Saturday, July 8, 2017

Vehicle Repair

So about 2 weeks ago, after work, I went to pick up some Chinese food for dinner. As I was pulling into the parking lot my battery light on my car dashboard lit up and then went out.  Then it came on and stayed on.  I pulled into a parking spot and pulled out my manual and it said something to the effect of pull over immediately and call for help.  Well, I am stubborn.  I first picked up the food I ordered and then drove 25 minutes home in rush hour traffic.  It was a stressful, nail biting experience, but I made it home. 

Once I got home I started googling the battery dashboard indicator light in Toyotas.  I found that it mostly likely meant that my alternator had gone bad.  I deduced this because for about 2 months I had been hearing a whirring noise after long drives.  I had googled the whirring noise, but didn't find anything significant and it wasn't too annoying.  Well, FYI, a battery light and a whirring noise means your alternator has gone bad.  The whirring noise was the first indicator of the failing alternator. (I never had any problems with a dead battery or anything like that).

Well, my car is about to be 11 years old (in about 3 months) and I never had the alternator replaced on the car.  So, I guess it was about time to get a new one.  It cost (along with an oil change, rotation, etc,) approximately $863.  That was after I talked the service advisor into giving me a discount of about $50.  

Right after I had the repair done I received a travel voucher reimbursement for $539 so I used that to cover part of the repair.  I used another $324 from my work travel fund to cover the remainder of the repair.  I could have used my emergency fund, but I just didn't want to!  I have about $600 in outstanding travel vouchers right now so once I receive those- in August- my work travel fund will be back up to about $1,000. 

7 comments:

  1. Vehicle repairs are annoying. Glad you got it fixed without being stranded somewhere. I just got caught up on your past few weeks. Great job with the retirement savings. Bummer about the job stress. Would there be any part of law you'd be interested in? Seems like the ACLU could use help - they've been quite busy as of late.

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    1. Me too, thought for sure I was going to be stranded on the side of the road! I like the practice of law and hate it. It's extremely stressful and there is always a lot at stake. Additionally, my bosses are not terribly supportive.

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  2. Sorry about the job stressors, that is tough. I too am waiting for a reimbursement about $400.00 it would help put a dent in something.

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    1. Isn't it terrible how other people/companies expect payment on time, but everyone else thinks they can wait to pay you whenever they feel like it.

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  3. Ouch. Vehicle repairs sure can be difficult on the budget. Glad you were able to cover it without dipping into your emergency fund.

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    1. Yes, I saw that you had an expensive car repair too, not long ago too. It never ends, does it?

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  4. Seems like the ACLU could use help - they've been quite busy as of late.


    เกย์ไทย

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