Well, I didn't quite get my Hollywood romantic ending ... there is another chapter to be written in the ongoing MINI Cooper Chronicles...
Boy Loses Car Again
Welcome to the Sunday Drive From Hell!
So the Cooper is driving beautifully Friday night and all day Saturday, so we decide to take it out for a spin on the Apache Trail... a terribly scenic, curvy road that leads to a series of three lakes just outside of the Phoenix Metro Area. The Cooper was loving the curves... and then 20 miles into the Apache Trail... the air conditioning goes... and the monitor tells me the car is overheating...
We pull over, hoping it is just needs a little rest... but we start it up and it can not even make it a mile without the arrow going over to overheat mode. And for what was going to be a hour-in, hour-out drive, we pull to the side of the road..
No water (or food).
No hats.
No cell phone coverage.
Temps ranging from 103 to 107.
Here we are:
After about an hour or so, a truck from Arizona Game & Fish pulls over and is able to radio in a call for a tow truck. They tell us it should be about 1 1/2 hours. 3 hours later, no one has arrived.
We attempt to give the car another go... and get a mile more down the road... even coasting in neutral, but the arrow tips to overheat... and we are on the side of the road yet again.
After another hour or so, a Maricopa County deputy sheriff stops by and calls the roadside assistance on his satellite phone. The first tow truck couldn't find us ... couldn't contact us (duh, no cell phone coverage!)... and had abandoned their call. The new request tells us that they will be out in a totally unrealistic 30 minutes.
One and a half hours later... still no tow truck. The first deputy told us his partner would be coming down the road in about an hour... so we flag him down... the latest, the tow truck is en route and should be there within 20 minutes.
It arrives about 40 minutes later... at approximately 7:30 pm... I throw my arms up and shake them to the sky.
We left the house a little before noon... been "stuck" since about 1 p.m.... we tow it back to the house... and arrive home at 9:00pm.
So right now (Monday morning), I am waiting for a tow truck to come pick up the Cooper from our house and take it back to the body shop. Ironically enough, we had plans to take it back to the body shop for some quick final touch-ups (buff up the top coat, and add the bonnet stripes) that would take a few hours. But, obviously, something was undetected or was not fixed properly with regards to the cooling system. So while I was thrilled to have the car back for a day or two... it is headed back up to the shop for who knows how long!
Before closing this out, let me note that we literally lost count of all the people who stopped and asked us if we needed a help (many who had seen us to and from their day at the lake) ... whether it was an offer of a ride, a bottle of water (which we happily and thankfully accepted), or some snacks... we were very appreciative. I have to admit I was overwhelmed a few times by these little acts of kindness.
Lessons learned... if you are headed out of town/civilization... always have some water in the trunk and protective apparel... even if you think it's just a short/quick drive.
UPDATE: Looks like the wait won't be too long this time around... got a call late in the day... so I should have the Cooper back on Wednesday (probably would have been tomorrow if not for the July 4th holiday). Seems like there was an air bubble or something that knocked out the coolant. If there are any car experts out there, I would appreciate a confirmation that this happens... my contact on the body shop predicted that was likely the cause even before seeing the car.
OMG! As hot as it was yesterday, that really does sound like hell. I'm so sorry you guys had to go through that, esp. since you were so excited to have your car back.
Posted by: Scott-O-Rama | Monday, July 03, 2006 at 06:48 PM
Scott's car knowledge = 0
Posted by: Scott-O-Rama | Monday, July 03, 2006 at 08:34 PM
Does this mean that next Sunday you'll be heading back out the Apache trail? :) I'm glad your car is back, it looks great.
Posted by: Linda | Tuesday, July 04, 2006 at 02:07 AM
Yikes...It was really HOT on Sunday. I hope guys are OK? Yes always take lots of water when out in the Arizona desert.
Sounds like someone over at the bodyshop is pulling your leg, you probably have a small leak or blockage in the cooling system.
Posted by: Gil | Tuesday, July 04, 2006 at 01:22 PM