Windshield Woes

A common knowledge is "Sun rises in the east". Another such universally accepted truth is "Cars are not my cup of beverage". However I have been able to coexist with my car peacefully. We have a mutual understanding. I get it serviced as and when I remember and he on the other hand endures the pains and doesn't give up on me. Life has been sailing thus for the past two years now. I have started to grow fond of him and once in a while I even do the oil changes on time!

Last week, while I was driving calmly on CA 237, on my way to work, as merrily as I could, something hit the car. The sound it made wasn't joyous. I took my eyes off the road, and looked around to find the result of the thud. I found it.

Hiding out of the driver's side, my windshield had been chipped. The damage size was less than a dime. The heartbreak was priceless.

In general I don't like the way cars function. Why can't you buy one and forget it? Why can't it run miles after miles endlessly, without cribbing or complaining? Why isn't gas enough for it to feel contended? Why are servicing, oil changes, tire changes and timing belt fixing necessary? And if you forget to do one of them, why does these beasts give up on you at the most inopportune moments? Mystery I tell you.

Anyhow, the great deal finder that I am, I found a way to get it fixed or repaired. All Star Glass on El Camino Real. I scheduled my visit. I could get the damage fixed under 40$! I found that a cheap deal considering it was my car.

On the appointed hour I arrived, me and my bruised car. I was upbeat. In under 20 minutes the world was about to become a better place.

The first hint of premonition hit me when they made me sign some obscure PDA documents. Even if I didn't know what PDA meant, what it said was thus, "We can break your windshield while we repair. After breaking it during repairs, you might want to get it replaced. While replacing your windshield we can break it again. None of the above will be our fault. You will pay the price for our ineptitude. Please sign and date below before we touch your car. Kindly enjoy the great 40$ repair service we are about to provide you."

I signed.

As I sat watching the mechanic working on my car, my spirits lifted ever so slightly. The resin, the glue, the glass was looking better. The crack had disappeared to about 80%. I was about to stop the man and shake his hands when he shook the heavy instrument in his hands first. The shaking hit my windshield. Like an earthquake spreading from it's epicenter, cracks crawled out on the surface. Like a spider it sat there mocking. I stood stunned.

Something broke me out of my reverie.

"Oops the windshield broke."

The repetition of the truth didn't make the disbelief reduce. I stared at the mechanic hard.

"Why don't you come inside and see how we take off 40$ from the price of a new windshield , eh? A new one would be only 230$. Come inside and take advantage of this great deal.Come quick!"

I must admit the business plan was amazing. If the windshield breaks while repairing, you manage to make at least 200$ more than if you just repair it!

Needless to say, I bowed to their ineptitude and cleverness and drove off with my cracking windshield. I spent a few moments mourning my windshield woes and then got it repaired at the next best deal I located. This time I made sure I went to a place that didn't ask me to sign any documents.

As the dying wish of my last windshield, I posted yelp and google reviews for All Star Glass , El Camino real, narrating the autobiography of my windshield. This post is a tribute to his soul. May he rest in peace!