random thoughts – Day 1,849 – (Wednesday) – rescued and replaced

The waking up routine includes a peek out the window to check the weather. This morning, there was ice at the end of the driveway. Again. I will go on the record saying I’m tired of base layers and sweaters and having to dress for warmth. Ugh.

Dressed for a day at the office, the morning proceeded as usual. A glass of water and multiple cups of coffee. Email, Facebook, Duolingo. Grab something for lunch (slice of veggie pizza) and add it to the bag with the wallet, phone charger cord, and phone.

At the usual time (7:55 am), the car was remote started, because, well, the ice. Hair was combed and teeth were brushed. Goodbyes were said to Kiki. With the winter coat on, I locked the door and noticed the silence. The car was not running. Did I really remote start it or not? I knew I did. For sure.

Roadside assist
to the rescue.

Inside the car, I manually started it, and the instrument cluster displayed lights like a crazy carnival, most of which I had never seen before. Airbag service? Release parking brake (which wasn’t on)? When the heat was turned on, the radio went off. Despite having already started the car, there was a message to “push start.” I did and it started. Things flashed. It didn’t seem to be running. The radio went dark. I went back inside. Texts were sent to the appropriate managerial types.

Then the phone calls began. Was Jeep familiar with this scenario? They can’t look at it until Friday, but I could have it towed there at any time. Based on what little I know of cars (basically, how to operate one as long as it is an automatic and noting is awry), I jumped to the Jeep Renegade forum to scan for similar issues. Nothing stood out.

The next search was for the average life of battery in a Jeep Renegade. The answer was three to five years. In the just shy of four years with mine, I have definitely not replaced the battery. The next call was to AAA. If I needed a tow to a service center, they would be the option. And I also knew they had battery service. 

Within an hour of logging the service request, a local mechanic was at the house to perform a rescue operation. He said that Renegades sometimes have alternator issues, but he would start with checking the battery. It wasn’t long before the verdict was in. Battery. Dead. 

Battery report card.

While the mechanic was outside under the hood of the Jeep, I was inside on a webinar about the action required on our company 401k plans after the merger. That was followed immediately by our usual team meeting. By then, the mechanic was back at the door to settle up for the cost of the battery. The battery replacement wasn’t that expensive (and especially compared to the recently deceased furnace and the broken wrist), and I knew the whole situation could have been much worse. 

The car could have not started last night when I was trying to leave for the work event, or worse, when I was trying to leave to come home. It could have gotten me downtown this morning and croaked inside the garage. It could have held on for a couple more days and died on Saturday when I’m in Worcester. Having the battery die when the car was backed into the driveway at home is truly the best scenario possible.

I might have some crappy luck, but there is usually a sliver of a silver lining.