So, as you know, our car broke down yesterday near Mars, Pennsylvania. Coming off the Turnpike, we whacked the median (the turning lane suddenly became a median when I wasn't looking, so there was a fearsome BANG! from the bottom of the car; fortunately, the median had a low enough profile that we were able to drive over it, otherwise), then managed to park by a Five Guys Burger and Fries and eat dinner before we discovered on our return that the car was dead. The car jumpstarted fine, and I was able to get to the hotel, but I needed another jumpstart to take the thing to the nearest Firestone Auto Care Centre for an assessment and repair.
Well, now it's the morning after, and the repair is now done. The diagnosis: a dead battery. Nothing else. A full electrical assessment found no phantom draws, and a look beneath the car showed nothing untoward save for the usual wear and tear. A new battery fixed the problem. So, having the battery die after whacking the median? Total coincidence. The fact that we parked beside another car that had also broken down that evening? Also a total coincidence.
And we were fortunate to break down within steps of both a garage and a hotel, near where we were planning to stop anyway. Yes, we're out $200 for the breakdown, but things could have been much, much worse.
So, now we head home, hoping that the good side of our strange luck holds.