1105 - Hybrids

My wife has a Honda civic hybrid which hasn't been driven in awhile because of her broken leg. Last week I decided to drive it just to run it to give it some exercise. Not so fast there hubby. First fix the dead battery. Rats. Maybe next week.

So yesterday was next week so I call a friend to help me jump the broke car and follow me to the dealer. (It needed other stuff too. Might as well let them change the battery) So we get the car running after a few wiggles of the jumper cables on the dead battery without blowing ourselves up. We're doin' good.

So I head out the driveway and up to the first intersection where I have to stop. You know what happens when a hybrid comes to a stop? THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF! And that's what happened, the engine shut off. And remember the battery's dead. So we aren't going to be restarting the engine anytime soon.

So my friend pulls up along side and we try and jump start the hybrid again. Nope. And traffic is backing up behind us. Soon the police are there and manage to redirect traffic around us while we stare at the battery and try to will it back to life. (didn't work)

I've got Triple A. I call the 800 number. Tell the gal I need a tow truck right away. Give her all my information. She says .... I'm sorry, your membership has expired. WTF! It says on my card, good until Oct 2010. She says, we send out cards that are good past their expiration date for the convenience of our members. WTF! Didn't I get those renewal notices? Yes, BUT THE CARD SAYS OCT 2010!

So she'll send a tow truck but I have to pay the driver. Whatever.

Back to my car that is sitting in the intersection. Let's see if we can push it out of the way. But, the shift lever is locked in park now. How do I get it to neutral? Start the car. WTF! There's got to be a way to move this lever without the car running. After much searching we find the little secret hatch and figure out to stick the key down in the hole to hit the secret button to release the lever. We finally get the car out of the way and proceed to wait 20 minutes for the tow truck.

That's the end of the interesting stuff. Got towed. Payed $71. Signed for service. Rode home with friend. Continued on with crazy day.