"The best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never knows he is in prison." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
Looks like I'm becoming a weekend-only blogger. Guess that's how it rolls when you have a day-shift gig.
Stuff keeps falling apart lately. I was driving the plow truck up to the house to fill it up with trash, and it completely shut down.
The dash has a lot of odd lights on now, that don't belong on. Normally it's just a "wait to start" light over to the right by the "start" button. No idea why these other lights are on right now. The transfer case is definitely *not* in Low Range, and I've never seen the Check Engine light on until now.
Meanwhile we had a good Thanksgiving meal. The main course has long been a Turkey roll from Costco. No waste (neck, gizzard, bones, carcass), and no hassle.
No complaints about this spread. Good thing I don't often eat like this!
The husky was enjoying the day, as was I. I only got called from work once, on Thanksgiving day, at 6:30 LOL.
And then on Saturday, things took an interesting turn. I called the Ford garage and spoke with the guy about bringing in a 1995 F-250 Powerstroke Diesel truck that wouldn't start, and would anyone be there for me to check it in on a Thanksgiving Saturday? He said "Yes, we are open until 4:00 PM".
I removed the plow and put it back on the moving dollies and wheeled it out of the way. I removed all the trash that I'd filled the bed with just before the truck broke down. Then I cleared a bunch of tools, a receiver hitch, and a tow chain out of the cab so they wouldn't go missing while the truck was being repaired.
Then I called a tow service to haul the truck into town. He showed up, put the truck up on the flatbed, and tied it down. I followed in the Subaru.
The tow truck driver unloaded the truck and left. I gave him a small gratuity for his efforts. Then I went to the front desk of the Ford Service department to check the vehicle in... and that's when things went sideways.
The broccoli haircut kid asked my name, phone #, etc. Then he asked the year and model of the truck. 1995 F-250, diesel.
"Did you call here earlier?", he asked.
"Yes I did."
"I'm sorry sir, but we don't work on vehicles older than 2000."
Yelling "Are you kidding me? I called here first!" My blood was boiling at this point - not a very stoic moment, to be sure. Cross my heart, I did not swear at the kid.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"Who is going to pay for the tow truck this time???" He gives me a blank look.
"Do you know anyone who can repair Ford trucks???"
The dude wrote down a number and an address. I stomped out in a foul mood, wondering if this other place was even open on Thanksgiving Saturday. (It wasn't, there was no answer). Now I have to tell you that it's irritating to have a broken-down truck stuck in the back parking lot of a place that refuses to work on it, 20 miles from home. And it's crazy-making when you had called beforehand to check. Not my happiest day.
I called the tow company, and I asked the dispatcher what he knew about the place that the Ford dealer had recommended. He said "Yes. We take all our tow trucks there when we have issues with them." That gave me a bit of confidence. I requested that he send the same driver, since that driver knew exactly where to pick up my truck. After a while the tow truck driver arrived, and loaded up the truck - again. We took it to the other place, and were in the process of dropping it off in their front parking lot.
At that point the owner of the shop came from out back, and asked if the truck ran. I said "No", and then he said, let's put it in the back then, so we don't have to move it very far. Pretty cool, right???!!! He had been out back splitting some wood prior to going deer hunting on his quad :)
Perhaps things will turn out all right. An extra $115 for a second tow truck move, and hopefully a solid repair. The new place is Blue Oval Speed Shop, owned by a retired Ford master mechanic/diesel repair guy. If you follow the link, that's the guy I ran into at the shop. We shall see how it goes - I don't see how it could go any worse than it did at the dealership. Maybe an extra $115 tow (and three hours of my day off wasted) is simply the cost of finding a quality service mechanic these days.
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