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flat of the year

We finally got around to having our flat fixed. It has been an ordeal. First, we had to get a new rim, but that wasn’t in stock at the garage, so we had to order it. We didn’t want to pay full price for a new rim, so we got a used one, and had to wait for it to arrive. Then they told us there was nothing wrong with the tire, we just needed a rim. So we said to put the old tire on the new used rim. That was all fine and dandy until they tried that and there was in fact a hole in the tire, so we needed a new one.

That wasn’t all that was in the tire.

While we waited the two hours for them to figure most of this out, they came out with this pair of pliers. They held them up and said this was inside the tire. They’d never seen anything like it (which is also what the AAA guy who saw my shattered rim said). Somehow, the pliers got between the tire and the rim, and punctured a hole through both, like a bullet. We had the flat of the year. They laughed and told us to keep the pliers and we called some friends and family to tell them the rub of it.

Then my dad said, hey, there’s no way this was an accident. Didn’t these guys put on your new tires last month? Isn’t it possible that they left that tool behind? Don’t you think you have a case here? They’re a bigger company than you are, make ‘em pay! And we said, Dad, the puncture marks line up with their story. If the pliers were in the tire they couldn’t have been properly mounted and balanced. And if they really shot out through and caused all that damage, why would they still be in the tire? They went in, not out.

Still, it’s sketchy. I’m not entirely convinced that they didn’t somehow leave the pliers behind and then when we hit a pothole or something, they went flying and did their damage. We’re going to do some further analysis. Study this thing. Take photos and gather the forensic evidence. We’ll fight this battle. Flat of the year, this will be the flat of the century. We’ll take it as high as we have to, and get back our $137.48. Or not. At least we’re on the road and everything is working again, which feels pretty good, and that’s worth a lot.