Somebody Out There Doesn't Like Me Much

I've been having problems with the tires going flat on my recently-purchased car. All four of them - had one blow out while I was trying to take my daughter somewhere for her birthday.

Even the spare didn't seem able to hold pressure - and I couldn't, with the limited means at my disposal, find any problems with the tires.

Finally, I was able to take it in to the dealership to see what the problem was and to scream at them about it.

Well, it turns out that someone, with some effort, loosened the valve stems on all four tires and the spare. The serviceman at the dealership swore, looking at my seven-year-old daughter, that this was not an installation error, something I could accidentally have done somehow, or normal wear and tear.

Which left one response.

Somebody out there doesn't like me much.

As an assassination method, it ranks up there with pointing the bone at someone - who the hell doesn't visually inspect their vehicle, or notice the handling problems as the tires flatten? And, frankly, if I thought my online writings would move someone to action against my vehicle it would be a Hellfire missile through the back window.

But, there it is. Because of the time and effort involved, and the peculiar sleeping habits of my lovely wife (she usually doesn't) she is adamant that this could not have happened in our driveway. I will inquire about this at work.

Vandalizing teenagers, frothing wingnuts, or pathetic attempt at a "message" aside though, one thing is clear. I have, somehow, through my writings, my bumper magnets, or just my presence in this cherry-blossom World, managed to piss someone off to the extent that they'd be willing to endanger a seven-year-old in order to make that displeasure felt.

And in the vanishingly small chance that it was my writing, and that the person or persons involved are reading this, I'd like to say something.

It takes a real coward to go after a seven-year-old, you limp-dicked little pigfuckers. Be a man and come after me next time.

•  Bring it.

  Going to talk to work and look at shotguns this morning.

  by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 05:50:55 AM PDT

  •  Got any poison ivy where you live?

    Rumor has it that if you rub it on things and then those things get touched that the toucher can get a bit uncomfortable.

    It's something I heard, people!  I, of course, would never stoop to such a thing.  :-)

    by CJB on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:51:08 AM PDT

    •  It's true

      Take it from someone who is violently sensitive to poison ivy.

      by Pariah Dog on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 07:07:35 AM PDT

      •  That's funny.

        My wife's immune to it.

        Hmmmm.....

        by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 07:08:39 AM PDT

        •  Some are

          and then there's the lucky ones like me (I live in the country).

          by Pariah Dog on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 07:12:13 AM PDT

•  Are you

  a Clinton supporter?

  by mango on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 05:53:49 AM PDT

  •  with all due respect...

    what the hell does this have to do with the price of tea in Moody's home town?

    by brillig on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 05:54:39 AM PDT

    •  A question I was having myself.

      by khereva on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 05:55:11 AM PDT

    •  It was

      snark

      by mango on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 05:55:47 AM PDT

      •  sorry

        not funny. And you know why, too.

        by elmo on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 05:56:56 AM PDT

      •  Given the current climate 'round here...

        a little /snark tag goes a loooooong way.

        by brillig on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 05:57:53 AM PDT

      •  Okay

        have some "thanks for posting" fours then.

        But damn, that could start up the Primary Wars in here. It still might.

        by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:10:43 AM PDT

        •  noooooooooooo

          not Teh Primary Warz!!

          ::hides under covers, rocking and singing Kumbayah softly to herself::

          by brillig on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:21:13 AM PDT

  •  I am

    a left-leaning Decline-to-State.

    I have a Second Life bumper magnet, a "I Played D&D Before It was Cool" one and one given to me by a coworker that says "Be nice to America, or we'll bring 'democracy' to your country"

    I'm also looking at the big "Impeach" rear window displays. Let's see how they like that.

    by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 05:56:34 AM PDT

    •  On a lighter note, I got some great

      bumper stickers while I was home in Oregon over the holidays:

      I'm already against the next war
      Jesus is Coming - Look busy!
      Warning:  In event of Rapture, this car will be unmanned!
      I have an ulterior motive to my hidden agenda
      God is coming and she's pissed

      Unfortunately, I don't actually own a car (I live in Japan) and my mom in Oregon wouldn't let me plaster her car with them :-(

      I hope your problem is nothing serious.  Wingnuts are so cowardly.  They can't win in a debate because of their sheer illogic so all they have left is to threaten to hurt you with their cheeto-stained fingers.  I suggest hiring a PI and checking for cheeto stains fingerprints.

      by YoyogiBear on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:19:59 AM PDT

      •  First

        I'll have to quit Cheetos, dammit.

        by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:23:30 AM PDT

  •  Are you... not funny?

    by cskendrick on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:26:45 AM PDT

•  Sorry to hear this.

  And hope the cowards move on (and grow up, but it's the art of the possible).

  Glad you and yours are safe, and free from harm.

  by khereva on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 05:54:29 AM PDT

•  fucked-up

  wish there was some way for me to help.

  where is your car parked, usually?

  by condoleaser on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 05:55:46 AM PDT

  •  At home?

    Right next to the front window where Mrs. Moody lairs.

    At work, in an underground, access-restricted (theoretically) garage.

    by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 05:57:59 AM PDT

    •  Maybe it was something that happened in a parking

      lot somewhere.  Someplace like the grocery store or the strip mall with the comic & game shop (just guessing on that one from personal experience).

      by oortdust on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:01:35 AM PDT

      •  One wonders.

        That's what I'm thinking too.

        by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:04:32 AM PDT

      •  loosening stems

        loosening stems takes time, so the person doing it would have to be sort of comfortable in the setting,  thats why I would guess a neighbor who is pissed about the street parking situation or something.  Its so much easier to just icepick the side of tire, which cannot be repaired.   As the OP mentions, stems can be repaired very cheaply once identified as the problem.

        Personally I wouldnt worry about it unless it happens again.

        by dark daze on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:06:25 AM PDT

        •  And I park in my driveway and

          astounding as it may be, I am courteous to my neighbors.

          Oh, and don't forget that they opened a locked car, popped, the trunk, and got the spare too - it was showing the same problems immediately after the blowout.

          For that, the "punk kids" could have stolen the Goddamned thing.

          by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:08:36 AM PDT

          •  see

            Oh, and don't forget that they opened a locked car, popped, the trunk, and got the spare too - it was showing the same problems immediately after the blowout.

            see that tells me no way was this done to YOU.  This was more likely the dealership having an inexpereinced lot kid fill air tires.  NOBODY would go through the effort of messing with a spare tire.

            by dark daze on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:18:20 AM PDT

            •  since

              since you have a kid, and you had a blow out, the dealership is NO WAY gonna be honest with you and open themselves up to litigation.

              by dark daze on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:19:54 AM PDT

            •  ITA

              Vandals or winger attackers are probably not going to be able to or interested in that kind of slow, subtle approach.  Tire slashing, maybe.  Sugar in the gas tank is about as time-consuming as they would undertake.  The spare is the dead giveaway; it was a mistake that the dealership just can't admit to.

              My first reaction to something like that happening is that someone did it to me; at times my work involves pissing people off.  Usually, the truth is that there's a benign explanation.  The other day it looked to me like someone (obviously a disgruntled student) had peed on the floor right outside my office door...come to find out that the janitorial staff had just done a bad job waxing the floor right there.  

              Hope it was just something benign, ML.

              by rocketito on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:53:28 AM PDT

          •  you got any

            bumper stickers...???

            by condoleaser on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:31:13 AM PDT

            •  Yes, in fact

              although bumper magnets, because I don't know how mine the car is yet.

              by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:37:33 AM PDT

              •  and...

                do you leave them on, all the time?  are they...inflammatory...?

                 mine is. I use magnets, too, even though the car is mine - and remove the inflammatory one when leaving the car in an out-of-the-way place...

                by condoleaser on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:42:32 AM PDT

                •  Well,

                  I have a Second Life bumper magnet, a "I Played D&D Before It was Cool" one and one given to me by a coworker that says "Be nice to America, or we'll bring 'democracy' to your country".

                  I'm looking at the "Impeach" rear window display. Those bastards won't silence me.

                  by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:49:16 AM PDT

                  •  wellll - imho,

                    I think that discretion is, sometimes, the better part of valor - such as when my car will be parked at the airport for a day or two, etc.; ymmv...

                    by condoleaser on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:55:19 AM PDT

        •  I'd guess a mechanic while car was in shop.

          by cskendrick on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:28:07 AM PDT

          •  The only time

            it's been in the shop since I got it was when I took it in for the tires, and there was about a week after I got it when it was fine.

            by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:36:46 AM PDT

            •  I think you need to consider a connection

              or the possibility that the tires were faulty and the flaw showed later on.

              Sometimes it's just bad product and no one wants to pay for replacing it.

              by cskendrick on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:44:14 AM PDT

              •  I will strongly consider this. (n/t)

                by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:49:44 AM PDT

                •  Yeah, this is installiation error

                  If this was the case on all tires and the spare -- and they were all done at the same place recently.  This does not mean that it was or was not intentional by the person working... just that that is were it most likely occured.

                  by norahc on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 07:18:59 AM PDT

            •  I had the same thing back in 1987

              New car with chronic tire problems which we did eventually trace back to the dealer not making sure everything was tightened and clamped. My son was 2 when this happened. I was 22 with no enemies on the planet (yet, worked on that quite well since then!!), so I would never suspect anything sinister.

              Not trying to discount your fears, but just taking a step back logically it really sounds much more like how the car was put together to begin with.

              by SanDiegoDem on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 08:47:38 AM PDT

•  (((((Moody)))))

  and hugs to the family, too.  I'm glad you and yours are all safe... a tire blowout can be dangerous depending on speed involved at the time.

  Have you talked to the cops? And, is your insurance gonna cover repairs?

  by brillig on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 05:56:31 AM PDT

  •  Cops

    say it's been too long to get evidence and casually dropped referrals to purveyors of vrios methods of home defense that would give the gun-control advocates vapors.

    Insurance would be happy to - after the $500 deductible. Fortunately, the dealership replaced the valve stems for free- but I had to pay for the blown tire.

    by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:00:12 AM PDT

•  I hope all goes well for you, Moody.

  I think you're a nifty person.  

  There are really nice "Impeach Him" yard signs around the DC area.  I can try to get you one if you like.

  by oortdust on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 05:59:44 AM PDT

  •  Works for me :) (n/t)

    by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:03:22 AM PDT

•  if someone

  if someone really didnt like you, they would of done much worse.  Sounds to me like a pissed off neighbor.  Punks would of just keyed your car or smashed your windows.  Plus if it is a new used car, this may have been done to the car when it was on their lot etc.

  If it happens again, then you have a real problem and a real freak on your hands, and if you park in you own driveway, probably time to install a camera.

  by dark daze on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 05:59:52 AM PDT

  •  We had about a week

    before the problems showed up, and the dealership was able to document to my satisfaction that it did not happen there.

    I agree that punks or a pissed-off neighbor would have resorted to a rock or a key. Not like there aren't rocks handy.

    The combination of effort and pointlessness disturbs me.

    by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:02:56 AM PDT

    •  dealerships

      A loose stem would create a slow leak, something not all that noticable, and most dealerships have lot boys who constantly clean cars and do small maintenaince such as make sure tire air is full.  I am sure they dont keep a record of cars that get air in their tires.

      Unless you have had a fight at someone at work or in the neighborhood recently, I wouldnt worry about it.  Just check your tires every couple of days, big leaks will be very noticable.

      by dark daze on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:10:52 AM PDT

•  If there's no booster seat

  (I assume your seven year old has outgrown the forward facing child seat), and/or if the booster seat is hard to see (they are not immediately apparent, particularly for someone who is working rapidly and is afraid of being discovered), I would suggest that the fact that you have a child never entered into this person's mind. What likely occurred is that someone got pissed off at a bumper sticker. I highly doubt it's your writings on this or any other site unless you've left a clear trail id'ing yourself and your address.

  Unfortunately this is part of the territory for advertising the fact that you're opposed to wingnuts. There are always a few shitheads who will do something malicious and stupid. But if they're only unscrewing your tire valves it suggests that they're too furtive and cowardly to take it any further.

  I would not worry about it too much.

  by Dartagnan on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:09:34 AM PDT

  •  Well,

    it would take about thirty minutes of Googling to find out who "Moody Loner" is.

    Little is big enough not to require a booster seat, but the children's books in the back seat and the trunk over the spare might have been a clue.

    I'm trying not to worry about it but, you know, Moody Loner.

    by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:13:05 AM PDT

•  Damn, Moody Loner.

  I hate this kind of thing.  Like you say, it's not much of a real threat but a totally horrid invasion of psychic privacy.

  Sending kind thoughts to you and the Mrs. (and glaring at the punks).

  by Crashing Vor on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:22:51 AM PDT

•  Might have been someone working on the car

  or someone they knew, to give themselves plausible deniability.

  That would be my first guess - someone who knew precisely where to go and had excuse to have custody of your vehicle.

  by cskendrick on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:25:51 AM PDT

•  Oh and

  thank you, tag librarians.

  by Moody Loner on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 07:12:56 AM PDT

•  Hmmmmm

  further thoughts -- when I used to work in a tire shop we would replace the whole valve stem (the rubber bit with the brass piece that was loose on your tires).  If all of your valve stems are new and all were leaking my guess would be they replaced the stems with ones that the inner bit was never tightened down at the factory.  I do not recall ever checking the inner valve stem for tightness when I would replace the whole unit -- you put the new one and charge w/air.  

  Only reason I mention at this late date is so you can check w/ the shop that did work and maybe check their sop -- if they do not check inner valve stem when replacing the whole valve stem maybe should add to sop to check, so someone else w/ kids in the car is not at risk

  by norahc on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 01:15:00 AM PDT