Car all better!
I’ve still got my Volkswagen Roadside coverage through mid-February, yay! So despite the best efforts of the two dumbest Volkswagen Roadside call center reps ON THE PLANET, my full-size spare has been successfully attached to my car and Gustav is once again driveable.
Turns out, it’s just a little nail hole in the tire that I ought to be able to fix myself with a puncture-repair kit. So woo for not having to buy a new tire right away. Unfortunately, the flat is on the same side of the car where I had that little run-in with the parking garage a few months ago, so between the spare and the denting and scraping, my poor little Bug looks sort of gimpy. So when I get the kit, I’ll also get the rubbing compound that will help me get at least the paint scrapes off it.
Getting the appointment set to get the tire changed was an adventure in itself. Tom offered to change the tire for me, but because the car was parked on a hill at the time, I insisted on having a tow truck come out. So I called Volkswagen near the end of my workday yesterday. The rep I spoke to seemed unnaturally interested in who the original owner of the car was and asked me if I knew. Um, no, I bought it from a dealer. The guy said that he’d have the contracted garage call me back right away.
“I only have 10 minutes to wait.”
“Well, it’ll be soon.”
“Within 10 minutes?”
“Soon.”
The garage ended up calling my office at 6:30 PM, more than an HOUR later. Fortunately, some of my coworkers were still here. Did they ask for me? No, they asked for the original owner of the car. Dumbass had put the previous owner’s name on the order. Apparently the person on the phone was the second dumbest person in the world, because my coworkers had a terrible time getting her to understand that she was calling for the wrong person.
But I wasn’t there for all this; this was about when I was getting home. Around 7:30 or so, I call Volkswagen again and ask why I haven’t heard from the garage. “Oh, I see, the previous rep put the previous owner’s name on the order. The tow truck was dispatched at 6:30 and should be there before 8.”
Fortunately, I went outside just then to get some stuff out of my trunk, because I heard the tow truck pull up.
The guys worked quickly, and were able to use the tow truck’s mechanism to grip the car so it wouldn’t shift on the incline while they worked. Ah, professionals. The whole adventure took maybe half an hour and they were on their way, advising me to fix the tire rather than replace it.
Yay!