Random Acts of Automotive Kindness...What's Your Story?

Ever had a situation where a Good Samaritan stranger helped you out with a car problem?

My experience was many years ago when I bought a car in Buffalo and the battery died in front of my friend's house. I had flown in to pick it up, and my friends didn't have a car. I had no way to get to a store to buy another battery. A neighbor was watching from his upstairs porch a few houses away. He saw what was happening, and yelled down to me to take his car and get what I needed. Totally unexpected and a big help! He threw his keys down and I took his car to the local K-mart and got another battery. I put some gas in his car as a thank-you.

 

When I was in my young days, I just wouldn't worry about how much Gas I had in my Tank. Part of it was money. The couple of bucks I did have felt better in my pocket, lol. The other part was, as mentioned, I just wouldn't worry about it. Well, I would run out now and then and sure enough, I would always have good luck, like rolling down a hill and pulling right up to the Gas Pumps. Other times, it would be just a short walk to a Gas Station, etc, many times with a ride to boot. Once I ran out at the pumps while starting to fill the tank with the car idling, lol.

But one time, I ran out on a quiet Interstate in the country (faulty Gas Gauge this time). I said, well I've always had good luck in the past, but not this time. I pulled over, put on my 4-Ways and headed into the direction of the closest Station that I knew of. I didn't get 40 Ft and a car was pulling besides me in the breakdown lane as I walked. He asked what the trouble was and I told him. He said "Jump in" but he then started backing up. Puzzled, I said "the nearest Station is a ways up ahead this way", pointing forward.

Well, he had a full can of gas with him. He didn't want any money for it, but it was all I could do to pay him about double and I thanked him over and over.

Today, I'm the opposite. Like to keep the tank on the Full side.

Bill

 

Kindness #1

I only have two automotive help stories. I've been lucky about break downs. ( Okay, I've probably got 200 stories)
Story #1 was when the fan belt on our 1955 Chevy wagon broke while we were with our new car club group driving 50 miles to a cruise in.
Pretty much all new friends and new members of the club. My fan belt broke but I was able to drive at least 25 miles to NAPA to get another. I had just the mechanical fan yet while driving the engine stayed cool. I'd heard a noise when the belt broke and the GEN light came on.
Every one of those club people stopped with us. By the time I had the new belt the alternator was loosened and several men took the belt from me and put it on the engine.

 

Kindness #2

We'd only lived here near this small town in NW Florida a few years. I'd gotten something repaired or replaced on my van at a small downtown garage by a friendly mechanic.
I had parked our 1977 Corvette in the home garage for all that time. Too busy to drive it. When we drove it to town later the thing wouldn't start in a parking lot. It was dead. So I walked the short distance to the garage. That mechanic drove me over and simply crawled under the Vette and tapped on the starter where the hot battery cable was. It started. He then removed and cleaned the corroded cable. This probably took 15 minutes or more. He would not take any money. I really appreciated that and went to him for years until his business closed. :2_thumbs_up_-_anima

 

Kindness #3

Maybe three years ago I had been at my eye surgeon for something for my bad eye. They were both dialated so I sat in the truck until I felt safe to drive. Barely got out of the big city where the road turned to two lane instead of four. Right rear tire blew. Discovered my son borrowed the truck jack and the long crank handle which was also needed to remove the truck spare.
I could see fine while in the truck but the bright sun made it difficult. I told my wife, who does not drive, that in times like this people hold up a white flag. Joking I told her take off your white blouse and give it to me. Yea right.
Well I found a white floppy hat in the truck topper. Stuck it on a piece of rod I had and waved it. The very first pickup from the other direction whipped around and stopped. He had all the tools, jack, and heavy wooden blocks to put under the jack. In no time he changed the tire and put the spare back under the truck. Found out this was his day off. He worked about 35 miles away at a large truck stop changing tires. No wonder he was so fast!
He would not take anything. I found out where he worked and several months later we were near there. We bought him and one of his co-workers lunch at the adjoining truck stop. Still a cheap tire change.

 

Kindness #4

Durn I sure had some good luck with my bad. Probably have a lot more of these kindness stories. Karma has always been my friend. Here's another.
When we moved to Florida I had a Chevy low top van and an 18' flat bed trailer. Made seven trips from Illinois hauling our important junk. I could get 300 miles on a tank of gas with the trailer. There was a gas station next to a Mc D's right at the 300 miles. I'd fill up and we'd eat, sometimes stay the night next to the station if we left Illinois late.
My wife was staying in Florida with the rug-rat who was just starting school. I must have loaded the trailer heavier or was driving faster. Ten miles from my fuel stop my van ran out of gas. I got out and opened the fuel door pointing at it. In no time a pick up stopped and the driver drove at least ten miles back to get a gallon of gas. We talked about retirement and the town he was from. By coincidence he lived where one of my co-drivers had lived before retirement and he knew the guy. Sorta became instant friends. He wouldn't even take the gas money. At that time I think it was $1.00 a gallon but he probably used two just going to get mine.

 

My Mom always had good stories of being on the receiving end of a random act of automotive kindness. Once, around 1980 or 81, she was driving from Virginia to some place in the Midwest where she had been invited to speak at some women's group. She was in her 60's at the time, and was traveling with another woman (also in her 60's). On the way home, her 69 Ford LTD had a breakdown. Sitting on the side of the highway, they were rescued by an entire town. Some one was kind enough to stop, and take them to a service station in a very small town nearby. It was a weekend and parts had to be ordered. There was no motel or hotel in town. The service station owner contacted the pastor of the local church who found a church member who could put them up for two nights. They went to the church service Sunday morning where they were introduced to and welcomed by the entire congregation. Apparently my mom and her friend were treated like honored guests and while she paid for the repairs on the car, no one accepted payment for their meals and lodging.

 

Sounds just like a Mayberry, NC story. I know this was back in the 80's, but there are some real nice people in the world.

 

Yes, multiple times:

We used to have a 1985 Jaguar XJ6. It wasn't maintained very well IMHO and once, an uncle of mine (Husband of my grandma's sister) came over and helped out. He even drove us around while the car wasn't working.

We also had a 1995 Plymouth Voyager and it's the car we had for the shortest amount of time, to my recollection; about three years. One time in 2007 or 2008, we got stuck in a drive-in theatre (There was a flea market there in the morning) and were stuck for about 10 hours while a man there named Dave helped out. Our next-door neighbor also drove down (Which was at least 30 miles) and worked on it, but Dave is the one who got it started and without the proper tools. We dropped him off at a place up in Franklin, PA and I haven't seen him since then.

Three people also asked me if I was having engine trouble when I was cooling the engine of a 2000 Caravan off in a parking lot to check the oil, but there weren't any issues. Still, nice gestures.

 

I'm a humble guy and don't like to toot my own horn, but I've helped many people over the years with vehicle problems and more. However, for some reason, the few times that I have had car trouble, the universe didn't reciprocate. Family or friends wouldn't answer phones and no one pulled up to help, so I had to call tow trucks. But I get great satisfaction by helping someone who's stranded, so I'll keep on doing it.

 

X2

And....

X2, I've done it many a time and I will do it again

with the exception of my wife, when in need there is one person I can and have called with no BS....... ironically it's never been our cars but company trucks over the years witch have decided to grenade at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere and all ways in the middle of the night.

 

I've never been helped randomly out by strangers of any jams, usually I received laughs or middle fingers from people annoyed my car was stranded in the road. I have had a friend drop what he was doing when my car broke down in the fast lane of the I-15\163 interchange in San Diego (8 lanes of people doing +75MPH, very dangerous place) and that was awesome. I have helped people who were stranded or had trouble pumping gas, etc. Never take anything for them, just tell them to think of the next person when they're in the same position.

 

I had a customer back when I had my tire shop that came in pretty regular and I had my '66 C-10 usually sitting out front and usually had one of our other cars, even built a '81 Elcamino for my nephew there. So he knew we were into cars and told me how his uncle had passed away and left him a '72 Comet but it was in Pensacola, Florida. That's about 4 hours away and they wanted $400 or $500 to ship it. It had to be moved ASAP because of the storage situation. I offered if he put diesel in the truck, I had a trailer and he and I could go get it. Left out Sunday morning 7:30 had it at his house at 4:30 that evening. We have been friends for the last 6 years and he has returned the favor since then helping me out on things. Matter of fact Monday morning I am putting a new set of tires on his girlfriends car since he is a customer of mine again.

 

I have helped many people on the side of the road. Once, the car in front of me was spewing transmission fluid. Pulled him over, and just happened to have the tools and spare fluid for BKS THM 350, so under I went. Had his Camaro mobile in about 10 minutes. I have driven people to the parts store and then gone back and fixed their cars. When ever I have needed help, some kind soul has always come along to help, too. Car people are the best for that.

 

Actually, I have 2 stories. One very sad, and one very R-Rated and still vivid in my veins.

The sad one first. My folks were moving from Ottawa, Canada, to Oshawa, Canada. About 180 miles apart, 2 lane highway Number 7. My dad and I were doing renos in the Oshawa house, including a small fabrics and sewing store for my mother's business. I was 16 at the time so I didn't know how to drive. Friday evenings, dad and I would pack up, and make the 3 hour drive, after rush hour, and try to make the best time we could to be in Ottawa by 11:00 PM.

It was a messy night, some snow flurries, wet road. We're in a section where the shale rock cliffs come along every now and then, narrow shoulders. A semi is in front about 1/4 mile ahead, and there's a few curves. Something happened in front of the semi, loaded with reinforcement rod, and he ran into one of those shale stone cliffs. Dad stopped on a dime, back from the rig, and told me to stay in the car. No excuses. "DON'T F'G move!"

Dad told me later that some of the Re-Rod went through the headache rack, the cab, the seat and the driver. He wasn't dead! Dad tore the door off, and asked the guy what he could do for him. "Do me in! Man!, finish it!" The truck caught fire! My dad passed away years ago, but he told me that he put him out of his misery, before he burned alive. Dad's coat was fried from the flames, and he wept when he got back in our car. We went to house with lights on and called the police to meet dad at the truck. Dad had the driver's papers and wallet, and turned it over to them.

He put on another coat, and told me to never mention it, not even to my siblings or mother or friends. I kept my word. It took him 4 years before he told me that he helped the guy die.


Now the R-Rated story!

1973 summer break from 2nd year Eng. School at the university. Just finished souping up my Corvair Greenbriar pickup, with a 1966 Corvair 180 HP turbo six. My college buddy and I were gonna drive to New Orleans and come back via Nashville, TN.

We went down to Baton Rouge, and swam in salt water, first time for both of us. The truck ran fine. I made arrangements to pick up my Weiand Corvair converter to install a 283 vette motor that I prepped before leaving, in the back to the Corvair transaxle. Had all the rads and plumbing, but I needed those parts.

Well the Corvair six was leaking oil, so we stopped in Nashville, right across from the Grand Old Opry. Friday evening, Warm August evening, folks driving in open convertibles. A couple hot gals stopped and asked where we were from (Ontario, Canada plates), and we started to chat. The driver, cute gal, said her dad had a garage, that she'd call and ask if he could let us use it to fix it. Yep! We drove it there, and they asked if we were staying anywhere. Would we mind spending the weekend with them? Do bears crap in the woods?!!!

Took us a couple hours to fix the engine. We went to the other gal's cottage, about 10 miles out, changed, and went on the town, and back to the cottage, and back on the town on Saturday, and Sunday, and my buddy married the driver, after graduating. I think he's still in Nashville...

Fond memories... yummers!