And We're Off

I know I have not had much to complain about recently as far as the truck is concerned, but that does not mean there has not been anything to fuss about. Sometimes, I just get so tired of hearing myself grumble, and truthfully, if I cannot find some humor in the situation, I prefer to not even mention it.

Last week, when preparing to leave, after loading everything back into Frankentruck, I was not surprised to find myself stomping my feet and kicking up gravel. You see, the shop had my truck for 3 weeks. During the 3 weeks, the original problem completely disappeared. That's right, no repairs were made and the problem just vanished. The new inverter was installed into the AC and this forced me to have to wait for parts ( that is the real reason I had to wait 3 weeks). But at some point during this 3 week period, it seems that perhaps someone may have drove my truck.

The reason that I believe that someone else had their grubby mitts on my steering wheel is because when I checked my tires (which I always do, no time for blowouts) I found that just about every single one of my drive tires was littered with scraps of metal, nails, and screws. Lucky for me, only one was leaking air. It was a slow leak, and with the closest mechanic living over an hour away, I opted to let it ride and check the pressure each day. Okay, when I discovered it, the tire only had 37 pounds in it. BUT, I aired it up, and after completing all tasks at hand, I checked it again after one hour and had lost only a pound. So, I managed to make my entire journey and was able to keep it pumped up. On the way home, I stopped in South Carolina to see about getting new tires. My shop only has recaps, and I wanted virgin rubber. No deal... The South Carolina shop did mention that some of our trucks were currently on a test program with new Michelin tires, and if Moe (the head Stooge) called into the main office, he could get me signed up for 8 brand new drive tires. The only stipulation was that Moe would then have to monitor the wear pattern of my tires once a month.

I knew it was a losing battle, but I polished up my sweetest voice and phoned into the shop.

"Oh Please Please Please, could you do this for me." I mentioned that ALL of my drives would have to be replaced soon because of the vast array of metal objects lodged within the tread, and also mentioned the one that was already leaking. I was told that "we will see".

Yeah...So, you can imagine how I was not surprised to find that I have a new used recap on my drive axle, and all the debris has been removed from the other 7 tires. Yep, you guessed it. Looks like there is no chance of getting those Michelins. I think the reason being is that it would be too much trouble for them to monitor my wear pattern. Come on, I already monitor my tires on a weekly basis.. It is not that hard.

I did however, end up with 8 brand new shiny valve stem caps.... Oh BOY!! Reckon what it would cost to have them polished next time I have Frankentruck bathed. After all, I now have something shiny to be proud of.....

And for the record, this week I decided to leave a little early so I could find time to squeeze a few miles (running/walking) into my initial commute. Note to self: You know better!!. I left 1.5 hours earlier than normal, and spent 1.5 hours sitting in Qwinnett County on Interstate 85, due to an overturned vehicle. Um, yeah, I never have problems when I am running late....

Did I mention this was on a Saturday!!