They say God watches out for children and fools, and I know which one I am. Anyway, this story may seem familiar to everyone - I am just fortunate enough to have had it turn out differently. I'm driving along, just having exited Lake Shore Drive at North Avunue, going around the curve (curves to the left) and I change lanes to go around a slower moving car. The whole strip is really poorly paved, with 2-3" buckles every ten feet in the pavement. Anyway, I go to pull into the next lane, and all of a sudden the rear end breaks, pulls toward the driver's side, and I am sliding sideways down the street. Trying to correct with the steering does nothing, and I head straight toward the curb, hit it REAL HARD, and am then heading through the embankment straight toward a huge tree. By whatever miracle, I narrowly slide by the tree (like 6" or less to my passenger side) and I skid to a stop in the grass about 20 yards off the street.
I really can't describe the feeling of looking at a large tree (the kind that doesn't give when you hit it), without having any way to control how to avoid it, and then come to a stop. Unfortunately, I know that some of you have experienced this. In particular, Unoid's description of his crash instantly came to mind once I had a chance to replay the events. In any event, I was really shaken.
Long story short, I thought I blew out both front tires. I got out of the car and heard nothing but air hissing out of the front tires. I pulled back on the road, and moved over to assess the damage. The driver's side front tire went flat. I jacked it up, pulled the lugs off, and could not get the alloy rim unfused from the steel rotor. I call roadside assistance and they promise to send someone out. So, I start getting the spare down. BUT, just as Hawkinson Ford failed to give me the locking lugs that came from the factory, they also failed to give me the KEY TO THE SPARE that apparently comes standard on all 2002 F-150s.
In a plus mark for Ford, I call roadside assistance back and they cheerfully sent out a flatbed (upon request) for me. The guy towed me to the local dealer (Bert Weinman Ford on Ashland). They told him they were full and to put me in the lot. The tow guy talks to the service manager for a second, and they agree to take me right away. All I wanted was for them to get the spare down and let me go, so I could make Hawkinson pay the bill. Instead, they come back 10 minutes later and said they had bent the rim back into shape and let the truck down. Good as new, and no charge. Go Ford!
Anyway, my point is that, I felt really close to popping airbags and totaling the L today, and that sucked. And I wasn't driving out of control or anything. So be careful out there - you never know when you can lose it.
And thanks to whoever pushed that tree out of my way. :biggrinan
I really can't describe the feeling of looking at a large tree (the kind that doesn't give when you hit it), without having any way to control how to avoid it, and then come to a stop. Unfortunately, I know that some of you have experienced this. In particular, Unoid's description of his crash instantly came to mind once I had a chance to replay the events. In any event, I was really shaken.
Long story short, I thought I blew out both front tires. I got out of the car and heard nothing but air hissing out of the front tires. I pulled back on the road, and moved over to assess the damage. The driver's side front tire went flat. I jacked it up, pulled the lugs off, and could not get the alloy rim unfused from the steel rotor. I call roadside assistance and they promise to send someone out. So, I start getting the spare down. BUT, just as Hawkinson Ford failed to give me the locking lugs that came from the factory, they also failed to give me the KEY TO THE SPARE that apparently comes standard on all 2002 F-150s.
In a plus mark for Ford, I call roadside assistance back and they cheerfully sent out a flatbed (upon request) for me. The guy towed me to the local dealer (Bert Weinman Ford on Ashland). They told him they were full and to put me in the lot. The tow guy talks to the service manager for a second, and they agree to take me right away. All I wanted was for them to get the spare down and let me go, so I could make Hawkinson pay the bill. Instead, they come back 10 minutes later and said they had bent the rim back into shape and let the truck down. Good as new, and no charge. Go Ford!
Anyway, my point is that, I felt really close to popping airbags and totaling the L today, and that sucked. And I wasn't driving out of control or anything. So be careful out there - you never know when you can lose it.
And thanks to whoever pushed that tree out of my way. :biggrinan
