Today I had planned to do some more job hunting. Let me tell you what happened instead. The first thing I needed to do was to get a new tire for my Jeep. It had gotten a flat, and it was not quite the same size as the other 3 tires. I got a used tire from Otto the Tire Man, and figured I'd be on my way.
Once I got back onto the freeway, I noticed that the Jeep began shaking violently once I hit about 45 mph. I'd had this problem before and getting the alignment fixed had solved the problem. I went over to the local Firestone place and told them what was going on with my vehicle and what I thought needed to be done. They proceeded to tell me what they thought the problem might be, what they thought should be done, how much it would cost, and then test drove it. The guy came back and showed me the part he believed needed to be replaced due to a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB 19-003-06) that had come out a few years ago on my particular model Jeep. Apparently, a TSB is similar to a recall, but with the customer having to pay through the nose to fix the problem. Good times.
The guy referred me to the local Jeep dealership, and once I got there, I was quoted a price tag of a little over $300 for the part and labor that might or MIGHT NOT fix the problem. Seriously, let me tell you about this shaking. At about 45-50 mph, it literally feels like the steering wheel desperately wants out of my hands, like it is late for a very pressing engagement, and the whole front end wants to jump off the road (with or without the rest of the vehicle, it doesn't seem too picky). This is a pretty scary feeling, especially on the bridge in town, or one of the many useless freeways, or even just in traffic. It's extremely difficult to maintain control of the vehicle. Yikes! Can we say red asphalt? Of course at 45-55 mph, while wearing my seatbelt, I doubt I'd be thrown from the vehicle. More likely parts of the vehicle would want to be forcibly inserted into me through my chest. Anyway, I don't have $300+ (still job hunting, so no income) so I can't get the problem fixed right now. I suppose, barring a grant from one of my generous readers (that's right followers, time to fork over the cash! Just kidding), I'll just have to rechristen the Jeep something a little more accurate. Don't get me wrong, I love my Jeep, but Rolling Deathtrap might be a better name for it, at least for now.
The dealership was on top of their game too. The guy at the desk seemed so interested in my huge safety issue, that he was almost able to pretend to listen to me and not to whatever he was watching on the tube. Perhaps the president was on or something. I asked him what he thought I should do and he said "Well, try to keep it under 40, I guess," then re-glued his eyes to the television.
BAH! I know that when things are not going so great, it seems like everything happens all at once, but I seriously do NOT need this shit right now.
--Griffin
No comments:
Post a Comment