I was going to take a writing holiday, but I’m compelled to write about this one.
My automobile (named the “Gutless Cutlass”) suddenly died while stopped at a red light. The only warning was that the “service engine soon” light went on for half a second and then the engine just died. I tried turning on the ignition and it cranked but nothing turned on. This was the first time my car blatantly decided to give up the ghost right in the middle of the street (the other times involved being stranded in a parking lot), so I turned on the emergency blinkers and popped open the hood.
I suspected it was a fuel problem. It eventually turned out the fuel pump crapped out, along with some associated equipment. Considering my vehicle was made in the stone age, this sort of thing was bound to happen. Thankfully I didn’t have to be anywhere in any sort of time, so I called a tow truck and waited 20 minutes watching the traffic going by. I was in the middle lane and there was a left turn bay and a through-lane so traffic flow wasn’t badly impacted.
There were a few drivers during the waiting period that rolled down their windows and wondered whether I needed a phone or a tow truck, but I already indicated to them a tow truck was on the way. There was a pedestrian that was walking by and asked what was wrong with the vehicle. I said it was probably a fuel problem, but he said “let’s confirm this” and got me into the car and tried turning off and on the electrical system three times, and then trying the ignition. No dice. He then told me to press the accelerator and turn on the ignition for about 5 seconds. He went to the back of the car to look at the tailpipe and I turned on the car – no dice. He said “it’s likely a fuel problem and you’ll need a tow”.
The second pedestrian offered me to move the car out of the way by pushing it, but I politely declined since the car was in an OK spot (despite blocking the middle of the street), traffic was not backing up.
I was pleasantly surprised at the politeness of people – nobody said “get out of the road!” or anything like that. I wonder if it would be the same if it broke down on the Port Mann Bridge westbound during rush hour.
A police vehicle eventually came up in traffic and the lady cop asked me if everything was OK and whether I needed some help. I told her that I called a tow truck and while the situation wasn’t ideal, my car would be out of the way in about 10 minutes. She told me to either get in the car or move to the side for safety reasons and I did that. Presumably she keyed my license plate into her car to make sure that my rap sheet was clean (it is) and turned on her emergency lights to make sure that other cars got out of the way.
A tow truck eventually came and we got it towed to the local auto repair facility. During the trip, the tow truck driver remarked that BMW repair shops look cleaner than his kitchen and that the repair technicians for BMW wear white overalls that are sparkling clean. He also said that’s why they charge 120 bucks for an oil change. He also had some other remarks regarding Mercedes, BMWs and computer-controlled vehicles – stories about how a minute after the “service engine soon” light goes on that the car dies a minute later just due to the computer saying it should. The bill for the tow was about 65 dollars.
After dealing with the auto place, they said they’d be able to diagnose it and call me when that’s done. I went back to my parents’ place and pulled out a bicycle that I haven’t used for a few years and pumped up the flat tires. Much to my surprise, the bike and tires worked and I went to the local library. I also couldn’t find the keys to a bike lock that was next to the bike, but it wouldn’t have been a big loss had the bike been stolen. So I decided to make this a test of public goodwill.
The weather was very nice on Friday which made biking a pleasure. I got to the library and just left my bike at the bike rack – there was one other bike there. Obviously I didn’t lock it up and just left it there and went inside the library to do my business (I had to read a bunch of material and a library is a perfect environment to get this done when there are few distractions).
Eventually the auto place called me up and confirmed that it was fuel-related. They have to replace the fuel pump, the fuel filter and some other item that had to do with the linkage between the fuel pump and the engine. The after-tax cost was going to be about $775. Ouch!
I had some preconceptions that this would be a significant maintenance job – anytime you have to get your car towed out, it’s likely going to cost some significant dollars. Deciding to repair your car or say “screw it” and get scrap value for it is not a terribly complex calculation – you have to predict how long the repair will last (or whether you will need additional repairs) and compare this to the cost of leasing (or owning) another vehicle. Since $775 is probably the entire book value of my car (even when it’s running), I probably made a poor decision, but when I compare it to equivalent lease values of newer vehicles (roughly $300/month) if I get three months of mileage out of my car it will be a breakeven decision.
Adding a bit of complexity to this decision was the government’s announcement to enhance the Scrap-It program a month ago – they were going to offer higher incentives to get vehicles (exactly like mine) off the road. The only trick is that those vehicles had to be driven into the scrapyard on their own power – so I couldn’t exactly get my car towed into the scrapyard. That said, there is a minimum value of my vehicle providing that I actually keep it in driving condition. I made a call earlier to the program manager of Scrap-It, and he explained that things were “in the works” and that around mid-summer they will have gotten around to finalizing the enhanced program. There was nothing concrete, but he said that certain car brands that had good fuel economy would be eligible for the full $2,000 credit.
So I’m anticipating that I should probably look for some sort of vehicle in the next few months and if there are any ridiculously good propositions (i.e. something working and less embarrassing to be seen in public with) I might snap on them.
When I left the library, I noticed my bike was still there and it was days like this I have faith in the public. So despite the broken car and the impact on my wallet, it was a relatively nice day and wonderful weather outside, and I knew about some good people I never knew before and will likely never see again.