When it rains . . .

it pours.  Isn’t that how the old adage goes?

Last Monday, I took my “used” truck in with a list of things that have gone wrong with it since I bought it last August, at which time I purchased an extended warranty just in case.

The main problem has been with the brakes.  I had already paid my “brake man” to replace a caliper a few weeks back, but the brakes continued to give me trouble.  Thinking it might be a larger issue covered by warranty, I decided to take it to the dealership.

The dealership had my truck all day long last Monday, and after being very explicit that my main concern were the front brakes, they checked the back ones instead.  After running a brake system computer diagnostic, they said nothing was wrong with the brakes.  Maybe I needed shoes and pads?  That and all the things that needed repairing totaled up to about $2500, some of which would have been covered under the warranty.

But the warranty expired 3,000 miles ago.

The truck and I came home, both a little worse for the wear.

On Friday, after buying what I call “big groceries”, I had to make a stop at my son’s house before going home, and not far from his house, the brakes gradually slowed the truck down to a snail’s pace.  Knowing that wasn’t right, I unloaded all the cold and frozen foods into his refrigerator (thankfully it was quite empty), and headed directly to my “brake man” again.

When I got there, the brakes were smoking, the smell was atrocious and everyone came out of the shop to gawk at my dilemma.  They said I was lucky the truck didn’t catch on fire.

It was late afternoon, check-out time at the camp, and time for me to clean it up for the next group coming and then get ready for my oldest son’s 27th surprise birthday party–all within three hours, including an hour driving down the bayou and back to town.  I was near panic.  But I managed to get it all done while both front calipers were being replaced on the truck, and they had it ready by closing time.

She drove great later that night on the way back home from the party.  But 24 hours later, when I went back to my son’s house to get the cold and frozen foods, the brakes did the exact same thing again.  It was like an exact repeat of the day before.  The only difference was, this time when I parked in front of the brake service shop, they were closed.  I left my truck there and am about to call them this morning with the bad news.

Saturday, the AC at my house went out–less than two years old.

Sunday, the customers called from the camp saying the water heater was out.

So much for the “super moon”.

However, there was one shining light of the weekend–seeing my oldest son’s face when he walked through the door at the surprise party.

This isn’t my usual blog post, but I hope it at least explains why you haven’t heard much from me lately.

Now, let the sympathy begin!

Still truckless and going to check the water heater,

BW

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34 Comments

  1. Oh, good gosh. If there’s any good news (other than the party and that great photo!) it may be that “they” also say bad things come in threes, and you ought to be done with it now: brakes, AC and hot water heater.

    The problem with all three of those things isn’t just the financial cost – it’s that they all come with significant aggravation. When I used to go up to the place in the hill country, the “shower” was a pump-up garden sprayer. Set it out in the sunshine and after a while, there’s warm water for a shower! Eventually I went high tech, of course, and got one of those solar showers for boats – the black bag you hang in a tree. Camp Dularge renters ought to be able to cope with that!

    1. Yep, Linda, and we had three deaths this week as well. One of them was legend on Grand Isle, Mr. Bobby Santiny. He opened his back yard to birders many, many years ago before the now-famous “Bird Fest” weekend pretty much took over. It was he who taught me how to look for and attract these birds to my yard back in 2004. I sat in his backyard that spring and did some birding with our then Governor Mike Foster. I felt like I had indeed arrived : ) Your stories never cease to amaze me, and please accept my apology for not having had time to read your two most recent offerings. I will get to them when I have some spare moments.

      1. I’m sorry to hear about Bobby! He has touched every birder’s life in one way or another that has visited his yard. He lived a good long life.

  2. Oh my Wendy. That’s awful but now the “law of threes” is satisfied so maybe all will get back to normal.
    No truck would put me in a panic of helplessnes. I can deal with a lot of other stuff but not being wheel-less. It just makes me feel so lost.
    I’m glad the BD was grand. Hope all goes better for you.

    1. Interesting that you and Shoreacres mentioned the law of threes because three men I know died during this time as well. As we were leaving the funeral home Wednesday night, I told Termite that deaths come in threes and I wondered who the third would be. Sure enough, the call came two days later . . . The Captain’s cousin had passed away, buried him today.

  3. Brakes and heaters will come and go, but your son’s birthday surprise will live forever! That being true, of course it is a huge hassle to manage all that stress and financial burden. Wish we could help, but we’re always here to listen and commiserate. My grandmother always used to say that any problem that can handled by money is not the worst thing that can happen. A good perspective in the big scheme of things, but I know it’s still hard to deal with all that stuff. Persist. 🙂

    1. Carolyn, I love your grandmother’s philosophy and so thank you for sharing it with us. She is absolutely correct, too. Any one of these things might not have sent me over the cliff, but the three combined and knowing I can’t work if my truck is laid up is very disconcerting! I will give an update shortly in separate comment. Thanks for sharing!

  4. Oh no! I hope there’s a break (brake?) for you in there somewhere! I’m sorry to hear about all this.

    1. Thanks, Kim! Just love that beautiful new grand daughter for me! No worries if you can’t make it down, but PLEASE remind me that I have a proposal for you. A new Bayou Fest this fall in Houma. I would like us to get a booth together . . . .

  5. They say deaths come in three’s so maybe the truck, AC and water heater are your three and it’s past you now.
    It does look like he was surprised and I’m sure the party was fun! Hope your week gets better!

    1. Oh my goodness, those kids can party! It was G rated until 8:30, and then the folks with children left but the young adults remained on. I was the only one there over 30, my friend, and I got quite an education. You should have seen those girls trying to teach me how to gyrate like they do. Oh, Lord, my mother was rolling in her grave, cher!

  6. Sorry for all your troubles. Your handsome son sure does look surprised. I hope fun was had by all!…….. If troubles come in three’s I have one more to go. Saturday night the hot water heater went out in a trailer I rent out. { $360.00 to replace , plumber brother-in-
    law installed at no cost}Sunday morning as I was getting ready for church I went into my walk in closet and water was dripping from the ceiling where my hot water heater is located in the attic. The copper flex hose had a pin hole in it. An easy fix but oh what a mess. I pray the Lord spares me number 3….. Thank You Bayou Women, I sure do enjoy reading your post.

    1. Oh Roxanne, I do feel for you. In our new bayou tree house, the water heater is in the attic and the first time I’ve ever seen that done. I know they do it elsewhere in new construction but not down the bayou so much. However, now that we are elevated 12 feet off the ground ALL appliances have to be that high also, so I went with it. I hope the drip pan they put under it spares us ever having a wet ceiling. Sorry for your water heater troubles. I still think it was the Super Moon’s fault. Ordinarily, I LOVE the moon, though!!! Thanks for coming back for more of life on the bayou, lady!

  7. Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear about all the bad luck, although it looks as though the surprise party was a great success. Did the brakes the repair shop use come with a warranty? Even if they didn’t, the repair shop shouldn’t charge you for repairs to your brakes again after they missed the real issue more than once. They probably still will, but legally I think you have a case for a refund at the very least.

    1. Ashley, I gave you the SHORT version. We’ve been going to this mom and pop business for many years. The old brothers who owned it have passed away and now the young son is carrying on. He did NOT charge me for the caliper job on Friday–he warranted that out for me. I only went to the dealership last Monday to cash in on the extended warranty, and that got me NOTHING. I’ll stick to the small businesses from now on 🙂

  8. MONDAY NIGHT UPDATE: I am just getting back home from being gone all day dealing with this stuff. The water heater was only four years into a six-year warranty. The small hardware store I deal with in town (read: NOT Lowe’s or Home Depot) had a copy of the sales receipt and told me to call Reliance, the manufacturer. Reliance gave me a code for replacement to give to my hardware store, and they gave me a new one. The Captain picked it up after the funeral (see above comments) while I drained and disconnected and hauled out the old one. Then, I installed the new one. It is now up and running just in time for customers at 7 p.m. This afternoon, while the glue was drying, we ran to town to get my truck. Jason, my brake man, covered all his bases after doing a lot of homework since the cause is not evident. Truck now has new brakes hoses, new shoes, new pads, and resurfaced rotors. So far, she has run about 40 miles with no problems. We shall see . . . . the only thing I will end up paying for is a weekend AC repair call, but they will bill me after they come back and replace a certain breaker in the attic unit. I won’t know how much until then. All told, I think I got off pretty good!!! Thanks for all your comments, and they make me feel better at the end of this brake-down journey!!! Oh, and my son is handsome and we did have a blast!!! Should I just create a post in the morning of party photos?

      1. I have to hit the road right now so maybe I”ll post them tonight or in the morning! By the way, do you still need garfish earrings????? And another oh btw, our outdoor writer’s conference is in Chalmette this August!!!

  9. Well let us compare. New struts, new shocks, front and rear trailing links, new rotors and pads, front wheel bearing assembly, 4 new tires, and 4 wheel alignment check. All about 6 thousand miles ago.Front end is so far out of wack tread is pretty scrubbed off and inside of tire is saw toothed. Going to the only alignment shop anyone sane would ever go to up here Thursday or Friday. Wonder if I can warranty the tires at Wally World?????

    But holy cow the bream fishing on fly is nuts up here.
    Posted a box shot on the Du.

    1. What is this? And I can top that contest? LOL! Don’t know what’s worse . . . vehicles needing repairs or horses needing fresh hay, pasture grass, shots, wormers, etc. Nah, I’ll keep my truck, because a horse can’t haul a boat!!! Will check out pic on du.com. Caught 34 bream on worms last week with the old ladies, ages 72 and 88. They had a blast!! So did I!

      1. Poor Rich the guy that got the fish cleaned them it only took 1.5 hours on empty stomach.

        I could use a padded envelope with gar scales in it.

        Ps the preceding was a hint…..

  10. Water heater breakdowns must come in threes also. Mine went out a week ago. Came home from a long day at the food bank and no hot water. Just a flooded area in the kitchen and then found that it had been leaking and seeping thru into the dining room corner. Ruined the hardwood floor. Wish you had been here because it cost me over $700 to get a new one and have it installed.:( Then the ceiling started leaking & some of it fell in. Seems the tornados on April 3rd and the high winds, did some major damage to the roof and it is only 13 years old. Got an insurance adjuster coming out this coming week. As far as the cars go, I need new tires. But, I am keeping the scrubbing sounding ones as long as possible!! I don’t drive that much and they are dry rotting. A belated happy birthday to a very handsome young man. And may your troubles float away and your camp stay fully booked! By the way, I was sitting outside a bit ago enjoying the fresh breeze while chatting with a neighbor and a truck came by pulling an air boat. Not something one sees in our neck of the woods and I immediately thought of you.

    1. Wow! I guess they DO come in threes!!! The trick is, if the water heater is still under warranty, and you either registered the product or have the dated receipt, they WILL replace it if leaked from the bottom on your floor. I can’t say enough about avoiding the Big Box hardware stores for things like this. I called the store first, and did exactly as he told me, and that was key. I have given that store (lumber yard, too) lost of business over the past years, and it does pay off in the long run. I’m so sorry that you had to pay so much and that you had ceiling damage, too. What a major bummer! Thanks for the well wishes, Cammy! I guess that airboat was either doing seismic work or going bow fishing for carp, lol!

  11. It happens in Cocodrie just like Dularge. It all comes in 3’s—You always pull through. God and all his Saints are just waiting around
    to give us that help. He made a girl from Shreveport turn into a girl
    from Dulac/Dularge and made her a strong one just like he made me
    a girl from Dulac/Cocodrie and made me strong to handle all we do everyday!!! That BD picture of your son proved it!! Very handsome young man. Take care

    1. Hey, lady! It’s your turn to take a trip down that back road connecting my bayou to yours! Did you vote for Cocodrie to be the winning city in that contest that’s been advertised lately? It surely would help business over your way! You are indeed a strong woman in your own right! I’m in good company!!

    1. Thanks, Paulette! It’s just life right? Things break down! It’s just tough when it happens at once!!! When ya coming down to fish?