The guy in south San Jose tried my car this morning and it seemed peachy fine. Huh. So he took it out on a short road test and suddenly all four brakes completely locked down and those wheels turned not at all. He had to manually disconnect them and get that car back to his bay. The man is definitely braver than I.
I am all the more amazed they turned–just enough–for me when I desperately needed them to.
He commented that the brakes were new; yes, they were. That smoke I saw? Turns out it was a puff rising up from the tires coming off the freeway with the brakes in full blast yesterday. The master cylinder was toast.
My regular mechanic is closed weekends. Couldn’t ask him for advice.
This guy was open Saturdays.
The dealer is closed on weekends.
This guy couldn’t get a new master cylinder from the dealer till Monday. Would I like a rebuilt one, then?
I asked for an estimate while quietly googling ’99 Chrysler Town and Country ones: list price was over $1500 just for the part. That was about the Blue Book right there.
The rebuilt cylinder? With tax and labor, it rang up at $377. Amazing how cheap that looked by then.
They finished it at closing time, we got way back down there to pick it up, and I got to go off at last to a long-anticipated party of peregrine volunteers. I had my car and I would get to go after all! Good and late, but verily, them’s the brakes.
It was held at a condo clubhouse.
The gate (there being a pool behind it) was on autolock.
The door to the clubhouse was open and no farther away from me than the length of my living room, and I could see two people I knew in there through the glass walls.
I called out. Nada. I waved my cane above the gate. Nada. I held up the chocolate torte I’d brought for it. Nada. They were right there! I was right here! If just one person would glance up! I tried calling them on my cellphone and found I didn’t have their numbers in it. I stood there for ten minutes, sure that someone surely must…c’mon, guys!… And then, as I got back in my very own car (yay!) going back to my own home, I reminded myself how good it was that I could do that again.
I laughed at the sudden thought of, me, I may be fairly invisible, but good European dark chocolate?
Ah, well, tonight was just trying to make tomorrow look good, right?
(I got profuse apologies, but there was absolutely nothing to apologize for. They’d had it propped open and the prop-er had fallen. Sometimes life just does what it does and you go on to the next.)
I’ve got my car back! And a little extra chocolate on the side. I’m sure I can find something to do with it.
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Sounds like an excuse to celebrate at home with chocolate. What a great ending (except for missing the peregrine folks).
Comment by Barbara-Kay 08.29.10 @ 5:17 amA frustration, but you have the right attitude to file it under “minor”. At least the torte was on your side of the gate!
Comment by twinsetellen 08.29.10 @ 7:23 am“Them’s the brakes” – ooh, you were just dying to use that one.
Comment by suburbancorrespondent 08.29.10 @ 8:11 amI’m hoping to go to a party in a couple of weeks. It will take place in a condo party room. I know I’ll have to walk into the building, see the person at the desk, then walk a million miles down a long corridor. There’s a quicker way in, but they don’t keep the door propped open. I was reading along thinking enviously about how you weren’t going to have to walk a zillion miles. But when I realized you didn’t get to see your friends, I sighed. All righty, then. Not only would I miss seeing my friends, but I’d also miss refreshments from my favorite tea shop.
Sorry you were disappointed, but I imagine there was no shortage of chocolate torte eaters.
Comment by RobinM 08.29.10 @ 9:06 amBetter a torte than a retort! (I couldn’t resist that one.) And you got a brake on your breaks, er, uh, break on your brakes. I’d better brake it off right here.
Comment by Don Meyer 08.29.10 @ 10:04 amWhat an adventure! Glad you’re safe and sound – with chocolate to spare.
Comment by Channon 08.29.10 @ 2:11 pmYesterday morning, Rosa made a comment about getting up early to syrupticiously eat waffles. But we still haven’t figured out how to work that into an actual conversation.
Comment by LauraN 08.29.10 @ 3:19 pmI know you well enough to know that the chocolate torte took some of the car repair bill pain. :>)
Comment by Joansie 08.29.10 @ 3:20 pmLeave a comment
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