Update: The Car Gets Sent To A Different Hospital

My first call was to AAA in New York. It is their policy I must be with the car when it’s towed. Uhhhhh…. I’m a hundred miles away!

If you’re just joining us I decided to drive to Manhattan in my 12 year old seldom driven convertible Saturday. On my way home it broke down. I was stranded at First and 58th on the Upper East Side.

Last night the service center in Midtown called to say they knew the problem… and knew they couldn’t fix it. It would have to go to a Mercedes dealer. There’s one just a few blocks away.

Though I go to bed between four and five most mornings I set my alarm today for seven. I had work to do.

My first call was to AAA in New York. It is their policy I must be with the car when it’s towed. Uhhhhh…. I’m a hundred miles away!

I waited on hold while the rep called Connecticut. Finally after about ten minutes I heard two beeps. I was disconnected!

I called again and was connected to the type of person we all think of (wrongly) when we think of a DMV employee. If there was warmth and humanity somewhere within this women she wasn’t showing it to me.

Three more calls and nearly two hours later I received word the car was at the dealer and would be looked it.

“There’s a diagnostic charge,” the service writer told me.

I paid one yesterday. I guess that doesn’t count. He said he’ll call tomorrow with word on what’s wrong.

If things go according to my plan the car will be done Thursday and I’ll take the train in to fetch it Saturday. I will be apprehensive and scared to drive.

How does your car regain your trust?

10 thoughts on “Update: The Car Gets Sent To A Different Hospital”

  1. That’s one beautiful car, Geoff! It’s very hard to regain trust when a glitch is fixed. When it’s a glitch, the repair seems so much more abstract. Just have faith in the Mercedes Benz dealership as they are supposed to take good care of your Benz. Good luck getting home with it. P.S. Great story on how to take photos last night. I just got a new camera in January but I don’t think it has the HDR. Oh well..

  2. I would definitely suggest that you either drive back with a friend or take one of these commenters, like Ms Hall there, up on their offer.

  3. Geoff,

    My 1969 Corvette convertible was the same way. It would leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere. Mind you, this was WAY before cell phones were invented, so I had to hike a bit to reach a phone.
    As far as regaining trust, that my friend comes with time. Each time you take it out for a spin, there will always be that little itch in the back of your brain wondering if you’ll make it home.
    So, in order to have some peace of mind, I would plan my route where 1) I was near a phone somewhere, 2) never travel out of State, 3) Always maintain my AAA membership!!
    In your case, however, it seems as though the eletrical problem can be bypassed, if you can get the dealer to do that for you. Problem solved, confidence restored. Happy motoring.

  4. You are doing commercials for this dealership here in Ct, now call me crazy, but could they not have helped you out with sending a tow to where your car was and getting it back here?
    Maybe you could have worked something out with them.
    I don’t know, today people just don’t seem to want to extend a helping hand anymore.
    Not getting snarky with this dealership, but just sayin////

    1. I didn’t ask and they didn’t know (since the entries were written long after the fact). I am sure Premier would have given me whatever helping hand was necessary, but doing what I did and leaving the car in New York City on that Saturday night were the most appropriate.

      Maybe the better question is why I wasn’t driving my Subaru Forester, which is incredibly reliable? Simply put driving with the top down was too compelling… though the Forester has the biggest sunroof I’ve ever seen.

  5. Geoff, if I wasn’t all the way down at the other end of the state (southeast), I’d offer to drive you down then follow you back myself. Now that I think about it, I actually DID have a car die on me in the middle of an intersection once – the thing was, it was a brand new car I’d only bought the day before. (Turned out it was a bad module in the computer. I was not happy watching my new baby leave on a wrecker!)

    Anyhow, I’d ask the dealer if there’s any way you can “bypass” the problem if it happens again (pulling a fuze or something).

  6. Drive it……it will feel the love again. I too have a spare car (truck in this case) that I drive ocassionally. It once was my primary vehicle…..but I find the more it sits…..the more it has issues…….cars are made to drive….so do that for your MB….. make it a point to use it on weekends…..or something. Also, I said this before, but it belongs in the garage!!!! Sitting with moisture on it, under it, day in and day out…rust rust rust !!! this is your keeper……. the Subaru is a “deal” car that will I assume be replaced in some intervals…..

  7. I’ve had so many cars break down on me in so many awful places, I could write a book. Maybe I should..that would have to be better than worrying about the car breaking down. It’s awful to go through but almost always makes a good tale to tell.

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