I tell ya, we have really gotten our money's worth out of the jump-box we purchased last weekend. That little thing is amazing! We used it close to 15 times before we got paranoid and decided to charge it again. $40, I highly recommend one! Check it out!
Duralast Booster Pack
Anyways, we went to the Oregon Brewer's Festival on Thursday. It was super fun, and Niceguy, of course, had a great time. I was the designated driver, so we could drive down instead of take public transit. I had some sips here and there and liked a few, but really not a huge beer fan. *shrug* I got a raging sun-burn from the event though, so at least I got something to take home with me.
Sooooo, when we were leaving, we noticed an odd smell, rotten eggs. Figuring it was just something in downtown, we rolled down all the windows and headed for the highway. Dropped off our friend, and went home for the night.
Niceguy woke up not feeling so well the next day (*chuckle*), so I jumped the truck and went off to work, while he stayed home since it was his normal day off. Regardless of the situation, the man needed two days off in a row. It'd been weeks, and frankly, he was beat.
I noticed the smell again, on my way home from work last night. Figuring it was just the construction I'd just rode passed, I rolled up the windows, cranked up the radio and A/C, and cruised on home.
I get home, pick up Niceguy, and we're off to pick up some cigarettes, since we're out and he'd just gotten paid. On our way to the gas station, with just enough money for a tank of gas and cigarettes, we notice the smell again. Again though, we're driving passed some construction, and they were just putting in new piping. So guessing they were messing with the sewage line, we just continued on our way. Waiting at the gas station a couple of miles away, I notice the smell again. I put the truck in to drive, and it gets overwhelming. This is not a coincidence, the smell has to be coming from us.
Niceguy gets back in the truck, and we check the vents. Sure enough, it's coming through the vents. We headed straight for the dealership.
We meet up with Ron, a very very nice gentleman, who had helped us on Tuesday night when we picked up the truck. I should add, that Ron was awesome on Tuesday, in that, he understood our situation and the logic behind our refusing to pay for the second repair when we'd already paid for the first and it had had nothing to do with the issue. So, so far, instead of $103.95, we've only paid $53.95. He was awesome! He let us know we needed a new battery, and we should be good. Anyways, back to last night....
So we pull up, and tell him what's going on. All about the smell. He tells us, "Rotten eggs are a clear indication of a failing battery." We expected this, since we were having to jump it every time we needed to start it. No more 30 minute leeway. Niceguy and I ask him about the alternator. "Couldn't all this be putting a strain on the alternator? Could the alternator be affecting this?" "No, you just need a new battery."
Ok, so we plan to get a new battery next week when we both get paid. I had a few dollars on my credit card, and was getting worried, so we started pricing batteries when we got home. $112, $119, $121.... Apparently our truck has a special battery. *sigh* Only one place has it in stock, and I don't have enough. We make a few calls, but everyone else is broke too, so we're stuck until payday. We head to the store to get a few things we need to get us through until payday.
When leaving the store, we notice the windows are slow to roll down, the lights are dim on the interior, and the headlights are barely visible. Uh oh. I make a frantic call to Autozone, begging them to stay open a few extra minutes, so I can overdraft my account again and get us a battery. "Ummm, No?" Yea, jerk. I asked for 3 minutes. Seriously, 3 minutes.... Oh well, I guess I can kind of understand. Friday night, 10pm, I'm sure they wanted to go home too....
So we have them reserve the battery, and at 7:20 this morning, we're on our way. We get there minutes after they opened, and buy it.... $133.... $12 of which I got back when we gave them the old one.
After 30 minutes of fighting with the blasted mounts, we get the new battery in, and the truck is running. YAY! But remember, this isn't the end, she's back at the dealership.
Niceguy is in returning the tools they loaned us, and he's talking with the store manager(a very nice man who'd helped me last year with an issue on the mustang). They come running after me as I got to turn off the truck. He wants to test the battery. Now!
Um, okay.
The battery is coming back overcharged. Same thing we noticed with the last one, but the last one was not this extreme probably because it was an older battery. This one is WAY over. Ok, crank up the a/c, turn on all the lights, roll the windows up and down, turn on the radio. We're off to the dealership which is only a couple miles up the road. If we wait too long, we'll have to replace the battery again. The rotten egg smell, is the last warning.
I pick up my phone and do a quick search for "Rotten Eggs Battery". You should try it, it's scary.
Niceguy pulls right in to the bay, didn't even bother with the parking lot. We're not too hugely happy as you can imagine.
Hey look! It's Ron! "Hi Ron, it's the alternator. Replace it..."
We educate him. If the alternator is overcharging the battery, the liquid inside can come to a boil, causing the battery to swell. Niceguy took the pics of our swollen battery below. When the battery casing starts to expand, it can ultimately result in the battery exploding. Awesome, huh? The rotten egg smell is the gases attempting to escape to relieve the pressure. I bet you'll all be watching your batteries more closely from now on, huh. I know I will....
So we hand him the keys, I sign the quote, and we walked the mile and a half home. I deal with my asthma attack and Niceguy hitched a ride from a co-worker to get to work to make up some hours, and here we are, waiting for the call.
Not happy Carr Chevrolet. Not happy.... Will never buy another vehicle from you, and as soon as I can find an auto-shop that takes my warranty, I'm going elsewhere for service too.
I hope everyone else is having a better weekend!
Love to all!!!
~~~
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