Post by Scott on Oct 7, 2004 1:32:42 GMT -5
I’ve been taking the bus to work, but about a week ago, my dad gave me his old truck. So this week I’ve been driving. Today I got a flat tire. It went flat just as I was driving into the parking lot, so it wasn't so bad. At least I didn't think it was so bad at first. After work, I went to the store close to where I work to buy some fix-a flat, only to find out they don't sell fix-a-flat, so I end up trekking all over North Side looking for fix-a-flat. I finally found a place. I walk back to my car and plug in the fix-a-flat. Instead of fixing the flat, the stuff comes spraying out from between the tire and rim. This is no ordinary flat tire. The whole tire has separated from the rim. The truck has a spare on back, but I don't know if it's good, and I can't find a jack or wrench in the truck, so I walk back to work and call my dad. He doesn't know if there's a wrench and jack or not. He didn’t leave anything in there, but the ones that came with it might be. He tells me to look in the glove compartment. The owner's manual is in there. He thinks it might show where a jack and wrench are hidden. I walk back to the parking lot. On p. 140 of the owner's manual, I find out where the jack and wrench are hidden, and when I open the secret compartment, they are actually there. I take the wrench to loosen the lug nuts before jacking the truck up. At this point I discover that the lug nuts on there now aren't the ones that came with the truck, because the wrench doesn't fit. I yell "Fuck!!! really loud. The parking lot attendant comes to see what I'm up to. He's not from this country and doesn't speak English very well, but I eventually get him to understand my predicament. He goes to his car to get his wrench for me to use. It doesn't fit either. Amazingly, his wife parks in the lot too, so he goes to her car and gets her wrench to try, and it actually works. I loosen the lug nuts at last. Now I can finally jack the car up, or so I think. Now I discover that the suspension on the truck isn't the original suspension, because it's so high up, that the little jack that comes with the truck can't jack it up high enough to change the tire. I yell "Fuck!!!" really loud again. Vladimir, the parking lot attendant, comes back to see what progress I'm making. He doesn't understand when I tell him that the jack is too small, but he investigates, and figures it out for himself after a few minutes. He goes back to his vehicle, and returns with his jack. It looks like a winner, but when I place the jack under the recommended jacking point, I see that his jack doesn't have the lift required either. Trying to be helpful, Vlad tries another spot, closer to the engine where the frame is lower. At last I see the flat lifting high enough off the ground to get the spare on. Here I discover why the recommended jacking point isn't so close to the engine. It's because the engine it too heavy. With an agonizing groan, Vlad's jack buckles, and the truck comes crashing back down. Vlad suggests, "Maybe you call somebody?”<br>I do call somebody. I call my dad. He lives pretty far away, but he says he’ll be there. Two hours later he shows up with a floor jack and speed wrench, and in no time, I'm on my way home.
Scott
Scott
