Killer Car

On Tuesday my car tried to kill me... or break all my bones by crashing me into something.

I was planning to meet Talyn, Kevin, Jordan, and Justin at my Aunts house in West Jordan (like 15 minutes away from my work). I was staying late at work so I wouldn't have to drive home and then drive back and forth. This is one positive thing about the gas prices being so high--they saved my life. I got on the freeway at 7:20, and everything was going fine... there was hardly any traffic because it was so late, and I was going to meet them and then go home. Well, I was on the freeway for the length of 3 exits (45th to 73rd) when the car went from 65 in the slow lane to 80 in a matter of seconds.

Well, I put my foot on the break, and I still was speeding up. I had to swerve into the next lane, I almost clipped the yellow car in front of me doing so. (At least I didn't plow right into it.) There was no one in front of me in that lane, so I took my foot off the break to jiggle the gas... nothing happened.

So my exit was coming fast, because I was going 80 with both my feet on the break. Justin was on the phone with me, and I told him to start praying really really hard because I couldn't because I was going to die. The car got down to 60, with all my force on the breaks. I pulled into the exit lane, and realized that I would probably flip the car if I was going 60 around that curve (the speed limit is 35 there). I don't know where more force came from, but I pushed harder on the break and got it down to 30. Then I noticed a semi coming too close behind me too fast. I started to scream and cry because I couldn't lift off the break because I would be going 80 in a matter of minutes and it took me 5 minutes to slow it down to 30! Then I realized that the semi wasn't my biggest worry... I was going to run the light at the end of the exit! So I started honking my horn, and somehow people understood that that meant they needed to move.

They did... and I was on 90th, I turned right on the next street and threw the car into park so I could turn off the ignition... and the scary thing was in those 3 seconds it took to move my hand from the park thing to the key I was still moving... with both my feet on the break!

With the engine off, I realized I was in the middle of the road, so I put the car into neutral, and let it roll to a little parking spot on the side of the road. I sat there and bawled, and tried to breath, as plumes of smoke were coming from the breaks. Stinky, stinky smoke.

Justin and my Uncle Hugh were there soon, they started to come after me as soon as I told Justin I was going to die. Justin turned on the engine after Hugh wiggled the accelerator rod underneath the hood, and it just revved up.

We had to get a tow truck, if you are in Salt Lake and need a good tow for a reasonable price call Terry's. They quoted us at 150, but only charged us 125.

Justin spent all day with our friend Jeff, who has helped us with car stuff before. They found a piece of plastic, that was dropped into the car when Jiffy Lube was replacing our air filter, that got sucked into the throttle and was holding it up. So the car wasn't possessed... It was SABOTAGED! We had replaced the breaks 4 weeks ago, and I had burned completely through those brand new breaks. I melted the hubcaps, and the burning breaks spattered grease everywhere.

Gian, who is a lawyer said, "This has lawsuit written all over it." but because I didn't run into anything it really doesn't. But still I will tell all my friends not to go to Jiffy Lube. So don't go to Jiffy Lube, they will not only rip you off, but try to kill you while they are doing it.

So good thing I was on the road at 7:20 where there was room to swerve, instead of my usual 5... where there happened to be two accidents where my car went psycho. Good thing, we were planning to meet at Sandy's so I wasn't panicking all alone. Good thing we found a nice tow truck place that didn't charge us an arm and a leg. And good thing for really smart friends who can de-sabatoge my car!

P.S. Don't go to Jiffy Lube

P.P.S. Tell your friends not to go to Jiffy Lube