This will be a combo complaint for my day Tuesday and for yesterday.
Tuesday: 5:00AM 6 degrees out, snowing. No biggee. Jump in the truck, now for full disclosure as this leads right in to the rest of the story, it's a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 Sport 4X4. It get worked hard, it sees a lot of road salt, daily it is parked 15 feet from the water. poop is just always rusting on this thing. All four fenders have eBay generic Bushwacker pocketed fender flares to cover the rust holes that you could fit a small dog thru. Faded paint besides on a fender where some douche hit it with a stump grinder right after I bought it(used). So it is no beauty queen, but only has 113K miles on it, the 360 runs like new and it's paid off.
Anyhow....yeah, jump in the truck and head to the gym. Pull into the parking lot, hit the brakes, pedal goes right to the floor. Bummer, but it could have happened at a thousand different times/places that could have ended with pretty horrible results. I instantly knew I blew a brake line because it's happened twice before...rust never sleeps. There's sill enough braking left that I can get it to the mechanic if I take the back roads, keep a safe distance from other cars, and keep it in 4Low. And for the guys that are gonna chime in "Why didn't you fix it yourself?" the weather SUCKS, I don't own a garage, and every time I work on it, it is too much of an 'adventure' due to everything being rusted solid. And tossing a couple hundred bucks at someone to save me the time and aggravation is 100% worth it, especially on a vehicle with no car payment. While it was there I also had a rear shackle replaced after I noticed it was looking very sketchy and I haul a lot of weight in this pig.
I call the mechanic yesterday, "Yep, should be ready around 4:30". Cool!. My lovely wife drives me to the shop and we pull up next to Old Red and the wife says "Your hood looks weird, like it isn't closed all the way". I get out to take a look and both corners of the hood, up where they meet near the windshield are looking like an accordion, and my windshield has an 8" crack right between the wipers. Hmm. That's weird. I am thinking maybe the garage door fell on it since Sully, the cool old dude that runs the shop, had mentioned he was having issues with them earlier in the week.
Walk into the shop and Sully is pacing back and forth and his head mechanic is on the phone running his hands thru his hair like it's the end of the world. Sully looks over at me and says "So, yeah, about that hood.....we finished all the work and Tom took it for a test drive, during which the hood flew completely open wrecking the hood and taking out your windshield as well" He is totally flustered and he is beside himself, like he had just totaled someone's prized '63 Corvette Split Window Coupe. He is just rambling, almost speaking in tongues "Tom is trying to source you a hood right now, but the paint is probably not gonna be a perfect match, your truck's hood is kinda faded(understatement of the century) and we haven't found one yet with the same exact paint code". Then Tom gets off the phone, looking like Megan Fox just broke up with him "Mr. Silva, we found a hood, it's red, but I am pretty sure it's not gonna have the Sport decal on it"
On the inside I am in complete hysterics. There is not ONE body panel that matches another on my truck as far as paint goes. Sure it all started as Flame Red 15 years ago, and indeed is all still red(basically) but the doors are almost a red-orange color now(and I have no idea why) and I could give a crap less, this truck gets washed when it rains and has never been buffed out...hell..it's never been waxed. And these guys are worried about matching paint and a missing decal......
I even tell the guys, "No worries, it's not a big deal" even though saying that was not the best bargaining methodology, but these guys always treat me VERY fairly and it's a small family run shop. Sully says "Oh I AM worried and it IS a big deal, we messed up your truck, and I am so, so sorry". "We'll get you a hood, and work out some monetary compensation" I told them not to worry about the windshield, I'd just get that done for free since my insurance will cover it.
The whole time they are apologizing I just want to scream "HAVE YOU EVEN LOOKED AT THE TRUCK??!!?? IT HARDLY LOOKS WORSE THAN WHEN I BROUGHT IT IN"
Oh well, it's still drivable and at some point next week it'll have a new(well new from a salvage yard) hood and a nice new clear unpitted windshield, and I am guessing they won't charge me on the brake lines. Win/Win/Win
