I took my car to the dealer to have the a/c system repaired @ 8:30 AM. Tues and Thursdays are the only days I don't have an 8 am class that I have to get up @ 6:30 for, so I was figuring on grabbing a rental and coming back home to continue my sleeping period. I get there @ 8:30, and they said it'll only be an hour and encouraged me to just sit and wait. Around 9:00 they explained to me I had no freon and that it would cost $70.00 to have it filled any dyed. I agreed, just to get it done with and get me out of there. Around 9:30 I asked if it was completed, and they said no they were still having issues and could not locate the mechanic that was working on it. They said it'll be done by 10. So I sat on the couch in the waiting room staring at all the nice cars they park out front.

10:15 rolls around, still no word, and the service manager says she still cannot find the mechanic. I said well if you're not going to get me a rental car, I can't stand to be just standing around here all day, I'm calling a ride. Called my GF just down the road and she came to pick me up. Around noon, the GF was at work, and her mom was heading to work shortly.

I called the dealerand said if the car was not finished, I needed a rental ASAP. 'That'* fine, but we have a few questions'. He said they were able to trigger on the a/c compressor via their scan tool, but could not get the car to trigger it on. He then went on and explained everything I already know about a/c systems, and how they wouldn't function if theres a faulty circuit, and a pressure switch may be the culprit. He asked how old my radio was??? I said it was nearly brand new, an anniversary present last october from my GF. He said oh... well when did you notice the a/c stopped working? I said look at the work order, you'll notice it'* all there. He still didn't understand, so I told him as soon as it started scraping, if it was engaged, it'd be quiet, if not, it'd make a horrible grinding noise. I don't know wtf his thought process was...

Any way, I arrived via my gf'* mom at 12:30, and they gave me some form of a 91' oldsmobile with a 3 spd transmission and a scary sounding slowwww motor. It was a 4 banger. A friend of mine and I wanted to take a few rifles up to the shooting range in the mountain. I headed to his house, picked up him, his guns, several hundred rounds of ammunition, and some targets and headed on up. We get all the way up in the deep mountains and pull into a parking lot access next to the local water reservoir. It was COVERED in hard packed snow/ice.

We went outside, threw a few rocks at the ice and entertained ourselves with that. Got back in the car, put it in reverse to reverse outta the parking spot, and tires spun a little bit and front end swung around, completely unintentionally thanks to the ungodly high idle on the vehicle. It was fun, I'll admit... but in the middle of turning around it made this ungodly grinding/clunking noise. I was like hmm... that'* not good, and hit the non-abs brakes to stop the wheels from moving. Put it in drive, pulled forward a bit, then reverse to get straightened out. Put it in drive, moved 3 feet, then all of the sudden BOOM BOOM BOOM CLANK CLANK. Car stopped moving. I put the gear selector in neutral after having a gut feeling something just happened to the driveline. Let it stop making the noise, then slammed it up into park, careful not to get stuck in R.

I got out, looked underneath the vehicle, there lies the remainder of the front left CV joint. Ball bearings all over the place, and 4 different pieces of the casing. I was like you have to be freaking kidding me. Three rentals ago, their buick lesabre blew up and disabled on me as well.

After trying to grasp the situation for about 5 minutes, I got in the car and said alright, we have to push, I'm not going to have them say I was dicking around on the icy parking lot and try to push the bill onto me.

Do you know how hard it is to push a ton and a half vehicle up hill on nothing but ice and hard packed snow???

We pushed it out of the parking lot onto the road down the mountain (which was snowy and icey), which was about a 300 yd push. Talk about a work out. Got it onto the road, we both ran and jumped into the vehicle and we were on our way. With the motor running and gear selector in neutral, we navigated our way past two logging crews, and down a stretch of 4 miles of icy, snowy dirt road. At the end of the road, I had a matter of 20 ft of pavement to stop, because the rest was ice. I applied the brakes, nothing was happening as expected. We were traveling at about 20 mph. I locked them up, said hold on, and we smacked onto the pavement with screetching tires. Came to a stop in time though

We turned onto the main road to slowly start rolling down to the nearest land mark, which was the water intake for the county. Several people passed us as we had our four ways on, and occasionally one of us would have to get out and push, sit on the trunk, wait for it to slow down and begin pushing again (running/pushing). We arrived at the local water intake, and I called the dealer to have somebody pick us up. The dealer said the guy picking us up was a bit on the slow side, and to direct him the back way home because the main road was clogged with traffic from a wreck. During that time, we got bored and looked through the vehicle. We open the glove box, and what falls out? A bag of pot.

We freaked out, didn't know what to do, and just knew we didn't want the blame to be placed on us. Doing what any nervous person in that situation would do, we got rid of it in the woods and my buddy stuffed the bag it was in into his pants pocket. We were at a loss for words when we saw that bag . That kind of really pisses me off that they don't inspect the vehicles thoroughly. I don't have a problem with those that actually smoke, but I don't and don't plan on ever doing it now that I'm approaching a career and a life.

45 minutes later, after the guy got lost twice, he arrived. We told him we had guns, and he said to 'grab our firepower, cannons and grenades and throw them in the hyundai'. Did as he said, got in the hyundai, and he said hold on! He smacked it in reverse, flew onto the road, and took off pretty quick for a hyundai. He was one of the detailers, and he claimed that he was crazy. He told us a few stories of how he used to drive 130+ MPH in his old chevys and what not, and how a week later his tie rod failed when he went to turn into a BK. He was an interesting guy... but his cigarette gave me a headache. Or maybe it was from holding the hell handle so tight when he decided to race an f-250 (and pulled on it???).

We got to the dealer, I made my buddy stay with the car and the guns, and I ran inside. The service manager gave me the paperwork and said you know what to do. I signed thrice, dated, tore my copy off, and stapled their copy to their contract. Grabbed the keys, walked out to my 96' Lumina, transferred guns from car A to car B, and took off.

Was scheduled to work @ 3, needless to say didn't make it until 4.

This morning @ 7 am, I wanted to get to school early to get a temp parking permit, so I took the highway. The OD in this lumina SUCKS The whole ride on the highway for about 6 miles, it was bucking so hard there was about a 1500 rpm difference in RPM and if I tried to pass, the car would buck hard enough to rock the vehicle up and down in the front until the trans downshifted.

Quite an interesting day, and I really didn't include all of the small details that made it the day it was, but this is close enough.

Oh yeah, this is the most frustrating. I have on the table, an Intense PCM programmed for my vehicle, along with a 180* t-stat that may wait to go in, and all of my exhaust parts I plan on installing on March 8, but I don't have the vehicle they all go onto. It'* killing me!! lol.

How was your day?

wow

that will be something to tell the grand kids

i just dropped my car in the ditch on my way to school

old girl pulled right out
:P