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="John Cougar Lunchbucket":21rdpixn]Sunday: Ruptured water hose in car causes 4-hour delay / emergency repair in Lewistwon Pa. (come see our Wal-Mart)
Monday: Car fails emissions inspection related to failure to complete "drive cycle" after disconnecting battery to repair above mentioned ruputed water hose
Wednesday
--7-year bulbs in kitchen finally reached their 7-year limit, necessitating late-night Home Depot excursion.
-- Sunroom roof leaked in rain despite recent repairs
-- Got $65 ticket for expired inspection despite temporary extension papers displayed on dash
--Cop disconnects windsheild wiper polacing ticket on car[/quote:21rdpixn]
You should buy a lottery ticket. And then pee on it and leave it in the street.
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cooby
May 12 2009 06:58 PM
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="John Cougar Lunchbucket":2ix2cpzb]Sunday: Ruptured water hose in car causes 4-hour delay / emergency repair in Lewistwon Pa. (come see our Wal-Mart)
Monday: Car fails emissions inspection related to failure to complete "drive cycle" after disconnecting battery to repair above mentioned ruputed water hose
Wednesday
--7-year bulbs in kitchen finally reached their 7-year limit, necessitating late-night Home Depot excursion.
-- Sunroom roof leaked in rain despite recent repairs
-- Got $65 ticket for expired inspection despite temporary extension papers displayed on dash
--Cop disconnects windsheild wiper polacing ticket on car[/quote:2ix2cpzb]
I know several people who live in Lewistown (some of my best friends in fact!) and they make fun of their Walmart too!
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cooby
May 12 2009 07:04 PM
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P:S: Why were you in Lewistown? THat is really kind of exciting for me!
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
May 12 2009 07:15 PM
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Wifey's got some family out in Huntingdon, and we were headed home on 22 when the temp guage spiked.
We still have to get the emission reinspected but NY's finest have seen it fit to issue us 2 more tickets.
Unfrigginbelieveable.
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cooby
May 12 2009 07:18 PM
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Sorry about your problems :( (really I am!) but I think it's neat that you were in the hometown of two of my closest friends, though many miles from where I live. I wish I'd have known Saturday. Though I guess I don't know what I'd have done.
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
May 12 2009 07:26 PM
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Well there's this: We got a wedding out there last weekend of June so we'll be passing through again.
If you know Lewistown we came right off the hiway to the wal-Mart, then down the street a half-mile to the auto parts store. Fortunately it was across the street from a Dairy Queen. More fortunately, those relatives had connections to a mechanic in-law who rescued us.
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cooby
May 12 2009 07:42 PM
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I hope that your next trip is better than this one was :) Always nice to have a mechanic in the family!
I've only been there once, to take one of my friends home from work (she was sick). My office mate Mike lives there too, he used to work at that Walmart and gripes about it to this day...
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
May 13 2009 08:27 AM
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Another ticket.
That's $260 in 8 days if you're keeping score.
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sharpie
May 13 2009 08:34 AM
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Probably cheaper to leave it in a lot than risk the city coming by every day to slap another ticket on you.
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
May 13 2009 08:39 AM
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The crazy thing is the temp papers are clearly visible on the dash. You can't look at the reg sticker and not see them there.
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
May 15 2009 09:20 AM
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Bizzarre car update:
Took it back to the regular (soon to be former) mechanic on Tuesday for re-inspection but their emissions testing equipment was not working.
Wifey picked the car up and took it down the street to a different mechanic, only to find the "drive cycle" still had not been completed and was still unable to test. But I'm beginning to suspect it's not the drive cycle at all but that the catalytic converter somehow got fucked up when the water hose broke.
But to be safe, I took the car out for a long drive Tuesday night, then back to the 2nd mechanic for emissions testing Wednesday morning. But their mechanic was late for work that day (and so was I so I couldn't wait) and so I took it to a third mechanic across the street, explained the situation, and told them to call me.
He called later only to say he can't test it for safety violations (rear brakes, rear tire wear) that had already passed muster at the first place I took it to. I'm trying to explain I don't need safety, just emissions, but he gets suspicious of the whole story. "I don't want any part of this," he said.
So now its noon Wednesday, my car is back at home at home in the lot of a mechanic I don't know who thinks maybe it's stolen or something, the temporary extenion runs out Thursday and I've already racked up $260 in tickets (which I'm contesting of course but it's still incredibly stressful to find a ticket on your windshield every time you go out there).
So thinking quickly I take the rest of the day off, go back home, pick the car up, and drive down the street to yet another mechanic (3rd of the day, 4th overall). Polish guys. They of course immediately proceed with the safety inspection I don't need, and determine it's OK -- except for the rear license plate lights. Now, I knew these were broken but the first mechanic always cuts me a break on it. It's not that the bulbs were out, its the metal part that holds the bulb in got rusty and broke. At least they didn't whistle me for brakes and tires like mechanic 3 would have tried to.
But I need loicense plate lights. They suggest finding the part at a big autoparts warehosue nearby, so I drive out there, but they only have the bulbs, not the broken part that holds them. So I purchase 2 bulbs thinking the dealer will soak me for 'em, and set out for the nearest Ford dealer, which is way the fuck out in Corona.
Now I'm only hoping the Mets game keeps going, since I don't wanna deal with Citifield traffic interrupting my trip out to Queens, and (un)fortunately they comply. The Met game and my car & portable radio often is the only thing keeping me from going insane but this one is suitably crazy accompaniament. Tatis yay! Stokes yay! Wright WTF? Sheffield yay! Putz BOO Reyes WTF!? BOOOO ...
So I buy the parts at the dealer (D'oh! they come with bulbs), and I race back to the Polish mechanic and they start in replacing them just as Takahashi faces Martin Prado. They move on, finally to the emissions test I've been trying to get for 2 weeks and that I'm convinced will fail anyway and I'm afraid to look and Reyes might have hit a home run but no and wtf? and Beltran on three pitches and fuck it they lost they suck they suck I hate them ... and totally wiped and defeated I peek in at the Polish mechanic and he's scraping the old sticker off, putting a new one on. Street legal, baby!
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metirish
May 15 2009 09:29 AM
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Great , great story.....obviously you went through a whole lot of bullshit and I'm glad for you that you are legal again , but the way you tied in the Mets sucking and the car story was priceless.
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Fman99
May 15 2009 10:05 AM
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="John Cougar Lunchbucket":h2o0h70d]Bizzarre car update:
Took it back to the regular (soon to be former) mechanic on Tuesday for re-inspection but their emissions testing equipment was not working.
Wifey picked the car up and took it down the street to a different mechanic, only to find the "drive cycle" still had not been completed and was still unable to test. But I'm beginning to suspect it's not the drive cycle at all but that the catalytic converter somehow got fucked up when the water hose broke.
But to be safe, I took the car out for a long drive Tuesday night, then back to the 2nd mechanic for emissions testing Wednesday morning. But their mechanic was late for work that day (and so was I so I couldn't wait) and so I took it to a third mechanic across the street, explained the situation, and told them to call me.
He called later only to say he can't test it for safety violations (rear brakes, rear tire wear) that had already passed muster at the first place I took it to. I'm trying to explain I don't need safety, just emissions, but he gets suspicious of the whole story. "I don't want any part of this," he said.
So now its noon Wednesday, my car is back at home at home in the lot of a mechanic I don't know who thinks maybe it's stolen or something, the temporary extenion runs out Thursday and I've already racked up $260 in tickets (which I'm contesting of course but it's still incredibly stressful to find a ticket on your windshield every time you go out there).
So thinking quickly I take the rest of the day off, go back home, pick the car up, and drive down the street to yet another mechanic (3rd of the day, 4th overall). Polish guys. They of course immediately proceed with the safety inspection I don't need, and determine it's OK -- except for the rear license plate lights. Now, I knew these were broken but the first mechanic always cuts me a break on it. It's not that the bulbs were out, its the metal part that holds the bulb in got rusty and broke. At least they didn't whistle me for brakes and tires like mechanic 3 would have tried to.
But I need loicense plate lights. They suggest finding the part at a big autoparts warehosue nearby, so I drive out there, but they only have the bulbs, not the broken part that holds them. So I purchase 2 bulbs thinking the dealer will soak me for 'em, and set out for the nearest Ford dealer, which is way the fuck out in Corona.
Now I'm only hoping the Mets game keeps going, since I don't wanna deal with Citifield traffic interrupting my trip out to Queens, and (un)fortunately they comply. The Met game and my car & portable radio often is the only thing keeping me from going insane but this one is suitably crazy accompaniament. Tatis yay! Stokes yay! Wright WTF? Sheffield yay! Putz BOO Reyes WTF!? BOOOO ...
So I buy the parts at the dealer (D'oh! they come with bulbs), and I race back to the Polish mechanic and they start in replacing them just as Takahashi faces Martin Prado. They move on, finally to the emissions test I've been trying to get for 2 weeks and that I'm convinced will fail anyway and I'm afraid to look and Reyes might have hit a home run but no and wtf? and Beltran on three pitches and fuck it they lost they suck they suck I hate them ... and totally wiped and defeated I peek in at the Polish mechanic and he's scraping the old sticker off, putting a new one on. Street legal, baby![/quote:h2o0h70d]
Big Al would be proud of your story.
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metirish
May 15 2009 10:06 AM
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I thought of Big Al reading this but couldn't remember his name.
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
May 15 2009 10:44 AM
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Please, I'm no Big Al.
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Kong76
May 15 2009 11:25 AM
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Was Big Al the Krispy Kreme story guy too?
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Edgy DC
May 15 2009 11:47 AM
Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 16 2009 05:11 PM
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The intersection of the Mets and life is what seperates worthwhile blogs from the typical 'Heilman sucks' crap. It goes without saying that Big Al would have been the best blogger ever.
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Gwreck
May 17 2009 08:28 PM
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The tickets will all likely be dismissed if you take in the copy of the extension papers. Just a pain in the rear end to take the time to go in person for the hearing.
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themetfairy
May 17 2009 08:32 PM
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Can you contest the tickets by mail? If you can, there will be instructions on the back of the ticket.
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Gwreck
May 17 2009 08:40 PM
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Of course. My experience is that success rates are higher if contested in person.
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themetfairy
May 17 2009 08:44 PM
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If it's truly a matter where it's a simple issue and you have solid, documented evidence, then contesting notices of violation by mail could be the better option.
I used to work for a city agency, and we dismissed a lot of notices of violation by mail.
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
May 17 2009 09:15 PM
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="Gwreck":36lgsb36]The tickets will all likely be dismissed if you take in the copy of the extension papers. Just a pain in the rear end to take the time to go in person for the hearing.[/quote:36lgsb36]
I already mailed in the contest, including a few photos and a nice firm letter. Usually they will respond with an offer, pay half or something. And in cases where I'm actually guilty and just trying to get out of it on a technicality I will accept their offer. But this time I will fight to the supreme court.
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Nymr83
May 18 2009 07:42 AM
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="John Cougar Lunchbucket":vs3h1086] But this time I will fight to the supreme court.[/quote:vs3h1086]
thats not very far up the ladder in New York, you could at least show some effort and get to the Appellate Division
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
Jul 21 2009 09:48 AM
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Well, no news is good news on the tickets, I'm pretty sure they've all been dismissed.
But more bad news for the Lunchmobile which for the 3rd time in 3 years, had its sideview mirror taken out by a shitty driver while parked in front of our house. I was pissed as I discovered the damage only moments after Diaz leg-whipped Wright at third base on Saturday and I wondered what the hell either of us done to deserve it.
Fortunately, this time the shithead who hit the car left a note and my insurance co is on his ass.
Meantime, a question: the GIECO inspector is supposed to look at the vehicle and do an assessment tomorrow. I spoke to a local bodyshop today and they were adamant I take the car to them before the inspector arrives, presumably so that they can influence the a$$essment. Naturally if the other dude's insurance co is gonna pay I want to run up a huge bill just on general principals but on the other hand I don't wanna make things worse for everyone who already pays too much $$ for insurance, and I'd like to avoid a big bill in the event they can;t get the $$, etc. But I also want a good job done.
The damage on the car is not a lot: The mirror needs replacing and there are scratches across all the panels on the passenger's side but they're not deep ones.
So what do you say? Repair shop now or after the inspection?
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Edgy DC
Jul 21 2009 10:18 AM
Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Jul 23 2009 08:03 PM
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Body damage is a real racket. Is there any reason cars don't have big honking chrome bumpers with rubber pads anymore, except to guarantee you (I) do $500 (or more) worth of damage to a stupid fiberglass bumper every time you (I) gently back up into a vertical item (telephone pole)?
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Number 6
Jul 21 2009 10:19 AM
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IMO, leaving a note makes him far less of a shithead, so I'd be less inclined to try and reach for the stars on this one. Despite his mistake the guy did the right thing; I'm sure he considered just driving on, and if your body shop ends up "influencing the assessment" maybe that's what he does next time. It's not your responsibility to reward his good behavior, but personally I'd hesitate before doing something that could screw him.
Or, maybe that's what makes me a sucker, I don't know.
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metirish
Jul 21 2009 10:49 AM
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If you bring it to the $hop and they rack up a big bill is there any chance that you meet to person that was nice enough to leave you their info?
I know I would feel like a proper dick in that situation.
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
Jul 23 2009 07:02 PM
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Well turns out the adjuster called while I was in the shower and Wifey told her to come on over. So I'll take the car and the estimate to the shop tomorrow am and hope they don't kill me.
Meantime we found out it was not a guy but a chick who hit me. Worst they're in the hole for is $500.
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