Errrgg
So I'm trying to get home tonight after bowling. Not unusual. What was unusual was that my dashboard lights were flickering in and out. And then all of my warning lights turned on at once. Including my emergency brake and airbag lights. Thus began an official freak out moment.
Normally, I'm pretty good with cars. I can change my air filter, windshield wipers, my oil (well, i did it once anyway), etc. But that's all maintenance stuff. I don't do well when things suddenly go wrong. So of course I then proceeded to call people who of course didn't answer their phones. Freaking out a bit more by that time.
What happened next? My car started to accelerate and brake sharply in an alternating fashion. Clearly my car was being possessed by the unhappy spirit of my old muffler. Luckily, what was I to behold on the side of the road? An AutoZone. Perfectly situated in my time of need. The AutoZone lady then told me that all i needed was a new battery and replaced it for me. Unfortunately, she checked it afterwards and said that my alternator didn't seem to be hooked to my battery properly, but that she couldn't check and that I shouldn't pay to have it looked at either. Guess I'm going to see if I can learn what an alternator actually looks like tomorrow morning. Wish me luck. I'm not sure how I could somehow drive without an alternator, but apparently it's possible since I made it home all right. Errrgg...
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9 comments:
Ick! I'm sorry - I'm with you, I can maintain a vehicle, but when it starts freaking out for no reason, I start freaking out.
Good luck!
xox
As far as I can tell from my quick searches, the alternator may not be necessary to run the car. It runs the electrical systems and recharges the battery while the car is running, but doesn't seem to do anything else. So, the car can probably run fine without it, but your battery will die a lot faster.
Eeesh! You're more capable than I am! I'm lucky I know how to open the hood! :) Although I have resolved to learn how to change a tire!
Luck!
That would be an official freak out moment for me, too. I'm glad you made it home alright. Good luck with the alternator. You want that puppy hooked up right because that's what keeps charging your battery as you drive. Or so I think.
Wow - not fun at all! I once had an old VW where the radio was stuck on a station where some guy talked about fixing cars all morning. Every day on my way to class I had to imagine what an alternator, manifold, carburator, etc. looked like. The only thing I had a true visual for was a spark plug, but he didn't talk much about those. Sigh :)
I hope your car worries are over by now!
I'm hopeless on cars. Not that I've tried to remedy this. I never learned how to change the oil, a tire or anything.
Eek! I hate car stuff. I have only just learnt how to check the oil. Driving's fun... I'm just a bit girly over the other stuff.
Do you realize the best part of your story is the LADY at AutoZone who checked it out and it was the LADY at AutoZone that gave you care advice. Girl Power to the extreme...totally rad. Good Luck! My car was possessed once - it's better now.
Car troubles. You have my complete sympathy. I have no idea what an alternator looks like so I can't help you.
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