Murphy had a good laugh yesterday on New Year's Eve...isn't it always the way?

[Leslie Langford]

Yes, THAT Murphy, as in "Murphy's Law"...

So here I was - I had recently ordered the most delightful, sparkly LBD on-line as part of the deeply-discounted after-Christmas sales, and it finally arrived on Wednesday. I had been dying to try it on, but had no opportunity to do so until yesterday afternoon when my wife decided to run some last-minute, New Year's Eve errands. "Yesss!" I thought to myself, but no sooner had the garage door closed as she was leaving and I had retrieved my parcel when she called on her cell phone to tell me that she was just up the street with a flat tire. So, I drop everything, and off I go to do the White Knight routine to rescue my fair Damsel in Distress (Yeah, I know, stereotypical gender roles...what are you going to do?)

Well, there went my afternoon, and in more ways than one. Not only did I miss out on a perfect opportunity to finally try on my new to-die-for dress, removing the flat tire ended up being a far more involved job than than I had bargained for. Normally, this is a no-brainer, but not only were the lug nuts next-to-impossible to remove because they were on so tight, when they finally came off, the wheel rim itself refused to budge. It was only by loosely putting the nuts back on the wheel bolts, lowering the car back down, and then gently rocking it backwards and forwards to let the weight of the car itself do the work of loosening that tight bond that the wheel finally came off. And all that back-and-forth... laboriously lifting and lowering the car using the glorified toy of a scissors jack that came with the car while being wedged between it and a snowbank in order to stay out of the way of on-going traffic...Grrrrr!

Naturally, it is New Year's Eve, all of the garages and tire repair shops are at the point of closing down for the holiday, and here I am stuck with the factory-supplied the "donut" emergency spare tire on my wife's car until normal life resumes some time later on this weekend. Oh, and did I mention that the plot thickens here as well? It ends up not being a simple flat tire, but a case of a dented rim that was probably acquired the day before when she happened to hit a big pothole, causing all the air to leak out overnight. So now the challenge becomes one of either trying to find a place to repair it, or else being able to source a replacement wheel (hopefully used, and not costing $$$), all while the rest of the world is still in holiday mode and most businesses are running with skeleton staffs for the duration.

Yes, "Happy New Year's Day" to me. Murphy must be laughing his a$$ off... :eek: :doh: :sad:

[Helen_Highwater]

It never rains but it pours! However we're now expecting a further post with pics of this new dress.

[Lauri K]

Leslie,

I hate it you had all that going on with the car, did you ever got back around to trying on the new dress later after the tire episode ?

Stories like this make me heavily consider joining AAA.

I am getting to the point I do not want to be on the side of the road making car repairs, but I haven't joined up because old habits die hard.

Sometimes I look around in my garage and wonder who will ever use all the tools in there, since I have no real desire to mechanic on cars any longer

[Dee Baker]

Happy New Year Leslie

You need to accessorize your tools like you accessorize your girly stuff. Get a good 4-way lug wrench and a hydraulic jack. Just saying…

Dee

[Tonya Rose]

Yes Murphy`s law sux!! And always happens at the most opertune time!!!

[Dee Baker]

Lauri makes a good point. I also have AAA but also have my 4-way lug wrench.

Dee

[kittie60]

Must of been the night for Murphy,I was with a friend going to a party and she had a flat and didn't t have AAA.. but I did and they came out and replaced it an hour and a half later we were on the way. Yes Happy New year Murphy. And to you to Leslie

[CourtneyJamieson]

Leslie, very funny story but I am sure not funny for you. Doesn't it suck that we men are always having to solve the problems. I understand that my SO may not have the strength to change a tire but it seems that the first option is always to get on the cell phone and call me to come and provide the solution to the problem. This is one reason I find it comforting to CD. It feels like I can be the vulnerable one and the one who needs the help of someone stronger. That is one of the mental aspects of CDing that I find comforting.
I am sure your wife thought of you as a "hero" so you should be proud of your actions. But I am sorry for your opportunity lost. I am sure you will have an opportunity to try on your LBD soon. Just like you, I bought my very first LBD at the mall yesterday. I have been dying to try it on with the right shoes here at home but have yet to have the opportunity. My SO goes to bed early so I am hoping later tonight I can slip down to the basement and have a "fashion show". Good Luck Leslie and let us know how the dress fits and looks after you have had your own "fashion show".

[michelleddg]

Ugh, ugh, ugh. Happy New Year to you, may you positively glow in your new sparkly sheath. Hugs, Michelle

[Julie Denier]

Bummer for Leslie, but lucky you could come to the rescue. Happy New Year ;)

[Gillian Gigs]

Cheer up, it could have gone differently. She could have walked back home coming in the door just in time to see your LBD at the same time as you! It would have been a fitting moment, pun intended.

[reb.femme]

Hi Leslie,

I totally get the stereo-type with certain tasks. We have an electronic tyre inflater and pressure checker, but the wife avoids it like the plague. She'd rather make a cup of tea for me while I go out to do the necessary.

Murphy's law applies equally well across the globe, in creating extreme tension where none was actually forseen or required. Why is that the side of the car requiring attention is always road side? The upside is, you still have an LBD session to look forward to.

Becky

[Katey888]

:heehee:

Nice story Leslie - you know others would see this as the universe's way of having you not indulge our little pastime...? :devil:

On the other hand, judicious application of an anti-seize compound (like Copaslip :)) to studs and surfaces where your rim mates with the hub could equally be marketed as the crossdresser's dream... "Be back home with your wife on the way and into that LBD in no time, thanks to - Copaslip!" :D

Bet their copywriters NEVER come up with that as a tagline...

Nice tip about freeing the jammed wheel, btw... :thumbsup:

Katey x

[mykell]

well i think a look at the bright side is in order, you werent wearing the LBD in a pair of sparkly heels by that snowbank,
we all now know to rock our cars to free a seized wheel, good thing to know !!
pity the money saved on the dress will be voided by the purchase of the new rim,
i think you will enjoy wearing that dress a fair amount more when you do get the chance....

[Di]

So sorry to hear! But on the bright side looking forward to seeing pics of this beautiful dress in the future! Happy New Year

[Karen RHT]

Much empathy for you Leslie, and respectfully a suggestion...CAA. You would have still lost the time, but not had to struggle with the OEM toys, or risk life and limb while doing so.

We all know lost time can't be reclaimed, so let's look forward to you actually enjoying numerous times in that LBD during 2016.


Karen

[ChristinaK]

Great story, sorry for your troubles. I know how frustrating it is to have a little taste, then have it pulled away from you.

Funny, I have had similar circumstances and Lauri brought up AAA. Stupid me, I have a service with my insurance and haven't ever used it! What a dope. Now, that's definitely my male side. A woman would have thought of that in an instant!

[NicoleScott]

Are sexual performance issues, where everything seems to go wrong, caused by a Murphy bed?

[giuseppina]

Sorry to hear that, Leslie.

I keep a 24" (upgrade from 18") breaking bar fitted with the correct size impact grade socket in the car for loosening the lug nuts/bolts. I also keep a 36" wrecking bar for loosening recalcitrant wheels from the hubs. If I have to stand or jump on the end of the bar to loosen the wheel fasteners, so be it. The wrenches that come with the car don't cut it, IMO.

Sorry, Katie, but putting any kind of lubricant on the wheel fasteners is asking for a wheel separation. That is a reverse onus liability issue where I live. These provisions were enacted because too many 18-wheeler wheels at 200kg were coming off and killing people.

Those who seek a reasonably easy wheel fastener removal should consider Loctite 242 or similar product. Do not use Loctite 262 or similar. That stuff is designed to hold a fastener until it is heated to about 250C.

I've never been stuck with an 18" wrench and impact grade socket. Sure, they're a bit on the pricey side, but it's still more economical than busted tools and a tow truck. Yes, I've broken a few.

[OCCarly]

I carry "cheaters" in all my cars -- a length of galvanized pipe large enough to slip over the end of the lug wrench to extend it for extra leverage. I also carry fix a flat in a can and a small air compressor for smaller punctures and dangerous situations, and the compressor is also to air up the spare (you would be surprised how much air leaks out if you don't use it for a year or so.

[Leslie Langford]

Thank you for all the kind replies, ladies, and for commiserating with me...made me feel so much better :) :daydreaming:.

All was not lost, though, and I actually did find an opportunity to try on the vaunted LBD the next day when my wife (unexpectedly) decided to go to her church for a New Year's Day mass celebration. Didn't really have enough of an opportunity to revel in all of it's glory in the short time allotted to me by this and it was a bit wrinkled from the way it had been packaged by the distribution center it was shipped from, but from what I can see so far, the dress is a "keeper". Hopefully, I can post some pics in due course of me wearing it as some have requested.

Thank you also for some of the tire-changing tips, but let's not let this thread veer off in that direction (no pun intended - LOL!). Yes, point taken - investing in a CAA (AAA in the U.S.) membership is certainly on my radar screen now that Murphy has decided to "friend" me. In my defense, though, the car was only a few houses up the street when my wife called, so a quick (?) do-it-yourself response seemed to be all that was required at the time. That said - and regret-filled use of the flimsy manufacturer-supplied scissors jack notwithstanding - I did have the presence of mind to grab my trusty 4-way lug wrench before heading off into battle, and that ultimately saved the day for me :eek: :doh: :)

[sometimes_miss]

Get a good 4-way lug wrench and a hydraulic jack. Just saying…
Sometimes even those won't do it. I've ruined two; one was welded in the middle and snapped when I tried stepping on one side and pulling up on the other, and the solid one which twisted in the middle (and still looks that way) because the nut was rusted on so tight. Now I make sure whenever I know the service guys use an impact wrench, I go after those nuts as soon as I get home to get them off and put them back on torque spec'd (and yeah, I use a touch of ATF on my lugnuts with open ends. I know we're not supposed to, but I've never had any come loose). Now I have this: http://www.amazon.com/Ken-Tool-35656-Way-Professional-Wrench/dp/B000P70VS4/ref=sr_1_25?ie=UTF8&qid=1451848102&sr=8-25&keywords=lug+wrench

I initially hesitated to spend the $$ on it, but remembered that night in the rain with the nuts that wouldn't come off. This one is forged, I couldn't bend it if I tried.

[Dee Baker]

Way to go Leslie. A good 4-way lug wrench is a must have item! :) Dont go for the cheap ones, I have seen them break or round off lug nuts.

[Dana44]

Yeah Murphy law strikes again. LOL But a good stout four way lug wrench always works the best to remove them. Happy new years!

[Adelaide]

Ahhhh potholes. Canada would not be the same without them!!!!

[Jackie7]

Something like that happened to me many years ago, ruined my girly outfit and my good humor, so I took the female advice and joined AAA. And on more than one occasion have had to call them to change a tire or start a dead battery, instead of doing it myself and wrecking my dress, shoes and nails. And you know, the AAA responders have never given a second glance nor tossed an unkind word at en-femme old me. I'll call AAA even when the car is dead in our driveway!

[MarciManseau]

You or she should have done what I did when I had a flat tire last year. I stood next to the rear of my car looking helpless and upset which I really was. In less than 15 minutes I had a gallant gentleman stop and replace my flat tire with my spare. He was cute too, so I gave him a quick kiss to thank him :) I wonder if my short skirt and 4" heels were the reason he stopped?

[Beverley Sims]

Murphy struck me once like that, but in reverse.

I was due to go out in drab but the Zipper stuck at the last minute and I had to stay dressed.

Oh! Darn! :-)

[MelanieAnne]

I carry "cheaters" in all my cars -- a length of galvanized pipe large enough to slip over the end of the lug wrench to extend it for extra leverage.

Yep. Me too. I think the tire stores have their air wrenchs cranked up as high as they will go, to make sure no tire ever comes off, so they can't be sued.

I thought we had all the potholes here in Michigan.

[NicoleScott]

You SHOULD be able to change a tire with the equipment that comes with the car. Properly torqued is important. Too much is not better. Ask your tire shop to use a torque wrench.