Car Shenanigans

Wow! So I was taking a trip in northern Kansas City, and I thought I heard what sounded like a rock hit the undercarriage of the car. Weird, because I really hadn't seen anything in the road, but shortly after that, the check battery charge light came on and I lost power steering. I thought I would pull over when I reached my destination because I was only 10 or so miles away. Then the engine started to get too hot, and I had to pull over quickly. I stopped the car just before an exit ramp. I couldn't get in touch with Jason because he was at drill, so I called Dad. By that time a police officer had pulled up behind me to check on me. The officer and I checked under the hood with Dad on the phone. The officer, Chip Huth, was pretty impressed with Dad making the correct diagnosis over the phone: it was the serpentine belt.

We went back to Huth's car to call a tow truck and find a place to get the car towed to. While we were waiting for the tow truck, I learned Huth was familiar with the Eldon area. Talk about a small world! He ended up calling for someone else to come sit with me because he had already clocked out. I don't remember the other officer's name, but he made sure that I got to my meeting safely.

While we were driving I was frantically calling family living in the area to see if they could either drive me home or let me stay at their place long enough to get the car fixed so I could drive myself home. I was saved by Lori and Don who picked me up in the crazy snow, had an extra bed for me to sleep in and gave me extra clothes for the next day. Yay!

At 8:17 a.m., the repair shop called to give me an estimate, and I lied when they asked if they had woken me up. $500. That sounded like a lot all together, but when the expenses were itemized it looked ok. Dad confirmed it was an ok price, and I gave them the go-ahead.

They had it done by 3:30 p.m. for significantly less than the quote. I was very pleased. Thank you to everyone who fielded my crazy phone calls and especially Lori and Don!