I will make it to pick up my glasses today.
I tried turning over the engine. Nothing.
We rang the RACV. 30-50 minute wait. A brief argument while Dean tried to tell me what to tell the RACV call centre person while I was simultaneously listening to and answering the RACV person's questions on the mobile.
I realised I was hungry. Probably not least because we had drifted to our stop just up from two Chinese and one Thai restaurants (bizarre little shopping strip that) and I could smell the food. Dean stayed with the car while I went up and got some curry puffs from the Thai restaurant. By the time I got back Dean had put the hood up and decided he was now hungry. So he headed off to get dim sims from one of the Chinese restaurants while I settled in to eat.
The RACV man arrived. Had a quick look, tried turning over the engine and told me that one of the belts had snapped (I'm hopeless, forgotten which one it is. Dean tells me it's the timing belt aka cam belt. OK). We weren't going anywhere. He organised a tow truck for us ("might be a wait - I'll put you in as a high risk location because you're so close to the corner") and headed off to his next call. It was a busy night for him, not least because it had been raining so heavily, and there were accidents, floods and the usual stupid stuff happening all over the place.
A fire truck parked in front of us and headed in to get their takeaway. Dean rang his brother to come and get me, as it seemed unlikely that the tow truck would be able to take both of us. He rocked up about 20 minutes later, (the firies were just coming out again) and dropped me home, for which I was very grateful. The pouring rain had stopped, but the temperature had dropped and was continuing to do so.
About an hour after I got home I heard the beeps as the tow truck turned up with my poor little car and Dean. I checked our service records in the interim - the cam belt was due to be replaced at the next service, dammit!!!
So now we are kind of stuck. We're waiting for a mobile repair service to come and hopefully fix the cam belt, which would have to work out cheaper than towing it to a garage, and certainly cheaper than towing it to our normal garage.
On the other hand - this is basically why I have RACV membership. That's twice this week (the other was a flat tyre - yes, I can change a tyre, but am uncomfortable doing it when the car's parked on a steep slope. Or by the side of the Hume Freeway, but that's a different story) that we've called them. Twice more than last year. It's like the ambulance membership - you have it because you really hope you'll never have to use it, but it's better to have it handy if you do suddenly need it.
Edit: mobile repair guy here. Good, maybe I will make it to pick up my glasses today.
