08-04-2020, 12:27 AM
So, things have been breaking of late, or needing maintenance, so we decided to go on a supply run -- rubber washers to try to fix the washing machine hose leak, a hard rake for the front yard to comb away the fire risk, some heavy-duty wheeled carts to make the stone-carving rocks easier to move around in the garage, and maybe contemplate a small greenhouse.
So, yeah, Harbor Freight would fit the bill. I don't think LCF has ever been there. I chose it in order to buy all Chinese goods, because a good American should buy Chinese to show that we're not all racists with our heads up our asses. And I'm a good American.
So we go out to the garage, get in the Prius, and it won't start. Just the barest lights. I suspect the auxiliary 12V battery in the trunk has finally given out.
The garage is very dark, and I decide to push the car out into the driveway to get a better look at things. The problem is (confirmed by checking the internet), you can't shift the Prius out of park without the 12V. It cannot be moved.
I also would like to maybe open the hood, but that's not easy with our setup.
![[Image: uc?export=view&id=14qfaOcEPg_Rh6KFGaCLG0gYcUDCnuIIS]](https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=14qfaOcEPg_Rh6KFGaCLG0gYcUDCnuIIS)
Still, the problem is likely the auxiliary 12V battery in the trunk. I had to replace it maybe 8 years ago, and it's way overdue to fail. LCF calls AAA while I go about opening the trunk, or hatchback. No can do, not without the 12V. But there's a workaround from the inside. So I fold down the back seats and climb through inside, then pull up the carpet back there, then the floor boards, then open this little tool area, which exposes a blind recess in the metal frame. I reach in there (just barely), fumble about, and pull something. Click. The latch is sprung. But I can't lift the hatch. So I climb out and try from outside. But that click wasn't enough. The release inside has to be held. I get LCF's help, and thankfully she does the honors this time of crawling in and, with my guidance, finding and holding the latch. Finally I can open the hatch.
The AAA guy shows up, further disassembles the trunk to get at the battery, and he tests it and finds it wanting. We opt to just buy a battery from him on the spot, which he will install.
I installed the last replacement, and it took over two hours and lots of scrapes and bruises. It's located in an almost impossible position and really needs special tools. I figure the AAA guy will be much faster, but it still takes him an hour, and he's all sweaty by the time he finishes fighting with it.
Afterwards, I'm very sore from all the scrambling around, and I have to take a nap. After that, well, we decide to leave Harbor Freight for another day. Maybe Wednesday.
The End.
(Or is it?)
So, yeah, Harbor Freight would fit the bill. I don't think LCF has ever been there. I chose it in order to buy all Chinese goods, because a good American should buy Chinese to show that we're not all racists with our heads up our asses. And I'm a good American.
So we go out to the garage, get in the Prius, and it won't start. Just the barest lights. I suspect the auxiliary 12V battery in the trunk has finally given out.
The garage is very dark, and I decide to push the car out into the driveway to get a better look at things. The problem is (confirmed by checking the internet), you can't shift the Prius out of park without the 12V. It cannot be moved.
I also would like to maybe open the hood, but that's not easy with our setup.
Still, the problem is likely the auxiliary 12V battery in the trunk. I had to replace it maybe 8 years ago, and it's way overdue to fail. LCF calls AAA while I go about opening the trunk, or hatchback. No can do, not without the 12V. But there's a workaround from the inside. So I fold down the back seats and climb through inside, then pull up the carpet back there, then the floor boards, then open this little tool area, which exposes a blind recess in the metal frame. I reach in there (just barely), fumble about, and pull something. Click. The latch is sprung. But I can't lift the hatch. So I climb out and try from outside. But that click wasn't enough. The release inside has to be held. I get LCF's help, and thankfully she does the honors this time of crawling in and, with my guidance, finding and holding the latch. Finally I can open the hatch.
The AAA guy shows up, further disassembles the trunk to get at the battery, and he tests it and finds it wanting. We opt to just buy a battery from him on the spot, which he will install.
I installed the last replacement, and it took over two hours and lots of scrapes and bruises. It's located in an almost impossible position and really needs special tools. I figure the AAA guy will be much faster, but it still takes him an hour, and he's all sweaty by the time he finishes fighting with it.
Afterwards, I'm very sore from all the scrambling around, and I have to take a nap. After that, well, we decide to leave Harbor Freight for another day. Maybe Wednesday.
The End.
(Or is it?)
I'm nobody's pony.