On our way to Logan, UT for the LOTOJA ride we did last weekend, our Subaru started acting up. While climbing the last pass before Logan, it began cutting out and losing power. This was a real problem, as we had a 206 mile bike ride in 2 days and our support crew (my mom and sister) needed to drive the Subaru through several mountain passes to support us.
Jonathan and I are lawyers, not mechanics, but that did not stop us and my mom and sister (also, not mechanics) from hypothesizing what the problem was. With all of that mechanical brilliance working together we concluded it was probably the result of bad gas, but that we should get it looked at ASAP the next morning (Friday, the day before the big ride).
The owner of the house we were renting suggested a local business in north Logan. Jonathan tried calling them but it was after 6:00 pm on Thursday and they were closed. He sent a message through the website and the 2 of us decided we would show up there the next day at 8:00 am.
When we arrived, it was a few minutes before 8:00 am but there was already an employee there who walked out to greet us, stating he was just about to call us after receiving our message. He got our Subaru in right away, and Jonathan and I left on foot to explore a while. When we came back 45 min later they were just finishing up. They ran a diagnostic, and no codes showed up. They cleaned the air filter just in case, but the only thing they could come up with was that it had been bad gas. They suggested we put fuel injector cleaner into the tank, and directed us to a nearby AutoZone where we could buy it cheaper than they could sell it to us. And, they didn’t charge us for the diagnostic (usually $75). They even offered to put the cleaner in for us if we didn’t want to buy a funnel. This was our first experience with the kindness of strangers.
We followed their instructions, and thankfully the Subaru performed well that day and the next 2 days through the mountains of Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.
Monday morning we load up the Subaru to start the 15 hour drive back to SoCal with a stop in Salt Lake City to drop my mom and sister off at the airport. We would continue on to St. George, UT that night, then finish the rest of the drive Tuesday.
The Subaru continued to run well until one crucial moment. We were on a 2-lane highway in the middle of nowhere, along the Wyoming/Utah border. I only knew where we were because we had to get out a paper map when we no longer had cell service.
We were attempting to pass a semi on this middle-of-nowhere highway when my husband says those dreaded words, “uh oh.” I looked over to see the dashboard lit up like Christmas as he’s telling me he’s lost power. He manages to get back behind the semi, just as the Subaru dies completely. We pull off the road and try not to panic.
We try starting it a few more times. It turns over, but is clearly not getting any gas to start the engine. I take my phone out to call AAA and find I have no cell service (thank you, Verizon). Thankfully my mom’s phone has services – thank you, U.S. Cellular. I call AAA, and after trying to explain where we are to a nice woman in a call center located who knows where, she says they can tow us 90 miles and a tow truck will be there in an hour and a half. Awesome. Did I mention we’re in the middle of nowhere? And it’s hot.
We’re standing outside the Subaru killing time and trying not to get too grouchy when a gigantic pickup truck pulls up. An older gentleman asks if we are ok. After learning that we “are not from around there” he offers to call a mechanic in the town 5 miles away. We gratefully take him up on his offer. Kindness from a stranger #2, whose name we later learned is Monty.
The local mechanic shows up about 15 minutes later, and goes to work trying to diagnose the problem. The smell of fuel quickly permeates the Subaru as he checks the fuel line, which is fine. He can’t get any error codes to show up when he runs the diagnostic computer, either.
We are losing hope, and are resigned to meet the towtruck and pile in for a long 90-mile drive where we will then have to rent a car to get to the airport in Salt Lake, then drive back and spend the night and hope to get into a Subaru dealership the next day. Moments later, we hear the Subaru start. The young mechanic (whom I later learned is named Clay) has wiggled the throttle wire and got it to start! He tells us that this wire appears to be the problem and that it’s been “tampered with” but he can’t tell any more than that.
He then offers to let us follow him into town to his shop to make sure it will run ok. We do just that, and have no problems on the way into town. He did not want to take any money, but we paid him a handful of cash anyway! We met his lovely wife and baby daughter, and he let all of us use the restroom before getting on our way. Kindness of strangers #3. If you’re ever in Randolph, UT, stop by J-Bar Auto and tell Clay what a great guy we think he is! I completed a Yelp review for the business, too.
The Subaru ran great, and when we arrived at the dealership in St. George at 8:00 am the next day (after driving until after midnight), we were once again met by very kind strangers who took the car in right away (act of kindness #4) and confirmed the wire was the problem. Apparently some rodent had chewed through it, most likely when we lived in Oregon. The dealership fixed it and had us on our way in less than an hour.
The kindness of strangers saved what would have otherwise been a disastrous trip that would have delayed us by no less than a day, and would have likely cost us a lot of money. As I reflect back on the kindness shown to me by strangers during the ride itself, and on the people we met who helped us with the Subaru, I realize how blessed we are. I hope we can repay the kindness to others in the near future.