Smile eventhough you're heart is breaking....
It was a sunny day on Apr. 19, Mon. We just spent two fantastic days in Camayan Beach Resort in Subic. We were in high spirits, sunkissed and all ready to go home. Since we checked out just before lunchtime, we decided to have our lunch in Subic before we hit the road. The car occupants were my hubby, me and our 4 kids, youngest was a year old...
Since we the place wasn't familiar, we scouted the area for restos. During our search, we saw an ad for a known resto but we don't know where it's located so we decided to go to PETRON GAS STATION which is right in front of Puregold Supermarket to ask for directions and to have our car filled since it's almost running empty like our stomachs.
The attendant did his usual SOP like informing us the kind of gas he'd be filling the tank. Right after we had the tank filled, I immediately noticed the car was making some jerky movements. It was pretty unusual since our car's just barely 2 years old (Ford Focus).
I just shook it off and we reached the resto and had lunch. But after our lunch and we're almost on our way to SCTEX when the car was making those jerky movements again, and my hubby can't make the car accelerate anymore. We went back to PETRON GAS STATION and doublechecked if the attendant really gave us the right kind of gas.
This was around 1:30pm.
Lucky for us, the Ford Service center is just right in front of the gas station so my hubby decided to have it checked with the mechanics there. While they were on the road, the car refused to accelerate no matter how hard my hubby push the gas. The mechanics told us, the most likely culprit would be the kind of gas we had. We went back to the gas station and my hubby demanded for the manager and he agreed to accompany my hubby to the Ford Service Center to witness for himself. The gas tank was drained and during this process we were left in a fastfood restaurant waiting for 3 hours and counting...
We decided to transfer to Starbucks around 4pm since we can't handle the humidity inside the fastfood restaurant anymore. This time, my son's cranky, hungry and very very tired... My other kids were getting impatient but they know better they can't do anything anymore to alleviate the situation.
I called my hubby and asked him to bring my son's shoes, milk, water and some diapers but he said the car's already detained and he doesn't have an access anymore. God help him, he must think if he asked for the car to be brought down, this might take the process a little more longer. So basically, my son's on an empty stomach and must be having diaper rashes at this time.
After 6 long hours of waiting, my hubby called and told me he's going to the police to make a police blotter against the gas station. The manager refuses to pay the amount for the repair and he insisted it's not their fault and etc. All this time, he was with my hubby and he actually saw the contents of the gas tank. It was murky and filled with dirt.
The mechanics at Ford confided in my hubby and told him that a lot of cars do break down right after having their tanks filled in that gas station. A lot of them actually have their cars checked in their place since it's the nearest one. In short, we were not the only ones.
This was around 7:30pm.
We decided to go home but my hubby was determined to file charges. While on the road, the car's making those jerky movements occasionally and by the time we reach EDSA, the engine icon on the dashboard lighted up indicating a problem.
This was around 10pm.
We were on our way home, famished, tired and very sleepy. The kids chose to sleep over having dinner, very eager to just get home.
When we were almost home, the car's having problems again. Jerky movements, no acceleration and etc. I was hoping against hope that we would just reach our doorstep and be safely sheltered in our own home. God answered my prayers.
Let this be a warning to all. The PETRON GAS STATION is located right in front of Puregold Supermarket in Subic. Our vacation may have turned out to be a nightmare in the end but we have so many reasons to thank God inspite of it all.
The car's now in Ford Alabang for repair. The damage to the fuel pump may cost us around Php20,000 or more... If the engine has been damaged as well, the cost will be more... We have to wait for 3-4 days. Til then, we have to brace ourselves.
