God Has A Sense of Humor!

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kennythebomb

kennythebomb

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So today I drove to church and left my car there in the church parking lot, at 10:30am. A bunch of us all carpooled in another vehicle to another service, and came back around 4:30pm. Well I discovered I had left my lights on, and my car wouldn't start at all.

So I called the people I carpooled with, and one came back 15 minutes later in his truck with jumper cables. For at least thirty minutes we tried getting my Probe GT to start, but it just wouldn't even try. At that point we realized my battery voltage was so low that it was beyond help, even the dome lights were barely coming on.

He called his parents who came by with a metric and us wrench/socket set. To our surprise, absolutely nothing could get my battery posts loose, nothing fits because the nuts are rounded. Finally we wiggle the terminals loose and remove the battery, after a 30 minute struggle in the biting cold. So we drive to Walmart to buy a new battery, because they have decent batteries. When we get there we find out that there's an entire aisle filled with batteries, and the only kind missing is the one I need!

So then we drive to Murray's and they test out my old battery by using a charging test, charge it and see if it holds charge and the machine tells you if it fails or passes. It failed in 5 minutes. I'm thinking, well that proves that it was all but dead. Time to buy a new one now.

Then, the clerk looks at the sticker on the battery and says "This is probably still under warranty." Turns out my old battery was bought at a Murray's and still under warranty, and since it failed the test, I got a replacement one for free!!! Even though my dumbass left the lights on. How cool is that? That just leads me to believe that God has a sense of humor. 👍
 
Nice, I was helping a buddy change his license plate lights yesterday, and it was ~20 deg F outside, so I can feel your pain with having to work in the cold.
 
You're a lucky man, because God only helps me with my goodwill warranty claims.




I'll get my coat...
 
Pupik
You're a lucky man, because God only helps me with my goodwill warranty claims.

I'll get my coat...
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I'm completely lost here. What is a goodwill warranty claim, and what is the quip about your coat about?
 
kennythebomb
I'm completely lost here. What is a goodwill warranty claim, and what is the quip about your coat about?
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A goodwill warranty claim is when a manufacturer decides to approve or assist with a warranty claim that's outside the parameters or limits of the policy. It's a nice way to keep your business, so it's called "goodwill" in the industry.

What do you do when you leave someplace you've previously checked in your coat? You take your "coat".

I should work in the ASKGTP! booth.
 
Pupik
A goodwill warranty claim is when a manufacturer decides to approve or assist with a warranty claim that's outside the parameters or limits of the policy. It's a nice way to keep your business, so it's called "goodwill" in the industry.

What do you do when you leave someplace you've previously checked in your coat? You take your "coat".

I should work in the ASKGTP! booth.
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Ah, I see. Classy exit.
 
You forgot to pour coke on it.
 
If Pupik is anything like me, he doesn't like sticky coats, Omnis. Jeez.
 
Keef
If Pupik is anything like me, he doesn't like sticky coats, Omnis. Jeez.
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I was talking about the battery.
 
I know. But I made you smile, eh?

Anyhow, that's a pretty good deal Murray's has going on. How long do the warranties last for? You could almost just keep going back near the limit and get free batteries over and over. Bu they might refuse after a while. I know a few places that have done that. Boo.
 
Keef
I know. But I made you smile, eh?

Anyhow, that's a pretty good deal Murray's has going on. How long do the warranties last for? You could almost just keep going back near the limit and get free batteries over and over. Bu they might refuse after a while. I know a few places that have done that. Boo.
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No. Lol.

Speaking of car batteries, has anybody tried an Orbital? Those things have enough juice to make you piss lightning.
 
If your Probe was a stick, you just could of jump started it and hoped the battery recharged. 9 out of 10, that works.

Oh, you can purchase a smaller battery for your car; it'll still work just fine. However, it might not start up as quickly. At least you wont be stranded.

Oh, and beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Benjamin Franklin
 
Honestly, I think God should stick to telling jokes and leave your car alone. :lol:
 
Keef
Anyhow, that's a pretty good deal Murray's has going on. How long do the warranties last for? You could almost just keep going back near the limit and get free batteries over and over. But they might refuse after a while. I know a few places that have done that. Boo.
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I believe the warranty lasts for two years but don't quote me, I haven't read the paperwork yet.

The reason I got the replacement battery (even though it's my fault it drained) is that it should have re-charged when we tried to jump it. They will only replace it under warranty if it fails their tests.

This leads me to believe that it would have failed on me soon, anyway. Probably sometime this winter. Which means, I could have been stranded much farther away from home. Also I forgot to mention that my cell phone was all but dead after I called my buddy who came to my rescue. This could have been SO much worse.

Solid Lifters
If your Probe was a stick, you just could of jump started it and hoped the battery recharged. 9 out of 10, that works.

Oh, you can purchase a smaller battery for your car; it'll still work just fine. However, it might not start up as quickly. At least you wont be stranded.

Oh, and beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Benjamin Franklin
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Yes, it is a stick. If you read my story, we tried to jump start it and didn't succeed.

I might purchase a battery charger thing, some kind of device to recharge it if it gets low. I think I also need my own basic toolkit.

Beer is good but other kinds of alcohol are much better. I had some Smirnoff last night... really great tasting.

SRV2LOW4ME
Honestly, I think God should stick to telling jokes and leave your car alone. :lol:
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I don't mind a good heavenly practical joke as long as it doesn't result in permanent damage, or at least if everything works out in the end and I get a killer story. That said, my possessions are not really my own anyway, and if the Lord feels I value the car more than him well he has been known to fix attitudes like that when you look at history.
 
Ok, I'm confused, why does it have to be manual to jump start it? I jump start my auto VL Commodore all the time, because I'm too tight to buy a new battery (this one is 19 years old, should go for another 10 at least I say!). Unless you mean push start, then it gets a little harder with an auto, although we tow started my mate's auto LH Torana a few times.
 
guska
Ok, I'm confused, why does it have to be manual to jump start it? I jump start my auto VL Commodore all the time, because I'm too tight to buy a new battery (this one is 19 years old, should go for another 10 at least I say!). Unless you mean push start, then it gets a little harder with an auto, although we tow started my mate's auto LH Torana a few times.
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Yeah I was wondering if that is what he meant, too. Either way, putting the car in neutral is the same level of difficulty. So perhaps pushing a manual car fast enough and then trying to start it works? I wouldn't know.

A 19 year old battery? What the heck?
 
👍 Nice! :)
 
guska
Ok, I'm confused, why does it have to be manual to jump start it? I jump start my auto VL Commodore all the time, because I'm too tight to buy a new battery (this one is 19 years old, should go for another 10 at least I say!). Unless you mean push start, then it gets a little harder with an auto, although we tow started my mate's auto LH Torana a few times.
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Actually, you can jump start an auto transmission car. You need to go a lot faster to do it, though. Like 25 mph. With a stick, you can just coast down a street and do it.
 
With my first car I was able to push start it alone on flat ground in about 20 yards. Just turn the ignition on and stick it in neutral. Get out and push to about 5+ mph. Jump in, put it in 2nd and let the clutch up with a jolt. Easy with a small car, a bit harder with a land yacht.

Edit: Doh. just realised this thread was a month old. Sorry for the resurection.
 
Car-less
With my first car I was able to push start it alone on flat ground in about 20 yards. Just turn the ignition on and stick it in neutral. Get out and push to about 5+ mph. Jump in, put it in 2nd and let the clutch up with a jolt. Easy with a small car, a bit harder with a land yacht.

Edit: Doh. just realised this thread was a month old. Sorry for the resurection.
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No problem, actually you cleared up the 'jump' start concept for me, I had been wondering that. Thanks.
 
Ba-dum, tshhhh!
 
Solid Lifters
Actually, you can jump start an auto transmission car. You need to go a lot faster to do it, though. Like 25 mph. With a stick, you can just coast down a street and do it.
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I thought that was a bump start?

A jump start is when you connect to someone elses battery.
 
ExigeExcel
I thought that was a bump start?

A jump start is when you connect to someone elses battery.
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Finally correct terminology!

I was going to add that if the battery is that dead, it won't run even with the alternator turning over, and you won't be able to bump start it. I got mine down a hill half a block long, about a 40 foot drop overall, never fired. Got a friend to take me to Wal-Mart, fired right up with the new battery.

BTW, K-Bomb, the battery is weird to find because it's much smaller in height than most cars' batteries, to fit under that low hood. Not as weird as a Miata bettery, but weird.

Another BTW: Did you not notice the lights being up when you left, or was it just the parking lights?
 
I halfway expected to come into this thread and see a picture of a plattypus or something.
 
looks at title

Of course God has a sense of humor. Just look at the platypus.

Cool story, nonetheless.
 
Touring Mars
Well, atleast you picked an appropriate thread... :p
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I was aware of that when picking what words to use in my Edit.:sly:

ExigeExcel
I thought that was a bump start?

A jump start is when you connect to someone elses battery.
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That's also my understanding of the terms, but I was unwilling to correct anyone due to potential language differences.

wfooshee
I was going to add that if the battery is that dead, it won't run even with the alternator turning over, and you won't be able to bump start it. I got mine down a hill half a block long, about a 40 foot drop overall, never fired. Got a friend to take me to Wal-Mart, fired right up with the new battery.
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Depends on the car I guess. One rainy night I had to bump start my car to get home. During the drive I found that I had just enough juice to run either the lights or the wipers, but not both at the same time. Whenever I tried both together the engine would stall, and I would have to use the cars momentum to restart it after switching the lights and wipers off. Later I discovered that the reason for my near-constantly dead battery was that one of the leads from the alternator to the battery had snapped. Quite where I was getting the power for the lights/wipers I don't know, but the battery had not been charging for some months.
 
Bump start, jump start... means the same to me. :D

But, yeah, bump start means to "push start" and jump start is to use jumper cables on a battery.
 
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