Rotten weekend. When I was running errands on Fri afternoon by battery light came on. I smelled something hot. Grr I think, hoping I'd just need a new battery I called around and was stoked thinking Wal Mart would only run me $70 and free installation. Then I called my dad and he informed me the situation would go down more like me needing a new alternator AND battery.
So I start calling around at 6pm on Friday to see about quotes. ****ing scam artists mechanics are. "Sorry, you'll have to bring it in for a diagnostics test. That'll be $70...can't give you a quote yet on the alternator/battery." The one place I did get to quote me gave me a quote of $600, just for the alternator installation.
Nothing like feeling your heart fall out of yer ass. For once I am ahead of the game and have "fun money" set aside for the 4th of July weekend at home. Buh bye to that.
I did a little more searching and find out that Auto Zone does free testing. Win! So we bring my car over there on Sat morning. This idiot girl is helping us. She tests the battery and the battery is good. She attempts to test the alternator and she is fail on that. So she gets her manager and he does it. Alternator is testing fine...until it starts on fire.
So the dumb girl looks up my alternator and sells me the wrong one...overcharges me $50 and they tell me that my refund will take about a week to post. So thankfully my bf put the right part on his card and I can just pay him when they finally do refund my card.
We conned Ken aka McGuyver, an Auto Zone employee, into changing out my alternator in the parking lot. He only charged me $80 which I guess is good. In hindsight it all could have been worse. My usual luck would be I'd be stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on Friday on the way home and my car would start on fire completely and I'd need a new engine or some crazy shit.
Still though. Looks like I won't be heading home for the 4th. Saaaaad panda. I miss my niece and nephew so much.
So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,
blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?