Friday, February 12, 2016

Knowing When You Need Help | Joe & Tony's Service Inc.

Every driver has had experiences when a decision has to be made as to whether to continue on or seek help. I was reminded of this one morning this week when I was greeted by a Chevy HHR that wasn't there when I left the night before. The owner called to say she had gotten a message on her Driver Information Center that said, " Car Slowing Down Can't Get Traction."

She prudently heeded the DIC message by pulling to the side of the road and ultimately calling for a tow truck. She did this while taking note of the conditions of the failure and eventually conveying them accurately to us. The result was that no one was endangered and the vehicle problem was resolved with no further damage to the vehicle.

The tension between attempting to reach our destination and seeking help was demonstrated to me when my wife and I were traveling to Virginia this past Christmas Eve. In six lanes of stop and go traffic on the Capitol Beltway (I-495) our Tucson's transmission went south and like the HHR would not accelerate. What to do? The answer was to ease our way from the fast lane to the nearest exit and work something out. This whole experience gave me a much better appreciation of our customers' stress over vehicle failure episodes.

By comparison, consider the "tire" pictured here or should I say the remnants of it? The entire sidewall is gone and only the tread area remains. This only happens when a tire is driven flat for miles and the wheel cuts away the tire 's rubber. What could have the driver been thinking? Could the cost of a tow truck or the prospect of being late for an appointment have been the reason he would continue on? And what danger was he imposing on himself, his passengers and those on the road with him that day?
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