Oh, The Places You’ll Go…or Not

 

My Dashboard Going Wonky

Oh boy, what a day.

This morning, I was on my way to work when my Jeep Compass started acting up on me. It was 20 degrees Farenheit outside. Brr!

I left my driveway to head down the regular path to work when I had to detour due to an accident so I turned around and headed into the other direction.

I pulled over to the side of the main road next to a house to send out a quick notification for any neighbors to detour when my car started acting up as it was running. My dashboard started flashing; the error message “Service Electronic Parking Brake” while the check engine light flashed along with the Parking brake icon.

My car was in park. I had the parking brake on as well since I was slightly uphill, when the electronics started going all wonky on me. I tried to start the car, but was unsuccessful. It completely died after flashing for 10–15 seconds.

By now, it’s approaching 09:00 in the morning and I was stuck. “Now what?” I thought to myself.

Now what? What a crappy event to be found in. Have you ever found yourself stranded on the road? What do you? Hmmm…good question. (insert thinking emoji here)…

First thing I learned as I started to panic…DON’T PANIC!! Remain calm. Breathe.

I texted my boyfriend and told him what happened. His guess — probably the battery and it needed to be replaced. He recommended I jump it and then head to an auto parts store to get it replaced for free.

At this point — if you’re in this situation — it is best first to assess your situation and make your best judgment.

1. Call your auto insurance company to let them know what is going on.

In my case, I explained what happened with my car and asked for a tow. They graciously worked with me to arrange for a tow and help me through the process to get my car out of any harm’s way and to my designated location for resolve, which was the auto dealership where I bought my car.

I made this decision, after a couple of phone calls with my co-workers whom I asked for a ride and their assistance. I had explained the problem; they guessed that it might be an alternator problem so, best thing to do is tow to a dealership for further troubleshooting and assistance.

Why the dealership and not some shop or auto parts store for a basic diagnostic? I could have towed it to the shop where I service my car or to an auto parts store for a basic diagnosis and hopefully, a quick fix.

In this instance, I decided it was best to tow my car to the dealership where there are certified mechanics who can perform maintenance on the make and model of the vehicle that I own. You can best decide for yourself what is most beneficial to you. Just sayin.’

You do you, I often say. Do what is best for YOU.

Working with my auto insurance company, I was able to arrange for a tow, make it to the dealership ahead of the towing guy, let them know what is going on with my car and that it was on its way, and then get a courtesy ride home while I await for further information, news, and/or resolve on my car.

Lesson #2: Understand Your Auto Insurance Policy and What It Will or Will Not Cover

We all go through the motions when it comes to signing up for things, such as auto insurance. You get the basic coverage and maybe a few more extra coverage just in case. But, have you really looked at your policy and seen the fine print of what is covered and what you paid for?

In looking at my policy, I saw that I had towing and road service, but not a rental. In the case that my car has to stay past a day or two, I’d need a rental. The Dealership had notified me that they charge about $40/day, whereas, with a rental coverage on my auto policy would have been much cheaper and therefore, cost-effective.

I haven’t gotten to that part yet, but I just might find out tomorrow how bad it might be….or not. (I’ll keep you posted.)

Anyhoo, this is just a lesson learned to really understand your insurance coverage and then opt to pay for those extras to give you a peace of mind. I highly, highly recommend that you add rental coverage on your policy. It’s worth the expense.

Lesson #3: COMMUNICATE.

Communicate with all parties involved so you know, they know, and everyone else in-between knows.

The service department had told me that it would take at least a couple hours before they could look at my car so I ASSUMED that I could just go home and wait for them to call me.

I happened to get to the dealership before the towing company did and left thinking that all was in good hands. Four hours later, I called the dealership to check in and they were NOT notified of my car being dropped off. The towing company, however, dropped it off an hour later, which I confirmed with their front reception desk when I called. So, here I am fumbling around between the dealership, towing company and my insurance company trying to figure out where my car is.

Lesson #4: Don’t make assumptions.

Ensure all parties are well-informed, make sure your car makes it to the right place, AND then go home, go about your day while you wait for news after you get your situation straightened out. (After all, you can only do so much in a day. The rest is up to Father Time and the people who are trying to make it happen to the best of their ability in the time frame that they have.)

Soooo, that is where I am at the moment… Learning along the way what to do and for future note, what NOT to do. I’ll keep you posted.

To be continued…