rotten day. (update #13)

[*myfoursons]

Ugh, I'm sorry. That's happened to us so many times, kids locked and loaded, ready to go, and ..... Nothing. It is so frustrating!

I joined AAA and have used it MANY times. Love them, and it's peace of mind for me.

[egoldber]

I am really quite shocked that they don't offer roadside assistance! And I would have the dealer check your car for an electrical issue, because IMO a new car should need a new battery/jumpstart unless you accidentally left the lights on or something. (And even then, my Jetta turns off exterior and interior lights once the car has been turned off for a certain period of time.)

[♥ms.pacman♥]

thanks so much for the replies everyone!

ok so THANKFULLY my sitter was available for a couple hours early this morning to watch the kids while i went to the dealer. i was able to jump-start the van myself (we have one of those rechargeable batteries with leads) and then get it running. that was the easy part. after i got it going, i noticed that there was a warning light on saying that one of the sliding doors was open. as i was backing out of the garage, i guess i was distracted by that and i hit the side of the garage door with the passenger-side mirror. the mirror totally cracked into a million pieces.

anyway, i drove to the dealer, getting lost along the way (its a 30min drive) since the navigation system wasn't working (it kept asking for a code to even use it). well i finally figured out my way and got to the dealer, they were able to determine that the one of the sliding doors was actually open. it did not look open at all, i think it must have just not closed properly the last time and because of that, it drained the battery (like they say, Odys are like a computer with an engine, so much electronics in there that practically anything can drain the battery). after a few tries they were able to close the door properly and the warning light went off, and then after being able to restart the engine after i turned it off, they determined it probably was that and the battery was ok. also, they were able to find the codes to let me use the audio and navigation system (i guess whenever it's jumpstarted everything resets).

anyway, at least i didn't have to pay for a new battery or wait at the dealership for a few hours with fussing kids. but now i have to get a new passenger-side window due to my stupidity. the guy at the dealership told me it would cost about $400, and they have to pre-order it to match the paint etc. UGH.

as for road-side assistance i thought about it but not sure it would have helped so much in this situation, since i'm alone with the kids...i would have had to take them with me in the tow truck (what about carseats?) or at least have someone stay at home with them while i went myself. at least i have this jump-start thingy, well worth the $$$. i think at least while my DH is out, i'm going to take it in the van wherever i go so in case i'm ever at the store with the kids or whatever and this kind of thing happens (dead battery) i can just jumpstart it myself and be on our way.

[bubbaray]

Ask the dealer to double-check the sliding door motor while it is still under warranty. Its a $600 part (plus labor) -- as me how I know, mine went just out of warranty.

Whenever a battery goes dead or is disconnected, you'll need all those codes. I recommend keeping them IN THE HOUSE and not in the van.

ETA: I'm shocked they don't offer roadside on the Ody. I had it on my Ody (2005). I would highly recommend AAA. I've had it since I was 16 and its definitely worth the money just for peace of mind. Particularly if your DH is out of town a lot.

[crl]

Ask around at glass places about your mirror. I had the dealership and a couple of repair places tell me I had to replace my whole mirror, which was an electronic one so a couple of hundred dollars. Then I called a glass place and they said they could just cut a new mirror and glue it onto the old one. Cost me less than twenty buck and worked just fine for the rest of the time I owned the car (about five more years).

Catherine

[twowhat?]

A reputable body shop will be able to fix the mirror for cheaper. I'm glad you got the problem figured out!!

And, if it makes you feel any better at all, last year I backed into the garage door with our Ody. Yup. I didn't wait until the door was completely open to put the van in gear and my foot to the pedal.

Cha-ching! Cha-ching! Cha-ching!!!!

[egoldber]

but now i have to get a new passenger-side window due to my stupidity.

last year I backed into the garage door with our Ody.

And if it makes you both feel better, I once backed my van into my completely closed garage door. We needed not one but TWO new garage doors because we have two single garage doors and per the HOA they have to match and can only be one of 2 styles. Yeah, that was a $3K mistake. Sigh.

And then when I started work and first started getting up at 5 am, one morning I was soooo sleepy, I turned right too sharply entering the parking garage at work and scraped a HUGE scrape down the side of my van. That was when we "cash for clunkered" it.

I totally agree to get them to check the door motor to make sure it is OK. Ody's are notorious for door motor issues. Everyone I know with an Ody has had an issue with one or both door motors.

I swear, I think that vans should come issued with spare side mirrors and pre-paid body work.

[SnuggleBuggles]

We've used AAA roadside assistance for batteries several times. They come out, jump it and go. Easy. AAA is worth it's money sometimes!

Beth