*One day, I drove in a gas station that barely has room to drive at best. That day, it was very congested. But, the gas was cheap and I was there. I was having to drive around the station in order to get in front of a gas pump where I could pump gas into my car.
The places trucks refuel the pumps is on one end of the station. So, as I was going around there, a van was parked near the openings in the ground. I could tell the van was doing some sort of maintenance on the gas openings.
I managed to scrape my right side mirror on the van. I got out and ran around the back of my car. The guy who was doing something down low in front of the van hurried back. I apologized and he tried to rub out the scrape in his white van. I licked my thumb and tried to help as I offered to go get my license and insurance card. He said to forget it as he rushed back and got the orange cones to put in front, back, and side of his work van. He was running.
Once again, I volunteered to get my information. He said it was not necessary. I think he was required to put out those cones by the company. I think he might have gotten in trouble for not doing so. I was off the hook and left without getting gas in case he changed his mind.
Now, my mirror casing is split neatly without a scratch on the surface. It is sound and not liable to split more or fall off. A body shop said it would cost $350 for the mirror. Not happening.
*Tommy asked me if I was planning on going really fast in my new car shortly after I got it. I was puzzled and a little hurt he would even think I would be speeding. That is not me. I asked him why he said that. He reminded me there was a spoiler on the car. Well, I never saw that. I did not know what a spoiler was for.
*Since I parked in the WM parking lot, I now have dozens of dings, scratches, and the car has been keyed three times. Plus, limbs, large and small fall on it where I have to park my car. It is still very shiny and fine looking, drives well, and I still love it.
*There are still features I do not know how to use. I thought I had heated seats. But, as usual, the manual had features for many other Impalas. Shoot!
*I can see from the back seat into the trunk. Something is not hooked and I cannot do it. I wonder if the whole back seat is loose.
*The upholstery is the lightest color it can be without being white. My black knit pants that have been washed many times are making the driver's seat stained. My hair is all over the seat and back.
*There is a moon or sun roof that I fear will leak some day as tree detritus rots it. I am not sure how to prevent damage that will make it leak eventually. I never use the moon/sun roof. Anyone know?
*A sudden staccato sound came from under the dashboard. A guy told me it was a blow-blend actuator. I think that is right. It could drive a person mad. This is the little door that opens and closes to change from blowing warm or cold air into the car. It is stuck. Ever heard of that? Has your husband/brother? This just started about two months ago.
*Tommy had not ridden in my car until one day in April when I insisted. It was so difficult for him to get in since he cannot sit up straight and can barely bend his knees to get in. It was painful to watch the long ordeal. I just wanted him to see how well it rode. A person likes someone to ride in a new car.
Sorry about your damaged mirror.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it would help your friend Tommy or not, and he may already be doing this, but before my knee surgery, when I couldn't bend my knee enough to get into the car without crying, I found that if I moved the seat back as far as it could go on the floor slide runner, and then recline the back of the seat back quite a bit, I was able to get my size 9 1/2 foot into the car without having to bend my non- bending arthritic knee as far. Your friend may not be able to recline the seat very much if that gives his back a problem, but even a bit helps. I already knew to have the seat bottom moved all of the way back, but had no idea that it would help to recline the back of the seat to help, but it did. It's not fun to hurt so bad while struggling to get into a car. I don't have that problem with that knee anymore since my knee replacement, but now my not operated on knee is starting to not bend.
When we first got our new-er car, I somehow turned on the emergency blinkers by mistake. I couldn't find the switch to turn them off. I pulled over to the side of the road and looked and looked, and still couldn't find the switch. I searched in the glove compartment and the center console for the owners manual and none was there. So I ended up driving all of the way home with the emergency blinkers on. I was like the Grand Marshal in my own one car parade. I finally got home and they were still blinking and I did another search high and low and still couldn't find the switch. My husband was at home so I phoned him and asked him where that switch was. He didn't know off hand either, but I'll be darned if he didn't come outside, stick his head in the car, and almost immediately reached in and turned them off, he asked me why I hadn't seen where to turn them off. Honestly, I don't know. There was a nearly 1 inch tall, ,bright red triangle printed (not lighted or blinking) right on the dashboard in the middle big as life. I can't imagine how I turned the lights on in the first place. I also found out that the Owners' Manual was in the trunk because it is too big to fit anywhere else.
Susie,
ReplyDeleteHe did have the seat pushed back as far as it would go and had reclined the seat, too. He is having a hard time with everything. I will ask and make sure he does what you said all the time. He has osteoarthritis in his knees and hips. \
"Grand Marshall" made me laugh so hard. I have had the red/ornge triangle in the other car, so I might have found that. However, the shift on the column still stymies me. I prefer to have the shift on the console.
I searched for the owner's manual and texted the owner. He said it was in the glove compartment. I had looked there and so looked again. I texted him again. He said it was in a black bag. ??? Finally, I felt way in the back in the depths of blackness and got a black bag out of the blackness of the glove compartment. I felt like a fool. Now, I would never have thought of the trunk.
Thanks for the laugh.
Hello from Idaho came over from Mrs Murphy. $350 for mirror and I would hope it was magic.
ReplyDeleteIf you have time stop in for a cup of coffee.
Dora,
DeleteI did not and will not replace the mirror. By mirror, I mean the whole thing on the side of the car. It does not look bad at all. I do not have that kind of money, and if I did, I would not spend it. The mirror electric part that moves the mirror around was not damaged at all.
It sounds like your mirror is intact? Just surrounding cracked? But if not I found that you can go to an auto parts store and they sell a mirror in several sizes that you can peel and stick on your current mirror. I was driving around with a shattered mirror fora long time and this was a cheap very effective fix. I think it was under ten dollars and stuck on well!
ReplyDeleteJRE,
DeleteThe mirror itself is intact. You know how there is a casing attached to the car? That is what cracked. Thanks for the fix. My last car had the whole thing ripped off. I stuck the casing back on the car, but the looking glass was broken in pieces. I thought about getting a hand mirror and using duct tape to keep it on.