Post by MadMatt on Jul 17, 2006 22:35:53 GMT -6
My family and I just returned from a 6000km roadtrip and I thought some of you might find the following story interesting, perhaps entertaining. It's a bit long so bear with my ramblings.
Last Friday (July 7th) I, my wife and 2 of our kids set out for the Toronto area from our home in Manitoba. It's about 2100km one way. As far as I knew the Aurora was primed and ready to go. We chose to go the stateside route due to the lower price of fuel compared to Canada and the fact that I could run at 130kmh pretty much all the way using the interstate highway system.
We stopped for night about 10 miles west of Chicago. I would have preferred to go through the city at night but I was pretty beat already. On stopping I noticed a foreign noise coming out from under the hood. On closer inspection I came the conclusion that the belt tensioner pulley was sounding a bit worn. Next morning I started her up and it was much quieter so I figured we'd continue our journey.
We hadn't covered 5 miles when suddenly "bing, bing". DIC's telling me to check the charging system. 12.5 volts and dropping and just entering Chicago. Being a small town rube I was a bit freaked out. I had no intention of trying to find a repair place in downtown Chicago and no idea where to look in the first place. We sweated our way through the city as the voltage continued to drop. Finally having cleared the busiest part of the city, with the voltage at 12.1 I arbitrarily chose an exit and got off the interstate. At the Pilot gas station we were advised that there was a GM dealership about 2 miles down the street I had randomly chosen. Arrived at the GM Service door with the voltage now at 11.6 and discovered that they were closed on Saturday. At this point the Aurora died. A GM sales guy directed me to a wee station across the street called CarsPlus (located on Indianapolis Blvd. in Highland, Indiana). They not only were able to get a new alternator for us they actually had a tech on duty who was capable of installing it. In addition the shop was a certified AC Delco repair centre. 2 hours and $535.00 later we were rolling down the highway again.
So we made to my wife's family's place and had a great time. Checked out Niagara Falls and then the following Friday (July 14th) headed for home. Happy ending to a pretty neat story you say? "It ain't over til it's over".
Friday evening we're back in Indiana and pulled into a rest stop. "bing, bing". You guessed it "Check the charging system" on the DIC AGAIN!!!!
Here's where our vacation miracle takes place. Are you ready for this? We were less then 30 miles from CarsPlus when the warning came on. We managed to get my crippled baby to a motel within a mile or two of CarsPlus and first thing Saturday morning I rolled back onto their lot. Although it took 2 hours to locate another new alternator (the first having been faulty) and another 2 hours to install they did it without a flinch or frown and, of course, totally free of charge on warranty.
So what's the odds of breaking down a second time that close to the original installer on a trip that ended up putting 6000km on my car? I have no idea but thank God that it worked out the way it did because we were running a bit short of funds when the alternator went out the second time.
That's my really long story. I hoped you enjoyed it.
Last Friday (July 7th) I, my wife and 2 of our kids set out for the Toronto area from our home in Manitoba. It's about 2100km one way. As far as I knew the Aurora was primed and ready to go. We chose to go the stateside route due to the lower price of fuel compared to Canada and the fact that I could run at 130kmh pretty much all the way using the interstate highway system.
We stopped for night about 10 miles west of Chicago. I would have preferred to go through the city at night but I was pretty beat already. On stopping I noticed a foreign noise coming out from under the hood. On closer inspection I came the conclusion that the belt tensioner pulley was sounding a bit worn. Next morning I started her up and it was much quieter so I figured we'd continue our journey.
We hadn't covered 5 miles when suddenly "bing, bing". DIC's telling me to check the charging system. 12.5 volts and dropping and just entering Chicago. Being a small town rube I was a bit freaked out. I had no intention of trying to find a repair place in downtown Chicago and no idea where to look in the first place. We sweated our way through the city as the voltage continued to drop. Finally having cleared the busiest part of the city, with the voltage at 12.1 I arbitrarily chose an exit and got off the interstate. At the Pilot gas station we were advised that there was a GM dealership about 2 miles down the street I had randomly chosen. Arrived at the GM Service door with the voltage now at 11.6 and discovered that they were closed on Saturday. At this point the Aurora died. A GM sales guy directed me to a wee station across the street called CarsPlus (located on Indianapolis Blvd. in Highland, Indiana). They not only were able to get a new alternator for us they actually had a tech on duty who was capable of installing it. In addition the shop was a certified AC Delco repair centre. 2 hours and $535.00 later we were rolling down the highway again.
So we made to my wife's family's place and had a great time. Checked out Niagara Falls and then the following Friday (July 14th) headed for home. Happy ending to a pretty neat story you say? "It ain't over til it's over".
Friday evening we're back in Indiana and pulled into a rest stop. "bing, bing". You guessed it "Check the charging system" on the DIC AGAIN!!!!
Here's where our vacation miracle takes place. Are you ready for this? We were less then 30 miles from CarsPlus when the warning came on. We managed to get my crippled baby to a motel within a mile or two of CarsPlus and first thing Saturday morning I rolled back onto their lot. Although it took 2 hours to locate another new alternator (the first having been faulty) and another 2 hours to install they did it without a flinch or frown and, of course, totally free of charge on warranty.
So what's the odds of breaking down a second time that close to the original installer on a trip that ended up putting 6000km on my car? I have no idea but thank God that it worked out the way it did because we were running a bit short of funds when the alternator went out the second time.
That's my really long story. I hoped you enjoyed it.
