I had just started my route on Wednesday morning after loading up my work truck with the day's deliveries. I drive an old GMC Savana 1500 cargo van with over 530,000 kilometres on it. Yes, over 530.000 kilometres... you heard right. It runs. Barely.
Anyway, after driving a short distance north up the Don Valley Parkway, I take the 401 westbound ramp heading towards Mississauga.
It's shortly thereafter I notice a subtle difference in the truck. There are around three instances in near succession where it seems like the power fades just slightly. It was barely noticeable, but it's there. I don't know quite what to make of it.
It was also about that time I noticed the check engine light blinking. It's been on ever since I started driving the van (which has been around two years now), but I'd never seen it blinking before. It was somewhat disconcerting.
I decided, after I make my first stop in Mississauga, I'll contact Sid and let him know. In the meantime I thought it best to drive in the right lane beside the shoulder. Just in case.
Well, that turned out to be a wise, if not potentially lifesaving, decision. Because not long after passing Highway 427 the van lost power. It just faded and died. If I had been in one of the middle lanes who knows what would have happened?
Luckily I was able to pull off onto the shoulder before losing all power. The steering began stiffening at one point, but, luckily, I was able to stop before anything might have happened to the brakes.
Now I was stuck on the shoulder of the 401 express lanes with 18-wheelers thundering by at 120 km/h. Every time a vehicle sped by the van would shake. It was like sitting on a roller coaster. Only on the side of the road. And all the while being at risk of being crushed like a tiny insect at any moment by a passing truck. Greeeaat.
To top it off we were in the midst of the second polar vortex this month. The daytime high was only around -15C. So, now I'm sitting on a rickety roller coaster on the side of the highway filled with ice cubes.
I texted Sid first. Just to let him know what was going on. I waited a minute or two, but got no response. So I figured I'd better call CAA or else I'd be waiting there forever.
Since it had been so cold out over the past few days, CAA had been inundated with calls. I believe they received two to three times as many calls as normal. Most of them for dead batteries (like mine a couple of weeks ago).
I tried their local number first. The phone actually started ringing my first try. I got their automated message saying I was in line waiting for an operator to answer. Then it went dead. So I called back. Again. And again. And again. And again.
I couldn't get through no matter how many times I tried. I got various messages and one or twice I got a busy signal. But, no matter how many times I tried, I got nothing.
It was then I tried their 1-800 number for out of town calls. I got through on the first try. But, again, that was just to their recorded message saying I was in line and my call would be answered in sequence. All the while I'm huddled in the van deathly afraid of a speeding vehicle plowing into the back of me and turning me into instant road kill.
The wait was excruciatingly long. I just checked my phone and the call log says the phone call was over 24 minutes long. I'm sure the majority of it was just waiting for them to answer.
In the meantime I'm sitting there nervously looking at traffic coming from behind in the driver's side mirror. At one point I notice a minivan drifting over the white line dividing the live lane from the shoulder. He's coming on fast so I honk my horn. I'm helpless... what else can I do? Now I don't know if he corrected himself on his own or if he took notice of the horn, but whatever the case, he drove back into his lane. Idiot.
While I was waiting on hold a random tow truck driver pulled up. He asked me what was wrong and I told him. I mention I'm on hold waiting for the CAA operator to pick up. He asks if I want a tow. He can take me to Sid's garage (Stellar Auto) for $200 cash flat rate. Normally it would be $300, he says.
He tells me, CAA will reimburse me for the cost. I'm not sure if I should trust him or not. But, I'm very inclined to take him up on his offer because I don't feel like tempting fate by waiting there much longer.
While waiting in his heated truck (which is parked on the shoulder in front of the van) he presses me by saying in this weather a CAA truck won't come for at least two or three hours. In normal circumstances he'd probably be right. But, I'm sure once they know of my perilous situation they will send a tow truck ASAP.
Finally I get through to the operator and explain what's going on. He tells me since I'm sitting on the shoulder of a highway he'll make me a top priority. He says a tow truck will be there in less than half an hour.
The tow truck driver is still trying to convince me to let him tow me, but I reluctantly decline. I get back out and go sit in my cold van and he drives off. I hope I haven't made a foolish decision.
The CAA driver doesn't take too long. Maybe 20 or 30 minutes I'm guessing. He has one of those flatbed trucks. After about 10 minutes we're all hooked up and ready to go. I'm so happy to be off the highway and safe again.
We drive to a garage called T&S Auto out in Etobicoke. Sid used to do business with them before he relocated his company. I meet him there and we transfer all the towels out of the Savana and cram them into his Honda Odyssey so we can deliver them.
What a way to start the day.
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