Well... THIS SUCKS 😩

2023 has not been a good year for my 2009 Audi A4. I got a flat tire on Christmas Eve and was without my car until after New Year's. Luckily the tire was under warranty and I've already been reimbursed for 90% of the cost. So no real harm there, I've moved on already.

This marks the 10th year of my ownership of this car and it has been such a wonderful car for me. I still love driving it and even get compliments on it sometimes. The Quattro AWD system keeps me confident in the snow. Plus, it turns out it is the perfect little grocery-getter with adequate space and solid gas mileage. No wonder I refuse to get a new car even though I'm obsessed with fast and stylish cars.

As many of you have probably seen on my profile, I started doing Instacart last week. I have been loving it and making some decent money at the same time. I planned to do more of that this week, but it seems the world had other things in mind for me. My car is now temporarily out of commission.

^{It looks like My Instacart Financial Report Week 2 is going to lack much income. If you didn't already see my Week 1 report, check it out here.}

For the past few weeks, I had heard an ever-so-slight change to my exhaust note. It was as if my car was just barely turned up in volume a little tiny bit. As soon as I noticed this I took it to my local shop and asked them if they heard anything wrong with it, but sadly they were unable to identify an issue. I knew I wasn't crazy though as both Hive account@flowerbaby and I noticed the difference in the sound of the car driving.

I drove on it this was for nearly 2 weeks, but my gut told me eventually something would go wrong because I just knew from the sound it wasn't acting normally. My ears are hyper-sensitive and I notice every little thing, especially something that I've been listening to pretty much daily for 10 years.

Go wrong things did this past Saturday. I was driving home from lunch when I received an alternator fault notification. Basically, my battery was unable to recharge due to what most likely is a failing alternator. I was able to make it home and drop off the groceries we had just bought at the store for dinner. I immediately went back out and was planning on taking my car to the shop to let them sort it out. I didn't make it very far though. Somehow my car started back up, but the battery died on me right as I pulled out of my parking garage. Thank goodness I was not in the middle of an Instacart order or out somewhere remote when this happened.

I had to throw my car in neutral and push it out of the street and into an alleyway. I was stuck waiting there for an hour until finally, roadside assistance showed up to tow me. The guy recharged my battery real quick and then I was able to just drive up onto the tow truck. Of course, the place I took my car is closed on the weekends and wouldn't be open until Monday morning. I knew I'd start this week without a car and be unable to work my new Instacart job. Luckily, I can take time off whenever I want without fear of losing my job.

The prices I've seen for a new alternator for my specific car range from $200-$400. I estimate that labor will cost around $150-$200. My rough estimate of what this will cost me is around $500. That's as long as all it needs is an alternator, fingers crossed.

While you have to disconnect the battery from the engine, you do not have to replace the battery when replacing the alternator. Alternators typically have a lifespan between seven and ten years, while batteries last between three and four. This is great news considering a new battery would cost an additional $400 and increase the labor costs as well. Fingers crossed they don't say I need both.

It looks like 100% of my money from Instacart so far (and then some) will be going right back into car maintenance. I'm not going to blame the driving gig for this issue though, as my alternator was doomed to fail at some point anyway.

What can you do to help❓

If you wish to assist me, the easiest way to do that would be to upvote this post. All of the rewards for it will go towards the car repairs.

I'm the type of person that hates asking for stuff from others. I'm stuck with a lone-wolf mentality I guess and I always find a way to figure things out.

Talking about all of this is mostly just a way to keep a record of when it happened. Writing also sometimes allows me to better process my thoughts and sort out bad situations. I'm not asking for you to feel sorry for me because trust me when I say my life is still great. Sure I won't be able to work for a week probably, but that's not the end of the world.

The Audi will be revived and up and running soon enough, I have faith.

^{I will be sure to update again once I know for sure how things are going to play out.}

Thanks for the love and support. I know I'll be back out on the road again soon.