Arrrggghh!
Doomsday approacheth!
By Pamela Rae Schuffert presenting investigative journalism from a Biblical Christian perspective-
www.AmericanHolocaustComing.blogspot.com
Doomsday approacheth!
By Pamela Rae Schuffert presenting investigative journalism from a Biblical Christian perspective-
www.AmericanHolocaustComing.blogspot.com
How I dreaded today. Thursday was the anticipated "D-DAY" or financial doomsday for emptying my feeble bank account to cover my SUV repair bills. And I also dreaded parting with my "home on wheels" for a few days. I had scheduled a tow truck to come and pick up my SUV from the parking lot of Brother John's nursing home at 9:00 AM today.
B & R TOWING AND RECOVERY of Hendersonville, NC, sent Jamie Shuler with one of their trucks to pick up my SUV. But before he towed me to the Chevy repair shop, Jamie walked over and asked what the problem was. I told him about the terrible clanging as I tried to drive my vehicle a few days previously, and about how after much research on the Internet I had tentatively determined that it sounded like a CV joint or axle problem.
Jamie informed me that he had been a master mechanic for 20 years, and then asked to look under the vehicle at each front joint. Instructing me to turn my steering wheel in one direction, and then the other, he carefully looked at both joints and axle.
He then said, "Well, ma'am, your problem is NOT your joints. The boots are still intact, no oil is coming out, and they look just fine." Really! I started to get very VERY excited when I heard that good news.
I asked him, "So what do you think all that clanging the other day was? SOMETHING was wrong..."
He then told me it sounded to him like a 4 wheel drive differential that failed to disengage and was creating that loud repeat noise. Yes, this SUV did have 2 and 4 wheel drive on it. He said the problem could have been cold weather related with this recent arctic chill blast.
"Even with our trucks, we have problems when the weather gets this cold. It does affect the behavior of our vehicles as well..." Yesterday had been much warmer and lots of snow had melted. But in spite of warmer weather, I had been afraid to try to drive it again, for fear of doing any more damage to it.
He then told me to try to back it up, slowly. Fearing I would hear that terrible clanging noise again or even damage the vehicle, I slowly backed up, holding my breath.
And...NOTHING! No sounds at all. I was incredulous. He smiled and said to drive to the nearby gas station, and he would follow me to make sure that my vehicle was truly okay. He reiterated that the problem probably was the 4 wheel drive failing to disengage and then making that terrible noise.
The warmer weather yesterday may have caused it's release or melting of whatever moisture may have frozen in/on it causing it to temporarily malfunction. I really have no way of knowing.
And so, I slowly drove down to the local truck stop and gas station. EVERYTHING WORKED GREAT! He pulled in beside me and walked over to the SUV. "Here's some business cards...the next time you're REALLY in trouble, give me a call," he said as he smiled.
I couldn't thank him enough. While he was smiling, I was still in shock. His on-location examination of my joints and axle, finding them in good shape, and then his suggestion that it was only 4 wheel drive and cold weather related and easily corrected, just saved me anywhere from $500 to $1,000 potentially in the local Chevy repair garage, including the cost of a diagnostic and towing fees. I could just picture my money flying out the window over this...
Bye-bye guys.........
Garages are often quite notorious to replace whatever you may request, EVEN THOUGH there may not be anything wrong with it to begin with. ("Hey...you ASKED us to do it, and we did it! And thanks for your money too...heh-heh!")
And Jamie saved me the towing fee as well. He charged me nothing for coming out to my vehicle.
Thank you Jesus! And thank you B & R TOWING AND RECOVERY OF HENDERSONVILLE, NC (1-828-489-6630) for all my local readers.) Now THIS is a towing company you can trust, and they just SAVED me alot of money! Jamie performed a free on-site diagnostic and changed the entire outcome of today.
If you like, you may feel free to call Jamie, and he will be happy to confirm everything I just shared with you, my readers. Thank you, Jamie!
My brother was so excited when I drove back to the nursing home and came in to pray with him this morning. We took hands and prayed, and he was SO thankful to God for this mercy today. He knew how I dreaded the cost of anticipated repairs, and being without my home for several days. Living on the edge for Christ, with limited resources, my life is often very fragile and vulnerable as well. Thank God for His mercies.
Brother John
By the way, John is doing so much better today. I pumped him full of various vitamins yesterday as well. Plus, your prayers are working! I am now getting Brother John some more very potent vitamins at the local health food store.So now you have "...the REST of the story" as famed radio commentator Paul Harvey used to say. After intense planning for the anticipated vehicle repairs, and dreading the thought of my bank account emptying because of towing/diagnostic/repair bills, I am still trying to comprehend the grace and mercy of God in even situations such as this. Whew! Time for collapsing in a nice soft armchair and praising God for a while, and being thankful.
So scratch all the fascinating things I was offering for sale to get the money for this! I am deleting that post and hanging on to my bizarre collection of unique, collectible and fascinating things until the NEXT upcoming crisis. The walk of FAITH is always exciting, challenging, and filled with countless unknowns as well.
Who knows what God will do TOMORROW, in response to that prayer you prayed TODAY???
All I know is, He sure answered
MY prayers about this mini-crisis!
And you can be certain He will also answer YOUR prayers as well.
For...
"With GOD, all things are possible!"
-a thankful Pamela Rae Schuffert and Brother John-
(PS-After this experience, I think it is past time to take a good basic automotive course!)
(PS-After this experience, I think it is past time to take a good basic automotive course!)