Flatbed of Shame…again (Post #517) 11/18/2014


Well it happened again. The Big White Bus came home on the back of a wrecker. Sorry, no pictures this time…I just didn’t have it in me.

The 5:00 rush hour had me turning off the highway to take the back roads. I had just started down North Kelley in OKC. I was talking to my wife about the neighborhood I was in. I will be kind and say this is a “rough” area in Oklahoma City. Shootings after dark are not uncommon.

I no more said I’d be out of the bad part in a mile when I heard “BING” and a lovely grinding sound. Of course there was a lot of traffic on this side road just when this happened. I put it in PARK and then back into gear. Nothing but grinding. I put it in PARK and got out to see if anything was obvious underneath. She was rolling down the street as I got out.

I set the emergency brake and climbed under. Nothing obvious. A nice gentleman stopped to help immediately. He directed traffic while I coasted back to the side street and off the main artery I was on. He was very helpful. I was very aware of my surroundings and this is not a place I should be after dark. That was confirmed when the gentleman said to me, “You got dem doctor clothes on so you should be alright.”

That wasn’t as comforting as it was probably meant to be. As soon as I got the BWB parked, another lady rolled her window down and offered me a jump if I needed it. Helpful people everywhere. The gentleman must have run an errand and came back to check on me.

I got the wrecker called and then waited. Only two of the cars that passed by rolling slow made me wish I had completed my Conceal and Carry classes. I waited for about an hour for the wrecker.

C-Car Wrecker Service arrived. William got started right away getting the BWB up on the bed. The wrecker was “well used”. Maybe even passed its prime. But they arrived when they said they would, bonus points for that.

I climbed up in the cab. This wrecker was missing a wing window, the driver’s side window had no regulator and kept falling down, the heater had two settings full hot or not. This was a well used wrecker.

William shared that he had lost his step-dad that week. The step-dad had fallen off the dock at his job at Tinker Air Force Base breaking “nine ribs on one side, three on the other, one puncturing a lung”. Apparently the story had the medical people draining a lung and sending him home. A blood clot broke loose and caused a massive heart attack killing him. He said his mom was having a rough time of it having lost her first husband just five years before this unfortunate event.

We rattled on down the highway sharing stories of cars we had owned. He was very excited that he managed to procure a 1985 Z-28 in purple for his daughter’s Christmas gift. She turns 16 early next year. His son will be the proud owner of a 1997 Chevy pickup that needs a little work. He has plenty of time to get it ready as his son is only 12. He dropped off the Range Rover which ended his very long day.

So I have a disabled Range Rover in the driveway. My initial guess is I have lost the transfer case. The transmission had been giving me an indication that it might be failing. I’ve had a little slipping. Maybe the transmission is failing too, but the transfer case is likely toast.

The next step is to get a proper diagnosis and an estimate of how much it will be to repair. Mrs. Okierover is not too keen on me spending even more money on the Big White Bus. It is a 21-year-old Land Rover at what point do I stop doing repairs? I understand her concerns. I really don’t want to have another car payment. We just got out from under a car payment for a car we weren’t even driving (our oldest daughter totaled the Chevy Sonic we helped Erica buy).

Its hard times and difficult decisions for the OkieRover team. I’ll let you know what happens.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

3 Replies to “Flatbed of Shame…again (Post #517) 11/18/2014”

  1. Hang in, I have only just discovered your amazing blog and I don’t want it to end!

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