Nothing like changing a tire in cashmere...

Remember how yesterday I put off getting my tires looked at? The logic was, "Oh, they're just slow leaks, they won't go anywhere." Well, this morning I got up early to go to church (I was going to early service to be able to go by the tire place and still get other stuff done in the afternoon) and walk outside to see the tire with the "significantly less slow leak" was completely flat. Ugh...no I have to change the tire! So yeah, it's 7:30 in the morning, 45 degrees outside and I'm wearing a Banana Republic cashmere sweater and now I have to change a filthy tire - lovely!

I had to fight with the tire b/c it didn't really want to come off, but I finally got it. After looking at it, I saw that in addition to having a bad valve stem, the rim is bent also!!! I have no idea how that happened. I mean, Columbia's roads are really crappy, but I haven't particularly noticed hitting any new pot holes or bumps over the last few days. Best I can figure, I'm thinking maybe the bad valve stem let the air out of my tire and, while driving around with low pressure, I hit one of the normal bumps which caused the bend. Anyway, moral of the story is, reshaping the rim is SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive than a little patch or new valve stem, and may not even be fixable at all, but may require replacement. I'm really hoping replacing isn't the way I have to go, seeing as I checked into getting a new rim from the dealership several years ago and was quoted a price of $634 per rim, or something like that. Not what I need!

I threw the little donut spare tire on, tried washing my hands, and rolled on to church. Of course, I was an hour late, and really dirty, but at least I made it. I couldn't get anything done about the tire today, since most tire shops won't repair a bent rim; I'll have to so see a guy that specializes in it this week. The timing of this is so perfect too, since starting Wednesday I'll be driving 500 or so miles next week on the interstate, through the mountains, and on dirt roads with possible ice and snow. I'm reeeeaaalllly hoping I don't have to do all that on the donut at 55mph.

Yeah...I'm soooo over this car! Let's just recap what this car has put me through over the last 6 months:

• My A/C has broken...twice!
• I replaced a wheel stud that had been cross thread and stripped.
• I replaced my front brake pads.
  
• I replaced the rear pads and turned the rotors.
• I had an $1100 repair done to the CV joints.
• And now...I have a bent rim that will need repair/replace.

I know I said I would try to get a car next year, and as much as I enjoy having no payments, I'm starting to think once I get a little better cash flow going and a few debts are paid down, I may find myself in the market sooner. I think I'll be ready to dump this thing off a bridge if I have to go through another 6 months like this!

Oh yeah, and to add insult to injury, I cracked my KRZR yesterday! I dropped it in Barnes & Noble and noticed later that the face of it had a big crack across it. Of all the phones I've had since I first got a cell phone 6 or 7 years ago, and of all the times I've dropped them in the dirt, on the floor, even on asphalt in roads and parking lots, I've never had one break like that...and this happened on carpet!! Piece of crap! Verizon told me they'd replace it for $50. In light of the tire situation, I think I'll keep my money and my cracked phone. Grrrr!