My Tire Problems, Part 2

I usually seem to have bad luck when it comes to tires. You have to look no further than to this past August to see the bad luck I came across when I punctured one of my rear tires with a chunk of a knife. I came across some of that bad luck again on New Year’s Eve, but it was a little more drastic this time.

New Year’s Eve was shaping up to be a great day for me. It was my final day of working at the video store - a job in which I have held for nearly two years. Also, both Crystal and I had been preparing and planning on throwing another New Year’s Eve celebration at our place once again.

Due to the holiday, the video store was extremely busy. I was supposed to work until 8:00 and I was amazed when I was told I could leave at 7:30. I had no problems with leaving early, so I gathered my belongings and went out to my car. I called Crystal to tell her that I got off of work early and to expect me home shortly.

I put my car in reverse and backed out of my parking spot. Upon straightening the wheel, I heard a loud pop. I figured it was from being so cold outside, however I would soon realize it was much more than that. I began to drive off and made it a good 20 feet through the parking lot and noticed that my steering seemed a little odd, especially since I tried to turn and the car kept on going straight. Soon, my car stopped moving even though my foot was on the accelerator.

I got out and see that my front driver’s side tire was sticking out in a way that it shouldn’t have been. I called Crystal once again and told her of my misfortunes and headed back into the video store and waited for her arrival. Luckily, this happened in an area of the parking lot that wasn’t in the way of the traffic flow.

My car sat in the parking lot until yesterday when I finally got it towed to Advanced Alignment & Repair, which was conveniently located about another 30 feet away from where this all happened. Upon the first inspection the problem stemmed from a broken ball joint, which also damaged the drive axle. The ball joint on the passenger side wasn’t that great either, so both are now being replaced. Overall, the total cost to me is nearly $600.

Finally, thanks to cell phone technology, I was able to take some photos of the damage with my phone to share with all of you.

Comments

No comments have been posted.