Rant #3,334: Brand New Key

I could have used one of those wishes I talked about yesterday.

Thursday was not a good day for me, and it had nothing to do with my bad leg.

Now that I am driving again, I am taking over some of the chores that I used to have, including driving my son back and forth to work.

So on Thursday morning, when the time came, I grabbed my crutches and went down the stairs to do just that.

I went into the car--which I am learning to do without hurting myself--and I put my key in the ignition--

And the key would not turn.

I could get the key in and out of the ignition, but I could not turn the key at all, so I could not get the car going.

I did not know what to do. My wife had already gone to the gym, my son needed to get to work, I had a physical therapy appointment later in the morning ... I panicked, period.

But I had my wits about me, as I postponed my appointment with physical therapy to today, and I called the car dealer to not only arrange for a tow but also get a new key ... which, in total, would have cost me about $500 when all was said and done.

But I had no car. I could not drive my car, putting me in the same boat as I was in when I could not drive during the past six months.

Only this time, it was mechanical rather than physical.

Let me backtrack ... my wife has driven my car many times during the past six months, and she even brought it in for an oil change a few weeks ago.

She has complained to me that the car's key fob is broken, as the key part of the fob often disengages from the rest of the fob, and if you aren't careful, this sliver of metal can be lost very easily.

It even happened to me when I first drove the car earlier this week. The key fell on the floor, but I easily retrieved it.

So what did I do?

I used some glue to better adhere the key to the rest of the fob.

It worked. The key wouldn't budge from the fob, and everything looked hunky dory.

But then I got into the car--

And nothing.

I was so depressed, starting to talk to myself and making myself nuts as I contacted the various parties that I mentioned earlier.

My wife arrived home, and she took my son to work, about a half hour late.

After about an hour's wait, the tow truck driver came, and asked to see the fob and the key.

He asked me if anything fell out of the fob when the key continually fell out during the past six months, and I told him that I didn't think so.

Then he asked me if he could break open the fob, and I gave him the OK.

I thought he meant literally break it open, like with a hammer, because no matter what I did, I could not open the fob after I used the glue.

He was able to get it open with his fingers ... and he told me that a piece of the mechanism had moved ever so slightly out of place, a piece that enables the key to snap into the fob when not at use--a feature I honestly never use.

He positioned the key in the fob, evidently repositioning this little piece that had been out of place, and lo and behold, the key worked!

He told me to "jiggle it" a little bit, and I did just that, and the key worked.

I later picked up my son and called the dealer to cancel my order of a new key ... although I am looking to buy an after-market key, which will cost me about half of what a new key would cost.

What an absolutely horrid morning I had ... but I just saved about $500, so I guess it could have been much worse.

The shackles returned for a brief spell but are off if me once again, and that is a real key at getting me better as soon as possible.

Have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.