Check Your Lug Nuts, Trust Me

We drive Volvos. Old Volvos. You can get them for what ONE car payment would be if you shop carefully. For example, The Transporter's car, a 1991 red, stick, sedan (exactly what he wanted) cost $20 more than OYT's hobby grade RC truck.

However, old Volvos do need maintenance. No problem. The Engineer has been working on cars since he was 15. The Transporter has inherited the love of and aptitude for this, from both sides of the family. You might recall that The Swede worked for Volvo, and is an expert mechanic. The Transporter got that gene from my Dad! (Not from me, it skipped a generation.) Between the three of them, “we” (I sometimes bring them paper towels) can do just about anything.

My car, a 1994 wagon, 940 model, which was their most luxurious version, is the newest in our fleet. As in year of manufacture, I mean. She started to make a strange noise which The Transporter was the first to notice. I try to pay attention, but I wasn't this time. The noise got louder. I told The Engineer. He said he'd look at it. You know how busy he is. Another week went by.

“That noise is really getting bad, honey. Will you check it out? I think it's my brakes and so does Jake.”

Before he had time to do that though, I was on my way to a store I detest but needed a gift card for a birthday party and OYT's friend's mother had suggested this store. It has weird people...

I was driving on a 65 mph highway, and the noise was now just ridiculously loud. I pulled into the turn lane for the store, and at a reasonable speed, turned right. 

You all know vectors, right? (Math in everyday life, Andrew Leon of StrangePegs!) Car traveling east, then car traveling south, wheel goes? Into the landscaping at a 45 degree angle. THE WHEEL FELL OFF MY CAR. I'm turning the corner, clunk I'm stopped in my tracks (well, not immediately, but I sure left some tracks) watching my wheel roll off into the parking lot's bushes and trees. It does stop. Eventually.

So apparently the noise was the lug nuts loosening, causing the wheel to wobble, causing more loosening, louder noise, until that one last nut said, “I'm outta here. I'm sick of holding this thing on all by myself!”

What do I do? What any girl who just lost her WHEEL would do. I call The Engineer. He says, oops, guess I should have paid closer attention, call a tow truck, see you tonight. How do I respond? Total nervous breakdown. I'm seeing that wheel coming off while I was still on that highway, causing a major pile up, me stopping dead causing me to be rear ended causing a chain reaction and it's all one big, huge mess and I'm in the hospital with something broken. I have a good imagination. It's writer thing...

“Oh, do you want me to come help you?”

“YES I DO.”

He comes to the rescue. I'm calm enough to go buy gift card. He's sane enough to send me home in his car and wait for the tow truck.

She's still sitting in the driveway. All the parts have finally arrived, but we're having trouble finding snow tires. You know, not for full price...

Can you beat that with a car story? I'd love to have you try.

~Tina