Sometimes life just hands you a blog post – like yesterday morning for example.
And sometimes life teaches you to stop and appreciate the little things – like car doors that close for example.
It was a balmy -5C (23F). The boys and I were in our usual rush to leave the house for the school drop off/drive to work. They hopped into the car, buckled up and closed their doors. Except the Youngest’s wouldn’t close. At all. No way – no how. WTH?!?! Out I get to investigate. It appears that the female part of the door closing apparatus is stuck in a “the door is already closed” position. How that happened – I have NO idea. It shut fine the night before when he got out of the car.
Now, I do consider myself reasonable handy. I’m no stranger to a drill, hammer, level or screwdriver. I can even perform basic maintenance tasks on my car if required. In fact, when Willie and I met, I had my own toolbox of stuff that I actually used. And if I’m being honest – I actually like doing that kind of stuff.
So I figured “I can fix this. I’ll just use a key to reach in and flick the latch back into the “door is open” position, and away we’ll go”!
Nope. That baby wasn’t moving.
“Perhaps I’m flicking it the wrong way” I surmised. So around I go to The Eldest’s side of the car to check out his latch. “Which position SHOULD it be in” I’m wondering? “Do I flick it up or down” I’m asking myself? I’ll just flick The Eldest’s and I’ll have all my questions answered! I’m SO smart. I’m SO handy. I’m SUCH a catch.
Except after I flick The Eldest’s, it doesn’t want to flick back either.
So now we have;
a) 2 rear car doors that are stuck open
b) 2 children that are now late for school
c) a husband that is already at work and can’t help
d) a Blogger that has to get to work and is now INCREDIBLE pissed
e) one pair for frozen hands (which could really end my blogging career. And I use the term “career” very loosely here)
So I call the Dealership. The KIA Dealership I would like to add.
“Um – just use a screwdriver to flick the latch back” they suggest. Having already tried to “flick”, I’m somewhat skeptical, but perhaps the key I was using just wasn’t the tool for the job. So I go get a proper screwdriver. Nope. There’s no flicking to be had. My frustration level is off the charts. I could walk the kids to school, but how the hell am I going to navigate my 45 minute drive – on the highway no less – to work with 2 rear doors that keep flying open every time I take a corner?
“Buckle up boys!” I exclaim. “And hold onto tightly to your doors! We’re going for a little drive!” And with that, we set off on the 5 minute drive to the Dealership.
And honestly, those boys couldn’t have thought I was any cooler. Driving around town as they held their doors closed. Yahoo-ing the entire time. Like it was an amusement park ride. Or their mother was a really cool stunt driver.
Anyway – the happy ending is that Kia took my car in right away and had both doors fixed in about 10 minutes. At no charge (which is what you should do when you make really crappy cars – you make up for it with good, free service). The boys got to school, albeit it a little late, and I made it to work unscathed.
I’ll never take doors that close for-granted again.
Let’s hope tomorrow morning goes a little better. Shall we Kia?
20 Responses to “Damn Life and Her Crazy Lessons”
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February 2nd, 2010 at 4:54 am
How the heck did the car doors close the night before???? Any way it dosent matter you got things taken care of without any fatalities!!! If it was me, I would have walked the kids to school, and phoned in sick, and had a lovely day to my-self!!!! Guess thats the difference between me and you….. You really are a CATCH!!!!……..yes I’m being sincere!!!
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:33 am
This exact thing has happened to me, and guess what I have a Kia. It’s actually happened twice, in really cold weather.
I just locked the door when I got in, it kept it shut and by the time I got to work the door was working properly.
Cher
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February 3rd, 2010 at 11:23 am
hmmmm . . . have we perhaps discovered a Kia manufacturing defect??? Be warned people!
February 2nd, 2010 at 12:13 pm
I hate days like that, especially when its cold out!
Stopping by from SITS to say hi
February 2nd, 2010 at 1:09 pm
I hate when the dealership can fix something so quick. It always makes me feel like I should have been able to do it myself. Like the time I went in because the check engine light was on only to discover the gas tank cap wasn’t closed all the way.. Annoying.
Cher
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February 3rd, 2010 at 11:21 am
And embarrassing . . .
February 2nd, 2010 at 1:41 pm
What a way to start out your day! Something similar has happened to me with the window – being stuck in the ‘rolled down’ position in the rain. Nice.
Cher
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February 3rd, 2010 at 11:21 am
That’s definitely an “awwww crap!”
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:43 pm
It’s good to have boys, isn’t it?
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:29 pm
I’m sure you are now “the coolest mom ever!” At least you would be in my book!
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:33 pm
You are def coolest mom ever
February 3rd, 2010 at 2:04 am
Hahaha Oh this is similar to the taxi driver who wanted to take us in a full taxi with an occy strap holding the back door closed.
But this was like a half hour drive. And taxi drivers are mad men.
Glad it all worked out in the end though. Free repairs are the best. I got my watch repaired for free yesterday.
February 3rd, 2010 at 2:25 pm
ahhhh that is too funny, i think i would’ve had funn too, and i’m in my 20’s…..glad they took care of it quickly and FREE! you prob ARE the coolest mom EVAH
Cher
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February 3rd, 2010 at 10:08 pm
Yes – I think I just might be!
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:01 pm
That is so funny! I actually have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard!
Don’t you just love it when a blog post falls in your lap?
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Ok. Now I really do want to be you. If we could morph into one we would be a sport fanatic, handyman, mechanic. And we wouldn’t NEED a man to explain anything to us!
February 8th, 2010 at 5:19 am
I love this – I have a totally different, and yet slightly similar story!
My hubby and I got married in Australia, where my parents live. On the morning of the wedding, hubby to be and the groomsmen are at the hotel with my father’s car, ready to drive to the church. The phone rang at my house, and I picked it up to find hubby to be on the other end, asking to speak to my dad.
Turns out, they all went to get into the car, and the back door on one side won’t shut. It’s stuck open like a wing. And it stayed that way – the hotel put the car in their carpark, under a security camera for them (since they can’t lock it!) and got them a town car to the wedding.
My dad was a bit in shock – it was his beloved old mercedes, a classic old car, and he couldn’t imagine HOW they could do that to the door!
Later my brother (a mechanic) looked at it. Turned out that the metal slide that holds the door open in half or full position had become dry, and wasn’t sliding smoothly, but one of the groomsmen was a bit of a brute, and he’d yanked the door so hard that it didn’t have time to try sliding, it just bent – which meant the door could never be closed until the chunk of bent slide was removed!
Cher
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February 8th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
Wow! That’s a good wedding day story to tell! Glad it all worked out.
February 12th, 2010 at 8:42 am
Haha…I can picture the ride to the dealership…didn’t it seem to take Forever? We had a stuck door once, except it was the driver’s side and lemme tell you, it’s nearly impossible to drive and hold the sucker shut. Luckily, like you, our mechanic (dad:) lives a short distance from town and he fixed it lickety-split!
A few months ago, we took the Explorer to Home Depot to load up on some fixer-upper materials and I had to ride in the back seat on the way home. We stopped for gas and I was feeling claustrophobic b/c I was boxed in by materials, so hubs was opening the door, so I could get out for a minute. Except the door stuck and he kept reefing on the handle until the sucker broke off! I figured, ok…I’ll just climb out the window….except the windows in the back only roll down half-way and Holy Crap I was freakin’ trapped! If I ever needed a paper bag to suck on before, it was for that very long ride home. He eventually unloaded the vehicle so I could climb out the other side, but it was horrible.
I refuse to ride in the backseat again.
Cher
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February 12th, 2010 at 11:00 am
OMG! That’s too funny. I do hope you blogged about it!