Carless

Quite unexpectedly this morning, the Vue did not want to start.  Finally, it did.  I drove it to work, shut it off, and tried to start it.  It was difficult to start, again.  So, I called into work, drove home, put the car, still running, in the garage, door down. I went into the house and found my warranty information, turned in my purse, took my driver's license and credit card with me (I have these in a separate wrist holder in my purse; when I kayak, I only take this wrist holder), and drove to the dealership.  The car is still under warranty, and I have an extended warranty, so even it is a simple battery replacement, I want the dealership to work on the car, in case it involves warranty work.

The courtesy van took me to work.  I can take the wrist holder into the prison, so, when I get back to the car, I have what I need.

The dealership is always busy.  Sometimes, when I make an appointment for service, it can be 3 to 5 working days from my phone call before I can get in.  I am glad for Scoggin Dickey http://www.scoggindickey.com/ that their service business is that brisk.  Their hours are extended, from 7 AM to 6:30 PM.  They have a courtesy van, which takes me to and from work, as needed. So, they are relatively easy to access.

Well, because I did not have an appointment, they could not guarantee that they would even check out my vehicle today.  Not good.  But a car that does not start reliably is of no value to me. 

So, by 4:45pm. my car was not repaired. A coworker had offered to take me home, and I took her up on her offer.  Another co-worker had said she could get me to work Thursday morning. I took her up on her offer. 

I could have gotten a rental car:  Enterprise makes it fairly easy. http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/deeplinkmap.do?bid=1284&xparm=lubbock-car-rental They will pick you up, and I could have done that from the house.  But, I did not need to go anywhere tonight. And my ride to work was tended to.

There was a chance that, with the service department being open until 6:30 PM, my car would have been ready tonight. But it was not.

Usually, when my car is in the shop, I feel very disenfranchised: I do not have the access and control of having my vehicle available that is important to me.

Today, while I worried about timing, I was busy enough that I did not have the sense of urgency and panic I sometimes have.  I had several co-workers who offered me rides to and from work. I had no sense of panic.  When I arrived home, I felt oddly content that it was okay to be without a car.

That is a very different experience for me.  Hmmmmmmmmm.