On The Road Again
Fuck I’ve been waiting a long time to say that!
One week shy of one full year since the Ram began breaking down, we are finally back in action. I remember it like it was yesterday. The night before we were set to leave Tucson on our way to White Sands, that ding went off. I was overly concerned, as I always am, but a quick trip to the dealership where they informed me that I didn’t know how to drive a diesel truck properly, and we were on our way. If only I had known then how fucked up the entire next year was going to be. Well, this time, after leaving the truck at the Dodge dealership for two more months, they seem to have gotten to the bottom of it. They determined there was metal in the engine and replaced the entire fuel system, including a high pressure fuel pump that was replaced just 10k miles ago under a recall…at the same dealership. Now, even if you don’t know anything about heavy duty vehicles, you should know that genuine Mopar parts are not supposed to have a life of 10k miles. They go 100k miles typically or more. Needless to say, $20k dollars later, the truck is “fixed” - again - and back in my possession. Meanwhile, the attorneys are beginning what I think will be a long and drawn out consumer fraud case.
In the meantime, we are back on the road!! That is until the next catastrophic failure. But for now it’s working and the best way to be sure is to put that bitch to the test. While the trailers been sitting idly by, I have made a few necessary upgrades. Brand new rated E tires, 800 watts of solar, digital tire pressure monitors, and a brand new backup cam because while I can park, I’d like to do it without getting out of the truck 15 times. We haven’t towed since August ‘24 when I went all of 30 miles before I saw a fender flying over the hood. We’re starting off small-ish and hitting the highway for Phoenix where I’m scheduled to work a music festival. After some wishy washy about it, I’ve determined I’d much rather run the risk of towing the trailer than staying in a flea bag motel. Bonus: I get to take the tiny pig with me.
Stand by and wish us luck!!