ARGH
So I was going to post today about my trip home, but I'm SO ANNOYED that I need to rant. Probably will post about my trip (which was awesome, BTW ^.~) tomorrow or Monday.
The flight was fine, the trains were fine, and I got back to Furukawa and my car ok. Start the car, leave the parking lot, stop at the light, ready to turn right (so I was in the middle lane)... and my car battery suddenly dies. Every time I try to restart the car the battery turns over less: clearly a lost cause. I should mention here that my cell phone battery had died sometime while I was on the train; I had been planning on charging it in the car, and my battery-powered charger also wasn't working. So I'm stuck in Furukawa at 8PM with no phone or numbers. But wait! I remembered I had my supervisor's card and pulled it out; thankfully, his cell phone was also written on it. I was right next to a restaurant, so I went in and asked to use their phone. Called Endo, he said he'd call my car guy and I should call back in 5 minutes. I did as he asked, and when I called again, he said that he couldn't reach the car guy and he was coming.
So after waiting an hour at the restaurant (watching my car sitting in the turn lane with its hazards on nervously, hoping no one hit it), Endo and his wife show up. The three of us pushed my car off the street into the parking lot, and Endo jumped-started my engine. He then followed me most of the way home to make sure the battery didn't die again.
The battery was fine going to work Thursday, but I wanted to be sure that nothing was wrong, so Friday after work I took the car in (having to skip a good friend's farewell party to do so). My car guy took a look at it for a while, then told me it was all set (didn't tell me what he did, but I noticed he had at least changed the battery). I figured it was fine, and went riding today - without any car problems.
Then this evening, I needed to take clothes to the laundromat (it's been raining a lot, so can't hang stuff outside) and desperately needed food (my refrigerator is completely bare), so left to take care of those errands. About a kilometer away from home, the battery light flashed on, then went off again, only to come on and stay on about 30 seconds later. I grumbled but didn't think anything of it until I noticed my headlights starting to get dimmer. I immediately started looking for a place to turn around, thinking I'd go back home and call the car guy tomorrow. No sooner had I turned off the main road to turn around though, than my car died altogether. So I called up the car guy again. About a half-hour later (and dozens of cars passing - I was right near my base school; I'm sure it's going to be all over school on Tues), my guy shows up, puts yet another battery in my car, and has me follow him to his shop. I got a loaner and he's going to give me a call when my car's fixed.
The main reason I'm pissed off about all this is that this ISN'T the first time I've had battery trouble, and I JUST HAD THIS CAR LOOKED AT! Obviously, since it started fine both times and then died, it's not just the battery. I had some battery trouble a while back, but that was normal not-starting trouble (and then they didn't do anything, apparently they came out to take a look and it started fine), but this is clearly another matter entirely. I told them exactly what happened in Furukawa when I took it in on Friday, but clearly they didn't fix it. So twice now in one week I've been stranded somewhere in the dark, needing to be elsewhere. UGH! The only upside to all this is that I'm still under the blanket warantee I was given when I bought this car last year - I get free service for anything for a year, and that year isn't up till late next month. So fuck you car guy, fix my car RIGHT and you're doing it for free, damnit!
The flight was fine, the trains were fine, and I got back to Furukawa and my car ok. Start the car, leave the parking lot, stop at the light, ready to turn right (so I was in the middle lane)... and my car battery suddenly dies. Every time I try to restart the car the battery turns over less: clearly a lost cause. I should mention here that my cell phone battery had died sometime while I was on the train; I had been planning on charging it in the car, and my battery-powered charger also wasn't working. So I'm stuck in Furukawa at 8PM with no phone or numbers. But wait! I remembered I had my supervisor's card and pulled it out; thankfully, his cell phone was also written on it. I was right next to a restaurant, so I went in and asked to use their phone. Called Endo, he said he'd call my car guy and I should call back in 5 minutes. I did as he asked, and when I called again, he said that he couldn't reach the car guy and he was coming.
So after waiting an hour at the restaurant (watching my car sitting in the turn lane with its hazards on nervously, hoping no one hit it), Endo and his wife show up. The three of us pushed my car off the street into the parking lot, and Endo jumped-started my engine. He then followed me most of the way home to make sure the battery didn't die again.
The battery was fine going to work Thursday, but I wanted to be sure that nothing was wrong, so Friday after work I took the car in (having to skip a good friend's farewell party to do so). My car guy took a look at it for a while, then told me it was all set (didn't tell me what he did, but I noticed he had at least changed the battery). I figured it was fine, and went riding today - without any car problems.
Then this evening, I needed to take clothes to the laundromat (it's been raining a lot, so can't hang stuff outside) and desperately needed food (my refrigerator is completely bare), so left to take care of those errands. About a kilometer away from home, the battery light flashed on, then went off again, only to come on and stay on about 30 seconds later. I grumbled but didn't think anything of it until I noticed my headlights starting to get dimmer. I immediately started looking for a place to turn around, thinking I'd go back home and call the car guy tomorrow. No sooner had I turned off the main road to turn around though, than my car died altogether. So I called up the car guy again. About a half-hour later (and dozens of cars passing - I was right near my base school; I'm sure it's going to be all over school on Tues), my guy shows up, puts yet another battery in my car, and has me follow him to his shop. I got a loaner and he's going to give me a call when my car's fixed.
The main reason I'm pissed off about all this is that this ISN'T the first time I've had battery trouble, and I JUST HAD THIS CAR LOOKED AT! Obviously, since it started fine both times and then died, it's not just the battery. I had some battery trouble a while back, but that was normal not-starting trouble (and then they didn't do anything, apparently they came out to take a look and it started fine), but this is clearly another matter entirely. I told them exactly what happened in Furukawa when I took it in on Friday, but clearly they didn't fix it. So twice now in one week I've been stranded somewhere in the dark, needing to be elsewhere. UGH! The only upside to all this is that I'm still under the blanket warantee I was given when I bought this car last year - I get free service for anything for a year, and that year isn't up till late next month. So fuck you car guy, fix my car RIGHT and you're doing it for free, damnit!