Appreciation post: My car's alternator quit on the highway last Thursday

I was driving home from my shift, right where the 101 merges, and everything just went dark. No power steering, dash lights dead, the whole deal. I managed to coast to the shoulder, feeling that total 'well, this is it' panic. Called a tow, got it to a shop in Ventura, and the guy said the alternator was completely shot, a $700 fix. Sitting there waiting for the bill, it hit me... I treat that car like an appliance, just expecting it to work, but I haven't even popped the hood to check the belts in maybe a year. It's a machine, it needs a look sometimes, and I just ignore it until it screams. Anyone else have a moment where something you rely on daily just gave up and made you feel like a neglectful idiot?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean7826d ago

Honestly, the real gut punch for me was the radio dying. One second I'm listening to a song, the next it's just silence and that awful battery light. It's like the car's final way of saying "hey, you forgot about me." We get so used to the background hum of our stuff working that when it stops, the quiet feels like an accusation. Makes you wonder what ELSE you're just taking for granted until it leaves you on the side of the road.

the_emma6d ago

Ever have your phone die right as you're looking up directions? That's my version of the car giving up on me...

alice_hart6d ago

That "background hum" is the sound of trust, honestly.