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Yesterday we dropped the car at Orr Honda and left a note explaining the symptoms and mentioning the long road trip, kids, cat, etc. I tried not to spend the night thinking about what the possible problem could be and googling the warning lights, but I did feel a little sick about the “what-ifs.” I mean, if the car was damaged beyond repair, it’s not like we could just buy a different one because as a permanent resident I’m not allowed to drive a US car into Mexico. I just went to bed hoping for the best.
The service department opened at 7:30, and I immediately started getting texts from my new friend Darryl explaining that the service writers would be in shortly and I should come over to get the process going. He said that the service manager was expecting me, and gave me the names of all the other service guys who could help. He was very reassuring and it made me feel hopeful that at least someone was taking the problem out of my hands. He even sent me a cat emoji.
I went over to the dealership and chatted with one of the service guys, who told me that he had driven the car that morning and it drove ok (so I didn’t kill it), and it was in line to go in as soon as the service techs arrived at 8. He told me he would call as soon as they ran the diagnostic codes. A half hour later he called to report that the problem was the accelerator position sensor, and unfortunately nobody nearby had one. It had to be overnighted from California, but the car should be ready to go tomorrow morning.
I returned the obscenely expensive Hertz rental car and picked one up from Enterprise for $100 less on our corporate plan. I extended our hotel stay and the Penske rental by one more day, notified the TX-to-SMA mover, caught up on some work, and took the kids to Target to let them spend some of their money on last-minute necessities like Swedish Fish and Nerf bullets. We’re headed across the street to a BBQ joint for dinner, and hoping to eventually find the guest laundry room available. The luggage and all of our other stuff is organized, and we’re ready to hit the road as soon as we get the call.
To be honest, once I knew that the car would be fixed tomorrow and at a cost of <$500, hanging around Texarkana for the day wasn’t so bad. It’s almost like we’re getting back to Mexican Time. Everyone here has been very friendly and kind…I think 3 days is enough, but it could have been much, much worse. Hopefully everything goes smoothly tomorrow, and we’ll be in Laredo to leave the contents of the truck with the movers on Wednesday morning, arriving in SMA Thursday afternoon.
Here’s what Norah wrote in her gratitude journal (posted with her permission):
