They Broke It

Even though, after having the Jeep Renegade for 11 months, I've only logged in 3500 miles, I took the car in for its first Required Service because, even though the mileage wasn’t there and won’t be there cause I don’t drive that much, I felt uneasy. With my last car ─ the Saturn I gifted to granddaughter, it was take it in for checking oils, fluids, battery, tires every six months.

The dealership was very busy at 9:00 this morning, and the service advisor suggested I could wait even longer, that I only had to bring her in once-a-year. But no, said I. After all, it’s almost been a year already and then there was that uneasy feeling.

So, they checked her in, I sat patiently in the waiting room, getting in some reading time (still trying to finish Bob Woodward’s Fear) and, just like I said the book is so slow and dull that it puts me to sleep at home, I began falling asleep at the dealership and had to fight to stay alert and awake.

LOL.

Oddly enough, I’m at the part of the book where Rob Porter tries to impress on the Orange Idiot that imposing a tariff on steel will have a negative impact on auto manufacturers which will flow down to the workforce. Of course, the idiot’s ego wouldn't allow him to see the big picture, so now we have this GM thing happening ─ just as Porter predicted.

Along about 10:30, the service advisor approached.

Thinking to myself, “Well, that didn’t take too terrible long”, I closed the book, reached for my belongings, moved to stand up/get ready to go, when the service advisor stopped me with a look on his face that one only sees in the physician’s office when there’s bad news to be dispensed.

“I’m so sorry”, he says. “This has never happened before”.

Evidently, the mechanic had a difficult time getting the oil pan plug out. Service advisor says it probably wasn’t a good fit at the factory, but the robot, programmed to get it in there, jammed it in.

After considerable effort, the mechanic was able to get it out, but stuff came out with the plug ─ I think he said wires, he may have said filaments, but I’m not sure. Bottom line is the plug was stripped.

They broke it. Broke my new car. Have to replace the entire oil pan, and the part or parts need to be ordered.

Might come in Friday, might not come in until next week. In the meantime, “We have to keep your car”.

You wouldn’t believe how calm and detached I was at the news.

Probably because I was half asleep.

At any rate, the repair is covered under warranty, as is the use of the Jeep Cherokee rental.

The Service Advisor couldn’t have been more apologetic, the entire dealership warm, friendly, helpful so, by the time all was said and done, even though I wasn’t back on the road heading home until nearly noon, I’m good.

And speaking of the Saturn ... granddaughter called me in October to say the car I took such meticulous care of for 14 years and gifted to her had been in an accident.

She wasn’t hurt, the other (at fault) driver wasn’t hurt, the Saturn is drivable, but it lost a piece of the back door.

In Long Beach for Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to view the damage for myself.

“How in the world did she manage to hit you so low”, asked I of granddaughter.

“She was coming into the traffic circle the wrong way. I saw her coming and swerved to try to avoid the hit”.

Such is life.