That’s how the last week has been going for me. How was yours?
Kid #1 put the Jeepito in the ditch as he was leaving for work. Not really his fault—the conditions were pretty bad, and the road was treacherous even for an experienced driver. But it definitely kicked off a chain of work-disrupting events for me.
I had it yanked out by a tow truck, and at first I thought there was no damage done. Going up the hill back to the house, however, the 4×4 refused to kick in when the front wheels slipped, and I slid all the way back down the hill in reverse. Turns out the transfer case is busted, so now the 4×4 is strictly FWD until it gets fixed. That’s a major repair, and I still don’t have a quote on it from the transmission guy, so we’re down to one car at the moment. And the attendant calls, arrangements, dealing with two different garages, and tentatively looking for a new set of wheels ate up a lot of my writing time and peace of mind over the last week.
Oh, well. Life happens, and at least nobody got hurt. Everything else can be fixed.
UPDATE: Jeepito has a fried rear differential. It’s not a cheap fix but not as expensive as I had feared, so we’re getting it fixed, and the little offroad banana will soldier on for a few more years. (It has fewer than 70,000 miles on it, so there’s still life in it unless it blows something that exceeds the seven grand or so it’s still worth.)
Golly, what with the back-sliding it sounds like a case of pesky black ice. I’m glad the kid is OK.
INFO: don’t you have a pack of dachsunds? Where were they in all of this?
In the house on their personal recliners or tucked into their dog beds, I’m sure.
YIKES! Glad lad is okay, Yeah this snow thing. Lifelong new englander as you know yet I’m freezing my ass off again? Hmmm.
Kids and their (?) first cars? They get involved in all kinds of whoops moments at some point, like going through an intersection at higher than suggested speeds, bottoming out and wondering why that light just came on in the dash, followed by the engine ‘making some really strange noises’. No, not my kids, but my sister when she was a teenager years ago. She still gets a ribbing on the holidays over that one. RIP station wagon.
I’m very glad your kid is okay!
That is a “roadbed collision” so if you have collision coverage on Jeepito you can file a claim and have the repair covered by your car insurance company. Check with your Insurance Agent for advice on that.
Sorry that happened, but good no one was hurt. I guess it goes with the far north territory. Makes me glad I no longer have to drive in snow and ice. I highly recommend retirement. Thank you for your books. I have them all, and read numerous times. Well done, you.
Best Regaards