Long commute! I drove 3 cars to get to work today.

"deekster_caddy" (deekster_caddy)
06/02/2014 at 12:06 • Filed to: None

Last night I dropped off my wife's Passat Wagon at the bodyshop again. Something's real funky in the suspension. Took out the MG this morning and dropped off my daughter at school. Stopped by the bodyshop to hand them the keys and he insisted we go for a drive so I could show him the problem. Fine, I like that... except it only happens in a higher speed left turn, which means a highway onramp or offramp, and it's 8 AM, so all the roads suck. So we go test drive, I demonstrate the very weird problem, explain how to duplicate it, finally back to my MG and off to work. I don't like how the brakes feel, it's probably low on brake fluid again so I go home and switch cars. Took the '73 Buick to work, old reliable. I wanted the MG because it's gonna be hot this afternoon and I haven't addressed the A/C in the Buick yet. So, I finally get on the road and they are paving my main route out of town! Detour... stuck behind a dump truck going 5-10 mph down the middle of the very small residential detour, not letting anybody by.

Good thing I have an understanding and flexible boss. I was almost an hour late to work today!

DISCUSSION (11)

twochevrons > deekster_caddy
06/02/2014 at 12:12

Heh, I'm very glad that I have a convenient bus route to work. If I was sensible, I could use it as a way to get by with only a single car (my wife and I both take the bus, and the only regular driving we do is to the supermarket). Instead, I use it to allow us to have unreliable cars.

BoulderZ > deekster_caddy
06/02/2014 at 12:13

There's something about dropping off the kid(s) at school in the Fun Car that never fails to put a smile on my face. Hope your road/traffic/weather conditions cooperate better for the return voyage!

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > deekster_caddy
06/02/2014 at 12:15

If you have to replace any suspension components, be sure to tell them you want SACHS parts! ;)

deekster_caddy > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
06/02/2014 at 12:24

Thanks for the tip! Insurance is paying so I don't get much say. They did replace a control arm, trailing arm and the shock on that side. I'm not sure exactly what else. I looked under there this weekend and couldn't find anything that seemed out of place, so I have to leave this one to the 'experts'. I sure hope they can figure it out.

deekster_caddy > twochevrons
06/02/2014 at 12:25

I wish there were a convenient bus or other route to work. If I used public transportation it would take a bit over 2 hours to get to work. Damn hub and spoke public transportation system!!!

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > deekster_caddy
06/02/2014 at 12:27

Well insurance should be paying to replace with OE parts, and SACHS is the number one OE supplier/manufacturer in Europe. Very good chance they were actually OEM on that Passat.

deekster_caddy > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
06/02/2014 at 12:29

I know they got the suspension parts from VW, the body panels they went aftermarket. They are having another shop do the suspension work, just to add to the complications. The body work was top notch.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > deekster_caddy
06/02/2014 at 12:30

Well I hope all goes well for you! Glad to hear the body work was done so well.

deekster_caddy > BoulderZ
06/02/2014 at 12:31

What makes it special for me, is that I remember my dad dropping me off in this car a few times, and everybody stares, and you feel like the president just pulled up in a limo, except it's you they are watching, and for the rest of the day everybody asks about the cool car. At least in elementary school that's how it goes! And I feel special for giving my daughter the exact same thrill I got when I was her age.

twochevrons > deekster_caddy
06/02/2014 at 12:32

Ugh. I've been in that boat before (although in my case, to get to work on time, I'd have had to have set off the night before). At the time, my only car was a Rover SD1 of somewhat suspect reliability. It never let me down, but there were some close calls, staying up all night to rebuild the brakes so that I could drive it to work the next morning, that kind of thing.

Living centrally has its downsides for petrolheads (tiny single garage, no workshop space, lack of fun roads nearby), but being able to bus to work for less time and money than it would take for me to drive and park, has significantly enabled my old-car habit. Dangerous.

BoulderZ > deekster_caddy
06/02/2014 at 13:09

Awesome! Sounds like you have a great situation for it. And an MG is a great car for it! I hope to be able to do that for my son. He's only 19 months, so feedback is somewhat vocab-constrained, but I can already see the quantity and intensity of enthusiasm is there.