janiedelite Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 This is the first summer in several years that I've been healthy enough to go on a vacation of sorts to Yellowstone from Oregon. My hubby and I had done a lot of planning and decided to do a road trip because we have a Buick that's really large and comfortable. I can recline the passenger seat nearly flat, and lie down during the whole drive if I want to. I bought shades for the windows to keep the sun off of me, salted a dozen G2's, packed my compression and cooling vest and was ready to go! A few weeks ago, we took our Buick to our regular mechanic who's very trustworthy and asked them to do basic services, a transmission flush, and check the car over since we were going to drive over 2000 miles. He said the transmission fluid had some metal shavings in it, meaning it was starting to go bad and said we could probably wait a few months if we wanted to fix it. He also said the air shocks were cracked, and we should replace them. We decided to make our trip as stress-free as possible and go ahead with the repairs. In June, we went to a local Aamco for the transmission rebuild, and after that we went to a reputable place to replace the shocks. We paid about $3000 all together for the repairs, but we really wanted to go on this trip with a comfortable car and not have to worry about anything as we would be driving through quite of bit of isolated wilderness. A couple weeks after the transmission was rebuilt, my hubby smelled burning and heard grinding. He took the car back to the Aamco and they said they had put on one of the parts incorrectly, causing a huge leak. We now were concerned about the possible damage to the new transmission, but they assured us we could leave for Yellowstone as planned in 2 days and said they'd thoroughly checked our car and it was fine. We had a 3-year transmission warranty and decided to bring it with us on our trip, just in case.Sure enough... Yesterday we left Portland for our first stop on our trip, Spokane, about 350 miles away. We had driven about 200 miles and were in the middle of the desert when the car refused to gear into a higher gear. My hubby had to pull over, put it in first, and manually gear it up (it's an automatic) but it still wouldn't drive above 1st gear. After a few minutes of repeating this, we heard a clunk and the car started driving normally. We knew something was seriously wrong. I looked on our warranty and called the Portland Aamco and no one answered the phone. So I called other local Aamco's in our area and they gave us the number of an Aamco in Spokane, WA. I called the Spokane Aamco and they were very professional and willing to help. I called Aamco's customer service line but they'd already closed as it was 2pm in Washington and they were on Eastern time, so I left an urgent message. The Spokane Aamco owner actually waited for us for a 1/2 hour after his shop closed and took in our car and information. He said he would honor our warranty, and would take a look at the car in the morning. So we called a taxi, unpacked our Buick and transferred all our gear to the cab, and took it to the hotel we'd booked for the one night we were planning on staying in Spokane. Today the Spokane Aamco called us and said that the transmission was completely burned up and ruined. We would need to wait til he can completely replace our transmission. We were both still trying to contact the Portland Aamco, but no one answered the phone there still. The Spokane mechanic told us were would be stuck in Spokane til next Wednesday at the earliest... so much for seeing Yellowstone! There is a silver lining to all this... we really like the Spokane Aamco owner and believe our transmission will finally be fixed correctly. He will honor our warranty so we don't pay anything. He feels really badly for our situation, too, and has called corporate in order to get payment for his labor and to alert him to our mistreatment. We have also filed a complaint with the better business bureau against the Aamco who originally did the repairs. Another nice thing is that we've been using Priceline to book our rooms here and are staying in a posh hotel right on the waterfront of the Spokane River, next to downtown with tons of restaurants and shops within 1/2 a mile. And we're only paying $50-$70 a night! It's actually really beautiful and hubby and I feel like we're on a second honeymoon somewhat. Unfortunately, yesterday was super stressful, driving 150 miles with a bad transmission, unable to contact our original mechanic, unsure how things would turn out. I had so much adrenaline flowing that my face, neck and chest were hot and red, my heart was flipping out, and I could hardly eat dinner because I was shaking so much. We're hoping that Aamco will reimburse us at least some of the funds we're spending to stay here for a week, so that we could still go to Yellowstone if just for a shorter stay than originally planned. Keep your fingers crossed for us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxine Posted July 12, 2009 Report Share Posted July 12, 2009 Sorry you had to deal with all that. It makes my teeth grind thinking about how frustrating it must have been. I'm happy for you that the trip isn't a total wreck, and you can enjoy some time in Spokane.My brother in law just went to Olympia, Washington on a bus trip. We'll have to get together with him to see how he liked it. We haven't had a chance to see him. I know he's been in Seattle several times. He used to live in Anchorage, Alaska, and come home for visits. He would take a long lay over in Washington on the way to Ohio, or when going back.I'll say a little prayer that you get a chance to visit Yellowstone. Maxine :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted July 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2009 I'll say a little prayer that you get a chance to visit Yellowstone. Thanks, me too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted July 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 We made it! Our car was fixed as of 4pm yesterday and we drove 9 hours to Yellowstone. Pretty groggy, and very POTsy probably due to altitude change as my hometown is less than 500 ft above sea level and now we are around 7000 feet up! So on with the compression, salt, and cooling vest and off we go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawg Tired Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 Good grief!! I find car repais one of the most stressful things that can happen.I hope you enjoy Yellowstone - when we lived close we really enjoyed it. I loved sitting on the shore of Lake Yellowstone feeding the birds... Against all the rules, but I enjoyed it!! (I'm BAD!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted July 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 We had so much fun today. I think I was so determined to make it there, if only for one day, because last summer I was hardly able to leave the house because we didn't know what was wrong with me at the time. Today, I drank 5 liters, ate 5 grams of sodium before noon, used my cooling vest and seat cane, brought a spray bottle, wore abdominal and leg compression and I'm so proud to say I did GREAT! I spent most of my time in the car reclined, but most of the attractions were fairly close to the parking areas so I only walked a few blocks at most each place. I feel like I conquered something today... I've become more determined not to let this disease rob me of anything else if I can help it. I DID IT!!! Now I realize that as long as I take the necessary measures ahead of time (including rest time), I can do most anything I want. I'm also learning how to listen to my body better so I know when to take a break.I'm worn out, but it was WORTH IT!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawg Tired Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 YAAAAYY!!!! I know exactly what you mean - a few monihs ago I went on a "road trip" with my sisiers - the first time ever it was just us girls. I had to be careful, and do a lot of thinking ahead - but I had a blast! Sisters were a bit upset because I spent the next month flat - but I didn't care! It was worth it for the great time. Enjoy, and savor the trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurehope Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 Thankful,I'm so happy for you. All your ideas are useful:the compression hose, abdominal hose, salt, water, cooling vest, squirt bottle, seat cane, etc.Also, some places allow rental of scooters for the day. And I frequently carry an umbrella to keep the sun's rays off me.It's all worth it, though, because it gives you a sense of participating in life. So what if you're tired afterwards. The scenes and memories are worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramakentesh Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 I was in the states last year to meet my wife's family. I must say that that neck of the woods is so pretty. My wife's sister lives in Montana - lakes full of exotic trout species, clean air, beautiful trees and AMAZING scenery. So different to Australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat57 Posted July 26, 2009 Report Share Posted July 26, 2009 YAY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted July 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2009 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.