Time for a thread about my car

[cranberry]

Would it be illegal to call the phone company and have them cut in on the busy signal?

What on earth makes you think that the telephone company is going to intervene on your behalf in a routine AAA call? And didn't you say you had already queued up online? What's your big rush?

 

[Smallpotatoes]

I did yesterday and the tow never arrived. I want to make sure it happens today.
No reason they can't keep a line open.

 

[BTExpress]

It'll be a couple hundred dollars, but it is necessary maintenance. I repeat, do not ever let your timing belt break.

On what planet can you get a timing belt replaced for $200?

Beam me there.

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

No reason they can't keep a line open.

What does "keep a line open" mean? If they have the capacity for 100 million calls, and 100 million + 1 call in, wouldn't it be a busy signal?

Or is it keep a line open for you? Meaning other people will get busy signals so you can get right through?

 

[Smallpotatoes]

How can a line be busy for several hours?

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Sounds like you're just stuck in a financial spiral that gets compounded with every unexpected bill that comes along. You've done some desperate things just to get by and now you're paying the price. I don't know enough about your situation but my general advice would be to get some financial counseling.

You're probably right about that. This problem has been dogging me for my entire adult life.

 

[sostartled]

Dude, I have a 2006 Corolla with 120K+ miles and I'm going through something very similar (my front decal was stolen too...very strange). No problems until this fall. I was out of town for a while (a few months) and the car sat, and it hasn't started on its own since. I jumped it and let it run, but it kept dying. One of the times I had jumped it, I started driving and it died while I was making a turn. Scared the absolute **** out of me. Was able to get it to the side of the road and then to a dealership. They say I need a new alternator and some other random stuff. Sounds like there was some sort of slow electrical drain while I was out of town.

I'm debating what to do. This was my subway car; I live about 2 miles from the DC metro, so I drive from the house to the parking garage and back. Talking with my friends who work on cars, it sounds like I should be able to get another 120K miles out of it, but I'm also thinking about upgrading my Rav to a Highlander and I could try to use the Corolla as part of the trade in. I have one of those jumper box things, so I may try to charge the car and see what happens.

Good luck!

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Dude, I have a 2006 Corolla with 120K+ miles and I'm going through something very similar (my front decal was stolen too...very strange). No problems until this fall. I was out of town for a while (a few months) and the car sat, and it hasn't started on its own since. I jumped it and let it run, but it kept dying. One of the times I had jumped it, I started driving and it died while I was making a turn. Scared the absolute **** out of me. Was able to get it to the side of the road and then to a dealership. They say I need a new alternator and some other random stuff. Sounds like there was some sort of slow electrical drain while I was out of town.

I'm debating what to do. This was my subway car; I live about 2 miles from the DC metro, so I drive from the house to the parking garage and back. Talking with my friends who work on cars, it sounds like I should be able to get another 120K miles out of it, but I'm also thinking about upgrading my Rav to a Highlander and I could try to use the Corolla as part of the trade in. I have one of those jumper box things, so I may try to charge the car and see what happens.

Good luck!

The decal thing is weird. I'm not mad about it, just puzzled.

 

[BTExpress]

How can a line be busy for several hours?

I suspect they have several lines. Say, 10. I also suspect that at any given moment --- especially in bad weather --- 200 people are trying to reach one of those 10 lines. Then it's just a matter of needing lucky timing to find an open line. Not sure why they simply would not put people on hold ("Due to the high volume of calls, your expected wait time is more than 30 minutes"). But maybe with so many people trying to get through, the wait time would be an hour or more. Which makes the call kind of pointless.

 

[User 11148]

I suspect they have several lines. Say, 10. I also suspect that at any given moment --- especially in bad weather --- 200 people are trying to reach one of those 10 lines. Then it's just a matter of needing lucky timing to find an open line. Not sure why they simply would not put people on hold ("Due to the high volume of calls, your expected wait time is more than 30 minutes"). But maybe with so many people trying to get through, the wait time would be an hour or more. Which makes the call kind of pointless.

Not to get all ops research-y on you, but this is a classic case of a "finite-queue" queuing model. During periods of especially heavy call volume, the queue fills up and there's nowhere to park anybody else on hold.

 

[The Big Ragu]

The decal thing is weird. I'm not mad about it, just puzzled.

Stealing car emblems is easy and they fetch quick cash. It's a quick steal, like the purse snatching of car crime. The car loses a lot aesthetically without the emblem, so there is always demand for them/

Toyotas and Hondas in particular are popular targets, because they are popular cars. Year after year, Corollas, Camrys, Accords, Civics are among the most commonly stolen cars. There is a market for the used parts, so chop shops will pay quick cash to a thief. The same goes for the emblems. Its not like the 70s when only Mercedes or Cadillac emblems were swiped.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

All right, the car has been towed.

 

[Boom_70]

All right, the car has been towed.

Good news . Thx.

Where to? Dealer ? Local garage?

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Good news . Thx.

Where to? Dealer ? Local garage?

Local garage.
Now I have to figure out how to pay for it.

 

[Boom_70]

Local garage.
Now I have to figure out how to pay for it.

Hope for the best. Maybe simple like a frozen gas line.

Believe it or not it also could be the missing emblem that's the cause. On some cars
the emblem is designed as an anti theft devise and if removed the car won't start.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Hope for the best. Maybe simple like a frozen gas line.

Believe it or not it also could be the missing emblem that's the cause. On some cars
the emblem is designed as an anti theft devise and if removed the car won't start.

Interesting. Don't think that's the case here, but interesting. I hope repairing a frozen gas line doesn't cost too much.
Otherwise, I may need to just get it towed back home, turn in the plates, save a month or two for the repairs and register it again once it's fixed.
It's a dumb idea, but it may be all I could do.
Not sure how I could keep my job during that time.
I guess an entire adult life of laziness and bad choices is not without consequences.

 

[cranberry]

You still haven't heard from the mechanic?

 

[bigpern23]

Interesting. Don't think that's the case here, but interesting. I hope repairing a frozen gas line doesn't cost too much.
Otherwise, I may need to just get it towed back home, turn in the plates, save a month or two for the repairs and register it again once it's fixed.
It's a dumb idea, but it may be all I could do.
Not sure how I could keep my job during that time.
I guess an entire adult life of laziness and bad choices is not without consequences.

Why would you turn in the plates for a month or two?

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Mechanic called, sp's line was busy.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Why would you turn in the plates for a month or two?

So I don't have to pay insurance while I can't drive.