This is a post where I throw my husband under the bus. He wasn’t “pound foolish,” but rather flat out plain foolish. I know I wrote that I wasn’t going to complain about my husband ever again in this post, but that was so last week.
We drove eight hours from Santa Barbara to our Arizona home on Saturday. The car hadn’t been driving as smoothly as it normally does. Anytime we got close to 80 mph it shook. It’s never done that before. But we managed to keep it in the 70s and we had an amazing drive home without hitting traffic.
Now for the penny wise part. After we unloaded the car, I noticed the right rear tire had gone flat. I had taken the car into the dealership twice — once for servicing last month and for a recall days before our trip. I was told both times that we needed to replace the two back tires. The first time I was told this, I called my husband. I didn’t trust the dealership because one, I’m a woman, and two, some dealerships try to upsell you. The being a woman thing in my experience is that I don’t know enough about cars and mechanics and dealerships can take advantage of that.
So I relied on my husband. He said the tires were fine. He didn’t want to spend the money — the penny wise part.
We were too tired to deal with the tire after our eight-hour drive on Saturday. We called Triple A Sunday morning to change the tire. The spare tire turned out to be a little skinny thing I call “the donut tire.” Triple A came three and a half hours later. My husband said when he saw the back tire, he was shocked. It was down to metal without tread! That was on the inside of the tire where he didn’t check it — obviously — when he told me we didn’t need new tires.
We called Costco and other tire stores and NOBODY had our tires. They said it was a supply chain issue. Service at the dealership was closed.
Last night, I noticed the donut tire and left rear tire were both losing air. I called the dealership this morning at 7 a.m. and the service person said they didn’t have the tires either! I called back and asked to order tires and the guy in the parts said they DID have the tires.
I told my husband I’d follow him to the dealership. He pumped up the donut tire and put in “fix a flat” and pumped up the left rear tire with a bicycle pump!
I prayed as I followed him for 25 minutes to the dealership, watching the tires get lower as he drove.
I was shaking when we finally made it. I am so thankful we didn’t have a blow out during our eight-hour drive home from California. It could have happened anytime — on the freeway through Los Angeles — or in the desert in 110 plus heat without any cell service. We could have been stuck anywhere along the way with NO tires for days. As annoying and inconvenient as the past two days were, we are safe and it could have been a whole lot worse.
Have you or a family member ever been penny wise and pound foolish? In what ways? Would you do things differently if you had a chance? Have you had any experience with car dealerships or mechanics taking advantage of your lack of car knowledge?
This would’ve put me over the edge. I had a tire blow on the Indiana Toll Road several years ago, so I get panic attacks over flat tires.
I get panic attacks driving period! I had AAA come to my house to change a flat tire and they didn’t tighten the lug nuts. The tire fell off while is was driving and barely missed several cars as it rolled 30 miles an hour across several lanes and landed next to someone’s house. I was sitting crooked on the side of the road watching.
More times that I care to remember, we were penny wise and pound foolish1 However, usually it was because of a money issue. If money was not the issue the hubby was so penny wise and pound foolish, he deserves the bus! LOL
No kidding! We were penny wise and pound foolish for decades when money was tight. Now it isn’t so the bus it is! I guess old habits are hard to get rid of.
Glad everything went okay! The tire story sounds a bit too familiar :)..
It could have all been avoided if I would have used my own common sense and not relied on my husband. But it also could have been so much worse. Thanks for commenting.
I’m glad that you made it home safely.
I can appreciate that this was upsetting for you.
The scenery photos are beautiful. 🤗
Thanks 😊
Oh my! I’m so glad you got home safely and got the tires you need.
Thanks! A lot of drama we could have avoided. Watching my husband use the bicycle pump to get the tires inflated was something I won’t forget.
For sure!
That was indeed a lucky break. I’m glad you found new tires
Who knew buying tires would be an issue? Costco said they were something they always carry. Not an odd size.
Sometimes this happens!
Omg…my mother is doing the same thing with her car/tires. Her car light keeps going off telling them they need to replace tires…and she’s resistant. She also won’t drive my dads car cause it’s big…but she’ll spend a bunch of money on skincare…
I don’t get it…
And she got a flat last week. Still hasn’t changed the tires…
Oh my! She’s worse than my husband.
😆
well, until I learn how to work mechanics, change a tire, fill the oil I will listen mostly to the mechanics with eyes half closed and my honest husband as we both want to arrive safely. At least, your husband knew when to move from California to Arizona…win-win.
My dad made me learn how to change a tore when I was 16. It’s not a skill I’ve practiced since. You are correct about my husband’s timing on leaving CA for AZ!
Years ago, we had driver’s ed and learned to change a tire. Unfortunately, I believe nowadays not every school has driver’s ed. I am grateful for learning to drive in the country instead of a busy city.
Yes, I grew up in a small town and out in the country too. It was an easy place to learn to drive.