A Dead Battery and the Kindness of Strangers

It's Sunday and I realize I'm getting depleted on food so I decide to make a drive out to my local grocery store. I make the short drive, buy my groceries, and load them into the car.

I turn the key...nothing. Absolutely no sound. No whimper, no clicking, just silence. Hmm, odd. I quickly check to see if I left the lights on. Nope. Is the steering wheel locked up? No. I try the key again. Silence. My battery must be dead. I call home and my dad tells me to get the car jump started. I tell him I have jumper cables and then hang up. I don't have cables.

I realize that my car is loaded up with perishable groceries in the 90 degree heat so I quickly reload my cart and push it inside. I explain my situation to an employee and she tells me she can put my cart in the fridge. I hand off the cart and rush back outside. For awhile I ask people if they have jumper cables...2 or 3 didn't have them. Then this man pulls up in a SUV and asks me if I need a jump. I say yes and he's extremely helpful, however my car is parked headfirst and flanked on both sides. Worse yet, I can't get my car into neutral. The guy is really going out of his way to help me. He pulls around to the other side of the lot and literally drives his SUV up over the curb between another car and a tree, just barely missing them both, but alas...the cable is still too short. Only a car to the left or right of me could help.

I ask to borrow his cables and that I'll return them later. He agrees, gives me his address and is off (he had 2 little kids in the car). A few minutes later an Indian couple and a older white couple see me sitting on my disabled car. They both offer to help. The Indian man has some sort of starter system which plugs into cigarette lighters. However, the cable isn't long enough to reach my car. Luckily the owners of the one car to my right show up. Somehow they don't even seem to notice the commotion that I'm creating, but they leave and this allows the older white man to pull his minivan parallel to my car. We use the jumper cables I borrowed and presto, the car starts. I quickly rush back into the grocery store to get my cart. I get the cart, reload my trunk, thank the couple for their help and drive off.

I had planned to go back home, drop off my groceries and then head to Sears to get a new battery. As I'm driving back home I notice my dashboard's gauges are going nuts. The speedometer and the tachometer keep flicking back and forth. One moment it says my speed is 40, the next moment it dies. My car's power systems are lapsing in and out of consciousness. Somehow I make it back to my apartment. I leave my car on, not wanting it to die again. I dash for a shopping cart and push the loaded cart toward the apartment building like it was a bobsled. I rush up to my apartment, throw everything in the fridge and hurry back downstairs.

I sprint to my car and it's eerily silent. It's dead again. Damnit! I call my father for help again. He gets me the number for Sears. I try calling them - their stupid voice-recognition system sucks! I say 'auto' and it keeps sending me to appliances! The appliance guy can't transfer me to auto and he gives me a phone number. The first time I call I get some music store. I must have written down the wrong number. I call back and deal with the idiotic voice system. Somehow it can't tell when I'm saying 'yes' or 'no'. I curse at the robotic female voice. I connect with the auto center. The phone rings...maybe a dozen times. No answer. It's 4:30. Maybe they're closed. That would be a pain in the ass.

I call the main Sears number again...and again saying 'auto' puts me through to appliances. I get the same guy who gives me the same phone number. I try again - finally someone answers! Luckily they're open until 6 and they can put a new battery in my car if I can get it there in the next hour.

A good break! There's a guy in the parking lot cleaning his BMW. I ask him for a jump and at first he's reluctant because the battery is in the trunk...not sure why. But he agrees and pulls around to my car. The battery has leads under the hood. I hook up the cables and boom, my car is running again. I thank him profusely and drive off to Sears.

I drive for about 5 minutes when I notice my dashboard is acting like a metronome again. I'm on the main road of the town - 3 lane thruway. One moment I'm doing 45 then I notice my tach is back down to zero. I hit the gas...nothing. Shit, my car is dead again. I'm coasting. I quickly put on my 4-way flashers so I don't get rear-ended by the heavy traffic. I manage to pull off in front of an empty building. I really have to muscle the steering wheel to pull over - I guess power steering isn't working. Now my car is dead again and I'm standing along side the road as scores of cars whiz by.

I call Sears again to tell them I didn't make it. They tell me they can't tow me or do roadside service, but they can tell me the number of a towing company. They put me on hold. I wait...and wait...and wait. Realizing they may have forgotten about me, I hang up and use GOOG411 (Google's free 411 service). Their automated voice system is actually smart and connects me to a tow company. It'll be $125 plus tax - sure, whatever. I have no other choice anyway. About 15 minutes later the tow truck shows up. The guy is dressed in camo pants. Apparently he was in the army.

My car can't get out of neutral so the guy does something I've never seen before. There's little rectangular button near the D on my transmission. He pops it off and using a little pocketknife manually puts my car in neutral. Apparently there is a way to get it in neutral even if you can't start the car. He loads up my car and we're off to Sears.

He drops me off at Sears and they take my car in. I pay the tow trucker driver and thank him. He was nice and helpful too. The guy at Sears was very calming. He took my car in and filled out the paperwork. About 15 minutes later he informed me my alternator was fine - thank Jebus. They put in a new battery and it was fixed. I drive off relieved and stop by to return the jumper cables. What an ordeal.

Lessons Learned:
1. Buy jumper cables
2. Cell phones are invaluable
3. Get your car serviced as per the manufacturer's schedule (I haven't done my 60K service even though it's 3K over due)
4. Help people with car troubles
5. It's nice to have parents you can count on.
6. It's amazing how much we rely on cars.

I was quite panicky and stressed out throughout the situation. It was hot and humid and I felt powerless. I couldn't push my car to Sears, nor could I repair it myself. I feel grateful for the strangers who were kind enough to help me - the man who loaned me his jumper cables and drove his SUV up on the curb to try and reach my car. The Indian couple who offered their charging system. The elderly white couple who jumped me. The girl in the grocery store who took my cart into the fridge. The guy in my apartment parking lot who jumped me with his BMW. The guy at Sears who assured me they could fix it today. The tow truck driver...

Granted the tow truck driver and Sears guy were paid ($125+tax for the tow...~$80 for a new battery + service) but they were nice nonetheless. The people who helped me out of their own kindness were even more appreciated.

Oh, and after I left Sears I immediately went to fill up my gas tank. I was low the whole time too...that would have been another kick in the nuts if I had finally gotten my battery working only to run out of gas.

So, I owe the world one. Next time I see someone in need of car help I'm going to offer them a jump, use my cellphone, or anything that may help them. It can be stressful, but it's nice to know there are people out there to help.