well shoot...

So I picked up my truck yesterday, and I blissfully started work this morning... (well, blissfully is an overstatement, but you know what I mean...) then, about noon, I turned off my engine, for a few minutes, and the darned thing would not start again.

So, I called Triple A, and they said they'd send a tow... even though I was going to have to pay for it because I've used all my free ones. Then they said they'd be sending someone from Imperial Towing. In 20 minutes, a little pick-up truck shows up, and I'm thinking "there is no way that little toyota is going to tow me anywhere..." It turns out that the tow truck was a little far away to get there quickly, so they sent this guy... he was a diagnostician and he was there to see if we could get the truck started so I wouldn't need towed... (I'd still have to pay the service fee, but I would save the milage on the tow...) so I tell him what I think is wrong and how it's acting, then he pops the hood, crawls under the truck, grabs a bunch of tools and equipment from his truck, and after checking everything thoroughly, announces that I will definitely need a tow because the fuel pump just plain ain't working, and there's no way we can get it started.

I was impressed. I now know exactly what's wrong, (it's what I suspected, but now I'm SURE) which makes dealing with a mechanic much easier, but he was trying to save me some cash and his company some diesel fuel by helping me avoid the tow... then he called on his radio, announced the tow guy would be there in 30 minutes and asked me if I wanted anything while I was waiting... all very polite. Gave me a business card if I needed to contact him and took off to help somebody else.

Then the tow guy shows up, and he starts in on the same thing, seeing if we Really NEED a tow. I told him the other guy was already there and that the fuel pump was kaput. So he loaded the truck, I jumped in the cab, he reached behind the seat and handed me a bottle of water, then towed me to the mechanic... I've ran into a lot of tow guys over the years and I have to say that the guys at Imperial Towing know their stuff and have the whole concept of service industry down... If you're ever in the Dallas - Fort Worth area and need a tow, these are the guys to call...
anyway, not much else today...

later