Jim Walton

Today has been an interesting day, a day that I knew would come in it’s own way and in it’s own time but I never wanted to see it arrive. First some back story, my car is 13 years old and has over 240,000 miles on it.  Since moving to Texas just under a year ago, I have put over $1,000 into this car in repairs, including 4 new tires.  I feel like I have put the last significant amount of money into this car and any other substantial repair will bring my car to the end of it’s life.

Today, we had a close call. Driving back from lunch, I was hearing a different sound and we, my car and I, knew that something wasn’t right. I got back to my office and started making the left hand turn like normal but early into the turn, I knew something wasn’t right because my steering was nearly gone. Checking the dash, I saw that all systems were down, so I went with the momentum and let it carry me off the road and into the parking lot, essentially. I was able to make the right hand turn and off into the grass out of the way.

From here, my office is still a good 200ft away but fortunately, a vendor who was on his way to see me had pulled in behind me.  So, we assessed the situation as best we could and agreed we really had no clue.  I knew by now that the car had overheated in the 100+ degree weather and I knew there was a hole in the top of the radiator that wasn’t supposed to be there.

So, with me being a little too busy for this unplanned circumstance, I did what I had to do and I worked.  The security guard was all over it and I let a buddy of mine know that my car needed attention and gave him the keys. Over the next hour, they pushed my car up to the building and assessed the situation on a more professional level.

One of them found out the cost of the new radiator and once they tracked me down they told me once I get the radiator, it will be repaired pretty quickly. I called and found where I could buy the radiator and had to track down a 3rd person for a ride.

By the time I got back with the new radiator, my old one had already been removed, so the new one was ready to be installed.  It was done within the next 30 minutes and I really appreciate all of the help I received.  The only problem remaining was that I should have bought a new radiator cap but failed to, so within a few blocks of leaving, I was overheating again.  Once I got to the store and bought the new cap, I topped off the anti-freeze, then put the new cap on and life was good again. No more overheating.

When I got home, I promptly checked the radiator caps on the other 2 vehicles and topped off anti-freeze in both of them.  The last thing I want to do is for anyone in my family to be found overheated on the side of the road.

The day has not arrived yet which caused me to sadly kiss my car goodbye, but that day is quickly approaching.  As long as it keeps on running, I will keep on driving it.

This Texas heat is brutal and it’s time to be proactive.

Lesson O’ The Day:
Make sure your radiator cap has a good seal!