I'm back in Virginia after spending a month in Utah. I hadn't expected to travel this summer but one of my sisters paid for me to go home as a congratulations gift for passing comps. I guess you could say I had good timing as my maternal grandmother passed away the day after I got there, I am very grateful that I got to see her and was able to be with my family. I am also glad I got to spend time with my cute nieces Mila and Bella and my new niece Sarah.
And now I'm back. It's always a little strange settling back in here in Virginia after being home- it's especially difficult now with the heat here! It's crazy! There is a heat advisory in affect, the special weather statement warns that heat illness is possible and urges everyone to stay in air-conditioning and to check on relatives and neighbors. Nice. I should have stayed in Utah.
But I didn't, I arrived in Richmond on the red-eye and got back to the 'burg around 10. I decided I should run errands before I slept for a few hours (I didn't sleep much on the flights). I've been having car trouble for a while and actually had it in the shop for a couple days about a month before I left but they couldn't figure out what was wrong with it, we figured it was a problem with the fuel system so they put some fuel injection cleaner in the gas tank and I did too the next couple times I filled it- but it didn't seem to help. I was worried about it sitting so I had a friend start it while I was gone and she was having trouble the last week or so- well more trouble starting it than normal.
Anyway- I went out to run errands but it wouldn't start- the battery was clearly dead (the remote wouldn't unlock it and no lights turned on when I turned the key). So I called AAA and they came out to jump start it (it was the same guy who helped me the last time I had to call them- he is super nice), he couldn't jump it- the battery was so dead it wouldn't even hold a charge- he suggested I change the battery myself because it'd be a lot cheaper- well that's easier said than done. My dad suggested I call my apartment manager and ask if the maintenance guy would help me - I was sure they were going to say no, since it was a car problem not a problem with my apartment- I was wrong- the apartment manager came and helped my himself! He took my old battery out and drove me to the parts store (which was very close by) and put the new battery in- he was so nice, it was disgustingly hot and humid out (as I mentioned) and here he was leaning over my car and hauling heavy batteries around. Seriously, I never expected that they would be so helpful!
Unfortunately the dead battery wasn't the only problem. it still wouldn't start. It was clearly a different problem both the apartment manager and the maintenance guy agreed it sounded like a fuel system problem- which is what we had suspected all along and was what I was trying to deal with before I left. I couldn't get it to start after numerous attempts, so I called AAA again and they sent out a tow truck. After the hauled it away I rented a car and managed to finally run my errands- well half of them anyway.
The shop that had my car said it was the fuel pump, as suspected, and I needed a new one as well as a fuel filter, which would cost almost $700. Considering that my car has over 120,000 miles I figured I was due a major repair so I am trying to take it in stride.
I returned the rental car this afternoon and they (the kind people at Enterprise Rent-a-Car) gave me a ride to the dealership to pick up my car. I paid for it, walked out to get in and was told that it is still not starting, the advisor who pulled it up said she had a very hard time getting it started and then a mechanic tried to start it and it wouldn't start. The advisor (not the one I was working with- he was at lunch) offered to put me in a rental car for the day (after I said I didn't want to pay for another day)- so now I am in a different car- which the dealership is very kindly paying for- a HHR (an HHR, that sounds better). Yesterday I had an Aveo. One thing I've learned from this experience is that when I buy a new car (probably a used car) after my car finally dies I am pretty sure I will not be buying an Aveo or an HHR.
I still don't know what is wrong with my car now but hopefully the dealership will figure it out and will continue to pay for the rental car until they do!
2 comments:
I'm sorry you're having to deal with all of that. Not fun! It's a bad week for vehicles, Wednesday we learned that our truck is on it's last legs and that it would cost more to fix it than the truck is worth. Maybe the cars don't like the heat either.
Hi! This is Enterprise Car Sales. Sorry to hear about your car trouble. We hope you are able to get it fixed. In the event that you find yourself looking for a great quality used car, please consider buying from us. You mentioned that you had good service from our Rent-A-Car division so we wanted to be sure you knew that we sell cars, too. We have more than 120 makes and models so you're sure to find a car that is perfect for you. We offer no-haggle pricing, vehicle certification, and a free CARFAX Vehicle History Report on all of our vehicles. We have a great program. If you'd like to see our inventory and read more about what we offer, just visit www.enterprisecarsales.com. And please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
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