Wednesday, March 18, 2009

F ix O r R eplace D aily

I had a show tonight at the Red Line Tap in Roger's Park.

I drove down (which was mistake #1) because Troy (our drummer) is in finals this week and shouldn't have been playing a show in the first place so I told him I'd drive him home as soon as we were done with our set so he could study and get good sleep.

There is no parking in Roger's Park (two blocks from Gay Brian's house for those who know the area) after 5pm and people get home from work. I was looking for parking at about 8pm. I drove around for AGES. Finally I called Keith and made him get in my car so I could look further away. The area is shitty and I didn't want to be walking 6 blocks by myself.

He gets in the car and we drive around. We finally manage to find a spot only two blocks away, but it is tiny and I suck at parallel parking. So he offers to park it for me, which he has done several times before. He parks it beautifully. He turns the car off and tries to take the key out of the ignition and...nothing. The key is stuck. WTF? So I get back in the car. Turn it back on, turn the wheels, move up and back a little, turn it back off and... it still won't come out. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. So we keep trying and trying. We get someone from the bar to come out and try to help us. He tries for 45 minutes and gives up. He also called two mechanic friends who didn't know what to do. It is weird because it is like the car doesn't realize the car is in park and therefore won't release the key. You still the wheels and everything.

I ended up missing the show because there was no way I was leaving my car with the key in the ignition. Even with the door locked. Hell no. I know multiple people who had their cars broken into and/or stolen from that area. And I was once almost carjacked coming home from Rocky just a few blocks from where I was parked. I had to drive home.

I'm pissed and frustrated. Especially since I went online with my problem and found HUNDREDS of people's accounts who had the same problem. I know now that this probably won't be the last time this happens, even if I get it replaced because the parts are faulty and Ford refuses to acknowledge a problem and do a recall. So there are all these people who replaced it three or more times and it keeps happening. Also it apparently can start with just this and then eventually you can't turn the car on. Or even get it in the ignition. I've actually noticed the ignition sticking before, but I don't know anything about cars so I didn't know it was a big deal.

So I'm not taking it to my dealer. Fuck them. I hate them so much anyway. I know they will dick me as much as they can because that is what they've done in the past. I'm taking it to a car repair place to see if they can fix it. Then I'm taking it to get it professionally cleaned. Then I'm taking it to Carmax and trading it in for another car. This one won't be American. I've learned my lesson. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to pay the difference for the new car, but I'll find a way. I've hated this car for a long time now. But at least it was semi reliable. Sure there have been problems, but nothing I couldn't handle. But this is the last straw. I really fucking hate my car and I'm getting a new one.

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