So... Corroded Battery Cables and the Metro Bus

Ahh where do I begin?

Well, a few weeks ago, upon leaving my apartment and getting into my car to leave for a study binge with my partners at the library, one key thing was missing in the quest to drive to the library....the car actually starting....and so the story begins.

I cranked my car that afternoon to the sound of the little engine that could...the engine never cranked, but instead gave a trying sound, a sound similar to that of goat choking on a fishbone. So my thoughts were that I needed a new battery. So I went to Sears and purchased a battery a few days later. Upon installing this battery, I noticed a cable completely separated from the alternator. This was odd I thought. So I ignored it, thinking maybe this was how the cable was supposed to be. Therefore, I began to start the car again, this time not to the sound of a fishbone choking goat, but instead to the sound of nothing. No crank, no sound of any kind. It was apparent that, upon installing the new battery, that the cables had been so corroded, that they had separated upon getting the old battery out of the car. My question here was whether I needed a new battery at all or if the corroded battery cable was the entire problem to begin with...I will never know.

So upon considering to tow the car to the mechanic, I called several towing companies to find out that towing in this town costs around 80-90 dollars. I then called my insurance company to find out that the cost would be covered, but I would have to pay up front and they then would reimburse me 4-6 weeks later. It seemed unreasonable to pay that much money, even if it was reimbursable, and to pay about the same in labor, for just a repair that I would later find out, only cost 11 dollars in parts.

So I use my favorite friend of all time...Craig. (and his list)

I post a classified for a mechanic that can come to my place and receive several responses. I asked in the ad to reply with labor quotes for the repair and received labor quotes ranging from $20-80 dollars. So naturally I choose the quote for $20. I email the guy to set up a date to come over. I then receive a call the next day from this mobile mechanic detailing how he lives in Virginia and that the quote of $20 dollars would not be adequate for the travel, but now a $40 quote would suffice, which isn't horrible, but still for a part that would only cost $11, I had to think about this. He then offered an intriguing offer....he could tell me how to perform the repair and I could try it myself....so naturally I had to do it, which leads to metro bus fun in DC!!

METRO BUS FUN IN DC

I begin to google part stores in Washington, DC and find one that is just a stone throw away at 1207 H St NE. On the map it shows the store being perfectly centered above the Metro Center Station. I say wow and woopie at the same time and board the bus to go downtown. I had to take a few movies back to Blockbuster, so I decide to take the 42 Bus that goes directly to Metro Center and stops by the Blockbuster.

Stop 1
The first stop is a success. The bus drops me off at Blockbuster and I drop off the movies. There were enough people boarding the bus that it gave me time to get back on after I dropped of the movies.

Stop 2
The bus then heads arrives at Metro Center, at which point I get off and begin to look for 1207 H St NE. To my grimace, I notice that, yes, 1207 H St is within walking distance, however, not 1207 H St NE.

Stop 3
So I am on H St and I need just to go from 1207 H St NW to 1207 H St NE. I figure the best way to get there is to catch a bus going that direction on H St! So I board the first bus that stops on H St.

Stop 4
No No No... The bus goes east on H St, good, but the bus then turns left, bad, then turns right, good, then turns left again, bad. The bus' ultimate destination, I learn, is the Rhode Island Ave Metro Station.. At this point, I was so lost from finding the Auto Zone I had googled, I was just set on getting off at the RI Metro Station and traveling back home when, out of the great blue yonder that is DC, the bus makes a stop right in front of an Auto Zone on Rhode Island Ave. I am fluffed with fluctuations of philanthropy...I was excited and relieved... I was in the middle of nowhere, in the ghetto perhaps, but hey there was an Auto Zone.

Stop 5
I return out of the Auto Zone, with part in hand, and cross the street and wait for the same bus I had taken, just in the opposite direction. Right? That makes sense. Noooooo, the bus goes to the VA Medical Center, which is, I don't know where the hell I was...when all of a sudden I notice a familiar bus, the H4 bus, which I sometimes take from 16th Street, and know that it goes back there, and bingo was his namo, I'm home. (after I take the S4 bus down 16th St)

(the purple indicates my route)

Which brings me to my next point...

How to Fix a Corroded Battery Cable...

Step 1 - Unhook the battery from the battery cables and set the battery down on the cement, AWAY from the car and any metal parts.

Step 2 - Cut off the battery connector from the battery cable.

Step 3 - Strip both wires of the battery cable about 1/4 inch.

Step 4 - Place both ends into the battery connector and then crimp.

Step 5 - Then reinsert the battery and connect the connector to it.

Voila!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!