105 in Jersey and my Saturday adventure (Alternator content - I think)

[Ricky Bobby]

Cross posting this from FB, what a day:

Fuck me running. Literally. Listen to this story.

Anyone want to take bets of my Over/Under on my final tab at BMW on Monday?

Driving down the parkway to take wife shopping after I stopped at my local gun shop to pick out my birthday present. We are 2 miles from the exit, it's 102 degrees out. Battery light flashing very slowly on my dash, about once every 5 seconds. Get off the exit, at 11.5v running. Stop and fill up for gas and turn on OBC test 9 again, down to 10.8v and I found a Pep Boys 4 miles away.

Make it to Pep Boys, down to 9v - guy says it would be a few hours to even test it (although I'm positive it's alternator) - I pull up google maps.

Success! BMW dealer is 5 miles down the road. Call them up - sure they can see it Monday and service it but no loaners, they are booked till Wednesday.

I go to start - dead as a door nail. Between calling a tow and bitching BMW to get me a fucking rental car (I'm about 45 mins from home) I decide to try again. She starts, but hesitantly.

I tell my wife to get her hot ass in the car and we boogie down the road - praying, windows down AC off - and running red lights (when my car is dying fuck the po po's lol) - 8.6v 😳😳😳

We turn on the last road - .9 miles away and she's chugging on 3 cylinders. I pulled into a parking lot in a space just as it died and the wheel got heavy. The tow guy was around the corner, tossed his battery pack on, closed my hood and followed me as I limped the last mile to BMW.

Got a rental thank god for 2 days from them (all rental shops were closed by 1 pm) - and he'll call me Monday. Says the 140A alternator is in stock if that's what it is, I told him I have air suspension so I doubt highly that I have a 90A. Battery was replaced in December with an AGM I hope I didn't fry it.

Made it home, and temporary registration on the rental so no license plates. Yeah we fuckin blew through EZ Pass bc we could.

I better lube my ass up because I'm gearing up for a 1k+ tab by Monday evening.

I guess I shouldn't be mad, 13.5 years out of the original alternator - and it could have been worse. I could have gotten stuck on the Garden State Parkway on a Saturday afternoon in the summer (my NY/NJ peeps know what I mean) -

Surprisingly the wife is not too mad. She did tell me she took a Xanax when we broke down though because the anxiety of being stranded in 105 degree heat was too much 😂😂

There's my Summer Saturday story - wish me luck getting the X back in top shape - truth be told I'm glad Pep Girls didn't touch it, not sure if those oil jockeys would even do it right or not put a cheap Cheena part on.