My car has been in the shop since the Monday before Thanksgiving. When I finally get her back, she should be like new, and the repairs will be free to me. Mostly.
Gladys (that's my car's name) almost died in the parking lot of the Marriott East hotel the Sunday before Thanksgiving when I attended the volunteer meeting for Starbase Indy. I barely made it home that day. She shimmied and shook all the way with two of her lights on and blinking. The next day, I used my Zurich roadside assistance and had it towed to a shop about twenty minutes away. Tuesday the shop owner called me. The transmission was shot, and they don't work on transmissions.
I'd suspected something was wrong because Gladys had been shaking for a while, but I'd only had the car for two months! Did I get a used lemon? I'd traded my 2023 Toyota Highlander because I couldn't afford the payments and got the 2019 Ford Edge in September.
Keeping my anger in check, (yes, I can do that) I spoke to the service manager at the Toyota place. He said that Zurich covered more than just road service. It would also pay for a transmission if I took it to their Ford service garage.
Hallelujah! Zurich sent a truck to the first garage and towed it to the Ford garage, but it was an hour away, so I had to pay part of the cost of that tow, a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of a transmission. That was Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
Zurich paid for me to have a rental car for ten days, believing my car would be repaired by then. I'd already paid for a rental car myself, hoping they would reimburse me, and they did. I returned the car on December 6 and got a ride to the Ford garage to pick up my car because it was supposedly ready. I got ten minutes away and Gladys died at a 4-way stop.
This time the Ford place is paying for me rental car. They are reimbursing me for the wrecker. They sent a driver to take me home. I spoke to them yesterday and was told I'm getting a new transmission, paid for by Zurich. Gladys should be ready by Tuesday, December 12.
I paid my neighbor to take me to get my car the first time, I'll have to do that again. If I truly have a new transmission, that should be like having a new car.
We shall see.