After running a few errands this afternoon, I stopped at the gym before heading to the grocery store and then on to pick up the kids. As usual, I had scheduled myself down to the very last second – I rushed through my workout and left myself just enough time to grab a few major items at the store before the daycare closed.
Or so I thought.
My car started up just fine, but as I began to pull out of the gym parking lot there was a THUNK. I don’t know how else to describe it, except that the THUNK was accompanied by a BUMP, as though I’d hit something. That can’t be good, I thought, so I parked and inspected the underside of the car. (Because I would know if something was wrong…maybe there would be a fire or a gushing fluid or a gnome holding a sign that says LOOK, HERE’S YOUR PROBLEM…okay fine SHUT UP.) Anyway, since there were none of those things beneath my car and no Warning Light of Doom on the dashboard (seriously, this car gets upset about a lot of stuff), I was like, well, I guess it’s okay to drive home.
I’m sure by now you know where this is going, even if you don’t follow me on Facebook or Twitter.
It seemed okay as I pulled onto the road, although I noticed that the air conditioner didn’t seem to be blowing cold air. I convinced myself it was because I’d just finished working out, that’s why I was so hot. But the further I got, the more obvious it became that no, that was decidedly NOT cold air coming from the vents, even though the display claimed it was 60 degrees. Okay then. I called N and asked him for the number of the local BMW dealership.
Because we just had non-air-conditioning-related warranty work done there last week, you see.
I called N just as I drove up to a major intersection. An intersection where the traffic light happened to be on the fritz, so two cops were directing it manually. Great, I thought, since I felt the steering wheel begin to vibrate under my hands. From personal experience I know what THAT means. The car was about to die.  And that was right about the point that the dash lit up like a Christmas tree. TEMPERATURE WARNING, it said. ENGINE OVERHEATING DANGER, SOS SOS EXCLAMATION POINT IN TRIANGLE HALP. Nice timing, car. Thanks for that.
I managed to steer off to the right, into a lane that’s been closed recently as part of a construction project. There was just enough room for me to squeeze between two barriers and get completely out of traffic. I called the dealership, and the service guy was very apologetic but pointed out that I needed to call BMW Assist before he could do anything. Oh, right. Oops.
About this time one of the traffic cops began to wonder what I was doing, so he wandered over and I rolled down the window. “Sorry,” I said, and quickly explained my plight. He nodded and went back to directing traffic.
So then I hit the magical emergency assist button that calls BMW. And I have to say, this feature alone has now made every penny we paid for this car absolutely WORTH IT. Within seconds I was connected with a very nice lady, who used the GPS tracker and pinpointed my location exactly. I confirmed, explained my situation and she linked the call in with some other guy, who apparently handles the calls for towing companies.
He asked a few more questions, then informed me that a local company had been dispatched and the ETA was 70 minutes.
“Excuse me,” I said, “did you say seventy minutes?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“Where is the truck coming from,” I screeched, “Houston?! Why an hour? I can’t sit here for an hour!! Nothing in this town is an hour away!!” Possibly I was feeling a bit frazzled by this point.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the poor guy stammered, “that’s pretty standard. They just put you in a queue and get there when they can.”
I sighed, thanked him and hung up. My mom had called in the midst of all this, so I called her back to explain why I ignored her originally. I called N back with an update, and then I called the dealership to explain that the tow truck likely wouldn’t get me there before they closed, yadda yadda I need a loaner car, what can we do and also this is YOUR FAULT since you supposedly “fixed” my car less than a week ago. The cop came back to check on me – the traffic lights were working again and he wanted to make sure I was squared away before he left, which was nice.
A mere 20 minutes later, I was relieved to see the tow truck pull up. Two trucks, actually. I jumped out of the car and waited as the drivers worked to get it ready, and quite honestly was fascinated by their swift efficiency. They had to use a special rig with temporary wheels under the front, which is apparently because my car has all-wheel drive. (The driver explained all of this on the way to the dealership – he commented on how the X5 is actually considered a “curse” by tow truck operators because it’s generally very hard to tow. That’s how he got stuck with it – as the newbie on the job they figured he needed the experience, hence the second, seemingly unnecessary, tow truck that I had been wondering about. That was his supervisor. Anyway.)
Long story short (TOO LATE), I got to the dealership before the service desk closed and basically refused to take NO for an answer to my question of “can I please have a loaner car?” But my car insurance card expired YESTERDAY and even though I paid the next semi-annual premium I had forgotten to put the new card in my wallet. OF COURSE I HAD. So! The service guy had to call State Farm and confirm that yes, I do in fact have coverage with them, blah-dee-blah sploo and yes, I can be trusted with a loaner car.
And that, my friends, is why there is a Volkswagen Jetta sitting in my garage.
