Fix JTG's Car's Car
Donation protected
The car transmission is repaired, YAY!
But I still need help with safety-related repairs.
I thank all of you who contributed as without you I’d continue to be worried that every time I drove anywhere if this was the day the transmission would leave me stranded in the middle of a busy road somewhere and without an ability to keep going to teaching assignments.
That said, there are a few problems with the car which are not directly related to its ability to get around, but rather about safety:
This car, a 2006 Taurus, has 140K miles on it, and it took me and my father through many years and many cross-country trips, such as when we went to Arkansas to find the house he was born in still standing in Heber Springs. It has given a lot of good service through the years
The airbag does not work. If I were to be involved in a collision, the airbag would not go off and I'd be impaled on the steering column. The computer system my mechanic used shows the problem is on the steering wheel. In order to fix the airbags would require disassembly of the steering column to replace the parts, which would cost about $600 dollars. Of course one might say, DON’T RUN INTO ANYTHING, but unfortunately, accidents don’t work that way.
The car defroster and heater have not worked for a long time, since the winter of 2015. The cold I can handle, and on the many cold nights and mornings, both when I was working the graveyard shift at the AM/PM and now working as a substitute teacher, I’ve gone to work bundled in layers and gloves. However, no heater also means no defroster, and that has been a much more serious, even dangerous situation. Many cold wet mornings I’ve driven across town constantly wiping off the foggy interior windshield, sometimes with only a small portal to see outside to navigate as I drive slowly. This not only increases my likelihood of a collision while driving. Repairing the heater will cost about $600, which is why I’ve put it off so long.
The tires are getting bald. My minimal driving schedule over the past couple of years since Dad died has extended the lifetime of these tires, now about seven years old. I likely have only about six months or so left on these tires before they start to become dangerous. The last set of tires cost about $600, which may sound high, but they’ve lasted a long time, so they have been worth the investment. I will probably need to replace them before the rains come again next winter.
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WHY SHOULD YOU CARE ABOUT ME?
This is a good question. Why should you care about me? Well, first of all, I am a fellow human being in need.
Not enough? Well, do you know me? Have you known me in person?
Do you ever read the essays I post online? What about the various art I make and post? Do I ever make you smile and/or go "hmmm"?
What about the things I do to help other people and my community?
Let's start with my work as a substitute teacher. In my community, there is a deep shortage of substitute teachers, and I am good at it. I often have students telling me that I am their favorite teacher ever; not just a favorite substitute teacher, but a favorite teacher period. That's just from a day or two here and there. I can talk more about my experiences as a substitute teacher if there are any questions.
I spent 15 years caring for my elderly and disabled father after he spent three months in a coma in 2000. To make a long story short, Dad was not expected to survive, but I refused to allow his life support to be turned off in spite of great pressure, being told by hospital personnel that I was "being selfish" for not "letting go", and ultimately Dad did survive. Mentally he recovered, but he required a lot of physical support for the rest of his life until he died recently. Taking care of Dad was a full-time endeavor, and when he died, I found it difficult to get employed as many employers did not consider 15 years of caregiving to be a legitimate work history. Finally, I put my multiple college degrees to work as a substitute teacher. I can tell you much more about this later if there's interest here.
I am, of course, only asking for help from those who can afford to help. If you can't give, that's OK. If you can only afford $10, that's great because enough $10 contributions will add up. If you can afford to cover the whole cost of replacing this transmission, that's fantastic.
If you have read through all that, thank you.
James Thomas Green
P.S. To those who question why I would repair this car rather than buy a new one, consider that I know what is wrong with this car as my father bought it when it only had 1500 miles on it, and I've had it since.
Watch this video for more .
But I still need help with safety-related repairs.
I thank all of you who contributed as without you I’d continue to be worried that every time I drove anywhere if this was the day the transmission would leave me stranded in the middle of a busy road somewhere and without an ability to keep going to teaching assignments.
That said, there are a few problems with the car which are not directly related to its ability to get around, but rather about safety:
This car, a 2006 Taurus, has 140K miles on it, and it took me and my father through many years and many cross-country trips, such as when we went to Arkansas to find the house he was born in still standing in Heber Springs. It has given a lot of good service through the years
The airbag does not work. If I were to be involved in a collision, the airbag would not go off and I'd be impaled on the steering column. The computer system my mechanic used shows the problem is on the steering wheel. In order to fix the airbags would require disassembly of the steering column to replace the parts, which would cost about $600 dollars. Of course one might say, DON’T RUN INTO ANYTHING, but unfortunately, accidents don’t work that way.
The car defroster and heater have not worked for a long time, since the winter of 2015. The cold I can handle, and on the many cold nights and mornings, both when I was working the graveyard shift at the AM/PM and now working as a substitute teacher, I’ve gone to work bundled in layers and gloves. However, no heater also means no defroster, and that has been a much more serious, even dangerous situation. Many cold wet mornings I’ve driven across town constantly wiping off the foggy interior windshield, sometimes with only a small portal to see outside to navigate as I drive slowly. This not only increases my likelihood of a collision while driving. Repairing the heater will cost about $600, which is why I’ve put it off so long.
The tires are getting bald. My minimal driving schedule over the past couple of years since Dad died has extended the lifetime of these tires, now about seven years old. I likely have only about six months or so left on these tires before they start to become dangerous. The last set of tires cost about $600, which may sound high, but they’ve lasted a long time, so they have been worth the investment. I will probably need to replace them before the rains come again next winter.
//-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-//
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE ABOUT ME?
This is a good question. Why should you care about me? Well, first of all, I am a fellow human being in need.
Not enough? Well, do you know me? Have you known me in person?
Do you ever read the essays I post online? What about the various art I make and post? Do I ever make you smile and/or go "hmmm"?
What about the things I do to help other people and my community?
Let's start with my work as a substitute teacher. In my community, there is a deep shortage of substitute teachers, and I am good at it. I often have students telling me that I am their favorite teacher ever; not just a favorite substitute teacher, but a favorite teacher period. That's just from a day or two here and there. I can talk more about my experiences as a substitute teacher if there are any questions.
I spent 15 years caring for my elderly and disabled father after he spent three months in a coma in 2000. To make a long story short, Dad was not expected to survive, but I refused to allow his life support to be turned off in spite of great pressure, being told by hospital personnel that I was "being selfish" for not "letting go", and ultimately Dad did survive. Mentally he recovered, but he required a lot of physical support for the rest of his life until he died recently. Taking care of Dad was a full-time endeavor, and when he died, I found it difficult to get employed as many employers did not consider 15 years of caregiving to be a legitimate work history. Finally, I put my multiple college degrees to work as a substitute teacher. I can tell you much more about this later if there's interest here.
I am, of course, only asking for help from those who can afford to help. If you can't give, that's OK. If you can only afford $10, that's great because enough $10 contributions will add up. If you can afford to cover the whole cost of replacing this transmission, that's fantastic.
If you have read through all that, thank you.
James Thomas Green
P.S. To those who question why I would repair this car rather than buy a new one, consider that I know what is wrong with this car as my father bought it when it only had 1500 miles on it, and I've had it since.
Watch this video for more .
Organizer
James Thomas Green
Organizer
Salinas, CA
