I was going to blog today about something else, but that was before my little car Stephen was attacked viciously by a construction nail on the highway! I have always named my cars and in 2019 I bought this guy new; he's a 2018 Nissan Versa. He's a bit special because he has crank windows and there are no power locks on the doors either - - quite the inconvenience. I think I named him Stephen after my silver 2005 Ford Focus Steve; but I didn't want my new car to think he was or could be anything as wonderful as Steve. No car could come close to that beast! We loved the hell out of that car - - and he is gone. He is not forgotten.
This was Stephen's first event I think. Reuben has been driving him for over 5 months and nothing happened during those elongated road trips to every corner of our state and back. In less than 3 years we've put 42,000+ miles on the car, and no maintenance issues that I'm aware of. Every now and then, due to weather, the check tire pressure light will come on . I take him to the AAA store near me, and I have the techs check him, he's fine, we put in a little air, and we're on our way. We change the oil, the filters, use good fuel, and he's been running like a top! Gotta love that! He may be basic, but he's awesome.
Today I took Stephen up to Edmond about 17 miles away, to pick my cat up from the vet's office. I had to hurry as I was going on my early lunch break. We took the highway there and back, and even took a toll road where most people speed a bit to make it worth their while to pay for the pass! I was clocking 80 at times, and I have to be really careful doing that in Stephen, he's likely to sprout wings and fly! I like my tires on the road, thank you! About 4-5 miles from home the check tire pressure light came on, but I didn't think anything of it. We had a sudden drop in temps lately, and that happens. About 2 miles from home I started smelling a funny gassy airy smell from the heater (yes, it was cool enough outside to pump that up to 70) and that smell was weird enough to make me turn off the fan.
When I got home I went upstairs, worked, and was preparing to take my little car under the covered garage next door due to more storms coming our way. I got into the car, drove it literally 400 feet (would be 50 feet if I could just back it up over the curb and easement to the garage, but I had to drive through the parking lots to get to the garage. When I got there I felt the car was leaning to the right. I got out and there it was....the FLAT TIRE on my passenger back side. What? Why didn't I check that before I drove on it? Because I was concerned about hail, not flat tires.
Because I'm a member of AAA Roadside Service, I gave them a call, and I mean THEY WERE FAST. I placed the call at 4:40 p.m. I got a text accepting that call, and then I had a tech calling me literally 4 minutes later. He said his GPS put him about 5 minutes from me...there you go! Great service! He was there, and we talked, and he told me his latest dad jokes. I pulled out a few of my own, and we just really got along very well. I was happy to see that the service was free, and included in my annual payment (less than $99 for the two of us, Laura and I) and the tech assured me that Stephen was the cleanest car he has seen in a long time!! Thank you Reuben and Josie, that was really nice to hear. My son and his wife had Stephen detailed when they brought him back last month. So sweet.
That's it. I'm on a donut for a minute until I can make it to my favorite tire guy. We have known each other 40+ years so I go to him even if I have to wait until the weekend since he retired. He will force his kid to do the work while we have coffee. Gotta love being connected, right? LOL. So we'll be back on the road in no time, and living the dream. Since I really don't drive that much I don't worry about waiting for weekends to do most of my running around. I work from home and literally have to start the car up now and again to keep the battery running. It's a great gig if you can get it! Again, God is great!
Enjoy your ride, and IF you don't have AAA Roadside I would get it. I think the PLUS package is on sale right now. You get 4 tows up to 100 miles, and at least 4 services calls. They bring you fuel if you need it, change your tires and stuff. At their stores they have mechanics and change oil and such, but again, I have my friend from way back when, so I typically go there. It can't be beat. If you need help you've got a friend in AAA! That's my endorsement and I'm sticking to it.
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