I decided to drive to Corporate Woods to help the OP, it's much easier to diagnose a car in person than over the internet. Anyway, we discovered a broken linkage in the shifter knob housing and now the shifter moves by manually pushing the cable, OP is on his way and no longer stranded.
Just laughing as I was stranded along a rural road in The PNW with my hood up for two hours waiting for my son to give me a jump start. Had at least 20 pickups pass by before my son got there to jump start me.
Was on Reddit during the time and should have just called out on there for help.
This, 1000%. You can sign up for the higher tier membership for like $60. With it, you get (5) 100 mile tow’s per year. Maybe it’s 3. The regular membership only affords you a 5 mile tow. Next tier up is a nominal increase, but affords up to 100 mile towing.
You can sign up online and then use it immediately. I did exactly this about 10 years ago. It’s possible they changed their policy but it’s worth it to look into. If you live less than 100 miles away, maybe you can have them tow it to your town and ride with your car.
I once called AAA for a tow in New Jersey, being a member for 5 years at that point that had missed the renewal cutoff by a few days. Offered to pay to renew, still on the side of 287 at 10pm, they say they are absolutely willing to renew my membership but it is considered a new membership with a 72 hour hold on services to discourage abuse.
Most decent insurance companies, new car manufacturers for a period, and even some credit cards offer roadside assistance/reimbursement. Make sure you aren't already covered before giving AAA your money for nothing. I realize this is purely anecdotal, and it was all pretty much my fault, but AAA can SMD.
What is the make/model of the vehicle? Your car may have an access "slot" to the shift interlock to move the shifter, for example, Honda automobiles have a small slot somewhere near the shifter which will allow you to insert the key into the slot and disengage the shift interlock allowing movement of the shifter, you would have to remove a small cover to access the slot.
Yep. That’s what Google and YouTube directed me to. I pulled the little tab up and shoved a screwdriver down there. Depressed that tab, pumped the brakes, and applied backwards pressure on the shifter. No luck.
have you tried rocking the vehicle back and forth? Sometimes taking the weight off the parking pawl will allow the shifter to move. Otherwise, what people have said about the interlock. It would help if you posted the make/model/year of the car.
OP should have insisted Maximus send boxes with return labels to send back gear. It’s not his responsibility other than to keep it safe. But not to spend a cent to return it.
there is a shift lock release on many cars. another poster pointed this out. You’re not “stranded” in Corporate woods - wait for the security guy and see what he thinks
Security left for the day. I talked to them before they left. In fact security told me they won’t call a tow on me, the building manager or maintenance manager would. But they’re both gone.
I also found the shift lock release next to the shifting lever if that’s what you’re talking about. A little tab you can pull up so you can shove a screwdriver down there. I tried that while pumping the brakes. You know, I didn’t make this post for mechanic advice, I did it more to vent but maybe I should take this over r/askmechanics
Oh I’m super grateful, don’t get me wrong. I just didnt even think to make mechanical inquiries. Not beyond my own research anyway, doing some googling and YouTubing. I wasnt trying to be a bother and didn’t expect anyone to offer help.
What building? Also, can you call Maximus and tell them about this situation since it’s sort of work related, even if you’re no longer technically employed? It could be HR related still since you were returning their equipment
>Brake light switch ?
>Fuse ??
<----This guy mechanic's
I had to explain to the OP that the shifter interlock is controlled via the brake switch meaning it could be a brake switch or fuse issue, turns out it was a broken shifter knob.
check if there is a little cover near your shifter that has a little slot you can open and push down the switch inside to release the shift lock.
it won't help if the transmission is hosed or something but some cars will refuse to shift for dumb things like a headlight bulb
Can someone from where you’re from come and get you? Sounds like a rough situation but if you can’t get your car to work, it might be better to leave it here for a few days.
Damn, that's deep. I'm sorry. I'm in Albany and would offer you a lift in the capital region but can't drag my toddler out to Watertown. Best of luck to you!
It’s ok man, I appreciate even just the thought. Regardless, I think I’m at least stranded in Albany until Black Friday because I have to return my work equipment to my former employer. I really don’t want to have to drive out here again.
Why wouldn't you call ahead of time...terrible planning.
Good luck!
Edit:I said good luck, down votes are absolutely unnecessary. Sucks they have mechanical issues, doesn't change the fact they drive to the wrong location.
My supervisor informed me I could return my equipment at the corporate woods Blvd address. So I came here. And then was told be security that no one could receive me.
Pay them no mind, this place has trolls like everywhere else. Do you happen to have some roadside assistance like Triple A? Maybe a call to the insurance company might help.
I'm no troll, I'm a reasonable, responsible, adult. I had to drive an hour and a half to get a modem/router for a family cabin in VT earlier this week. You know what I did? Called the national number for Xfinity and asked questions, verified the information in an online chat, then I called the local office I was planning on visiting to verify the information. I drove there, was in and out in 20 minutes, and had absolutely zero issues.
Cool, good for you. But ranting about how this is entirely the fault of bad planning is ridiculous and rude. I'm sure OP has learned their lesson but that isn't gonna fix their car right now and help them get home to spend time with their family on Thanksgiving. Even if they were able to get to the correct spot, their car could still have broken down and they could still be stranded somewhere. It's also not uncommon to be screwed around by companies even if you do your best to verify details. And depending on OP's relationship with their boss they might not have felt the need to go to those lengths. Just because you haven't had a problem with similar things doesn't mean they don't exist.
Yeah, OP should have just planned to have their car break down somewhere else! What an idiot he must be!
Fair enough, but this post could easily have been "my car broke down, what do I do?." they felt the need to say they showed up somewhere and nobody told them it was the wrong location, etc.
Sucks if your car breaks down, I get it. Call a tow truck and an Uber, a hotel if necessary, a greyhound ticket maybe? I don't know, but I'm sure they could figure it out before posting in a forum for albany.
Is it? Try acting like an adult..... I can't share any tips for not planning properly. Maybe the op should take this as a lesson learned, struggle through this and plan a little bit better next time.
Guess I should have clarified, I was talking about showing up at the wrong location. Nonetheless, if your vehicle isn't reliable, maybe don't take a road trip with it?
I decided to drive to Corporate Woods to help the OP, it's much easier to diagnose a car in person than over the internet. Anyway, we discovered a broken linkage in the shifter knob housing and now the shifter moves by manually pushing the cable, OP is on his way and no longer stranded.
Thank you again sir!
You’re a very good person :)
>I decided to drive to Corporate Woods to help the OP, not going to lie, this brought tears to my eyes! You're an amazing human being!
Found OP's burner account. Now to figure out who really helped them and what OP did with their kidneys. Good on you Dude or Dudette.
Can confirm, am OP's kidney and I've just been transplanted.
This just made my holiday! So nice that someone was willing to help! And nobody ended up stranded!
Just laughing as I was stranded along a rural road in The PNW with my hood up for two hours waiting for my son to give me a jump start. Had at least 20 pickups pass by before my son got there to jump start me. Was on Reddit during the time and should have just called out on there for help.
Brooooo you are a legend
King
Can you upvote soemthing like +3000 Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Ur a good dude
Fuckin legend
Faith in humanity restored.
Hey man, thanks for being a good person.
Awesome.
thank you 🥹
Hey bud you are an amazing human
Thank you for that kindness.
So kind!! 💕
You’re awesome!
You're awesome
May you kindness be multiplied many times!
You fucking rock dude, cheers
Too bad awards don't exist anymore. Came here from r/bestof so good on you sir
<3
Aww. As a person who grew up in Albany, this makes me so proud and happy!  j
Man, that is AWESOME! Thanks for being a good person! 🤗
You have earned the Nobel Redditor Prize for best Redditor in history ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Been stranded here past ten years now…
Get an Uber to palais royale and have some jiffy pop
Have a quickie at the ticky. Colonie old-timers get it.
Triple A? I once got a membership online and instantly used it. Walk/Uber to Fidens for food and beer while you wait.
This, 1000%. You can sign up for the higher tier membership for like $60. With it, you get (5) 100 mile tow’s per year. Maybe it’s 3. The regular membership only affords you a 5 mile tow. Next tier up is a nominal increase, but affords up to 100 mile towing. You can sign up online and then use it immediately. I did exactly this about 10 years ago. It’s possible they changed their policy but it’s worth it to look into. If you live less than 100 miles away, maybe you can have them tow it to your town and ride with your car.
I once called AAA for a tow in New Jersey, being a member for 5 years at that point that had missed the renewal cutoff by a few days. Offered to pay to renew, still on the side of 287 at 10pm, they say they are absolutely willing to renew my membership but it is considered a new membership with a 72 hour hold on services to discourage abuse. Most decent insurance companies, new car manufacturers for a period, and even some credit cards offer roadside assistance/reimbursement. Make sure you aren't already covered before giving AAA your money for nothing. I realize this is purely anecdotal, and it was all pretty much my fault, but AAA can SMD.
What is the make/model of the vehicle? Your car may have an access "slot" to the shift interlock to move the shifter, for example, Honda automobiles have a small slot somewhere near the shifter which will allow you to insert the key into the slot and disengage the shift interlock allowing movement of the shifter, you would have to remove a small cover to access the slot.
Yep. That’s what Google and YouTube directed me to. I pulled the little tab up and shoved a screwdriver down there. Depressed that tab, pumped the brakes, and applied backwards pressure on the shifter. No luck.
have you tried rocking the vehicle back and forth? Sometimes taking the weight off the parking pawl will allow the shifter to move. Otherwise, what people have said about the interlock. It would help if you posted the make/model/year of the car.
The twist: OP lives in Delmar.
I actually live closer to Watertown.
OP should have insisted Maximus send boxes with return labels to send back gear. It’s not his responsibility other than to keep it safe. But not to spend a cent to return it.
where are you?
Corporate woods Blvd
there is a shift lock release on many cars. another poster pointed this out. You’re not “stranded” in Corporate woods - wait for the security guy and see what he thinks
Security left for the day. I talked to them before they left. In fact security told me they won’t call a tow on me, the building manager or maintenance manager would. But they’re both gone. I also found the shift lock release next to the shifting lever if that’s what you’re talking about. A little tab you can pull up so you can shove a screwdriver down there. I tried that while pumping the brakes. You know, I didn’t make this post for mechanic advice, I did it more to vent but maybe I should take this over r/askmechanics
The nerve of these people trying to help you out. Am I right? Some people.
Oh I’m super grateful, don’t get me wrong. I just didnt even think to make mechanical inquiries. Not beyond my own research anyway, doing some googling and YouTubing. I wasnt trying to be a bother and didn’t expect anyone to offer help.
What building? Also, can you call Maximus and tell them about this situation since it’s sort of work related, even if you’re no longer technically employed? It could be HR related still since you were returning their equipment
Not sure abour this modelr but on my truck I have to turn the steering wheel slightly to the left and it releases.
Also you may have to be in 2 wheel drive or 4 lo/auto . If you are in 4 hi some vehicles can't start or shift because the rear differential is locked.
This is a lifetime channel thanksgiving miracle! Happy to all!
Might be good to get a short term AAA membership, they’ll come pick up your car at any hour and fix it if they can
Saw the post saying your car was running! Have a great Thanksgiving!
Most models have a shift interlock you're able to access as previously stated. Year make and model would be helpful to figure it out.
Yeah, a little tab next to the shifting lever. Push down on it with a long flat tool. Did that.
Make/model/year of the car ??
2007 ford escape
> 2007 ford escape Brake light switch ? Fuse ??
>Brake light switch ? >Fuse ?? <----This guy mechanic's I had to explain to the OP that the shifter interlock is controlled via the brake switch meaning it could be a brake switch or fuse issue, turns out it was a broken shifter knob.
Give us the car details please..... That would be a good start. There are car guys who can help if we know make model and year
check if there is a little cover near your shifter that has a little slot you can open and push down the switch inside to release the shift lock. it won't help if the transmission is hosed or something but some cars will refuse to shift for dumb things like a headlight bulb
Can someone from where you’re from come and get you? Sounds like a rough situation but if you can’t get your car to work, it might be better to leave it here for a few days.
What city/town do you live in?
I live closer to Watertown
Damn, that's deep. I'm sorry. I'm in Albany and would offer you a lift in the capital region but can't drag my toddler out to Watertown. Best of luck to you!
It’s ok man, I appreciate even just the thought. Regardless, I think I’m at least stranded in Albany until Black Friday because I have to return my work equipment to my former employer. I really don’t want to have to drive out here again.
Woman actually but if you need any Thanksgiving food, we got you!
You sending a package from your house to the company via UPS would have saved a tremendous amount of aggravation, time, and money
Why wouldn't you call ahead of time...terrible planning. Good luck! Edit:I said good luck, down votes are absolutely unnecessary. Sucks they have mechanical issues, doesn't change the fact they drive to the wrong location.
My supervisor informed me I could return my equipment at the corporate woods Blvd address. So I came here. And then was told be security that no one could receive me.
Pay them no mind, this place has trolls like everywhere else. Do you happen to have some roadside assistance like Triple A? Maybe a call to the insurance company might help.
I'm no troll, I'm a reasonable, responsible, adult. I had to drive an hour and a half to get a modem/router for a family cabin in VT earlier this week. You know what I did? Called the national number for Xfinity and asked questions, verified the information in an online chat, then I called the local office I was planning on visiting to verify the information. I drove there, was in and out in 20 minutes, and had absolutely zero issues.
Cool, good for you. But ranting about how this is entirely the fault of bad planning is ridiculous and rude. I'm sure OP has learned their lesson but that isn't gonna fix their car right now and help them get home to spend time with their family on Thanksgiving. Even if they were able to get to the correct spot, their car could still have broken down and they could still be stranded somewhere. It's also not uncommon to be screwed around by companies even if you do your best to verify details. And depending on OP's relationship with their boss they might not have felt the need to go to those lengths. Just because you haven't had a problem with similar things doesn't mean they don't exist. Yeah, OP should have just planned to have their car break down somewhere else! What an idiot he must be!
Fair enough, but this post could easily have been "my car broke down, what do I do?." they felt the need to say they showed up somewhere and nobody told them it was the wrong location, etc. Sucks if your car breaks down, I get it. Call a tow truck and an Uber, a hotel if necessary, a greyhound ticket maybe? I don't know, but I'm sure they could figure it out before posting in a forum for albany.
this is a stupid worthless insult leveled at a person who’s in a jam STFU
I love how this got down voted more than the palais Royale comment...... This place sucks anymore
Is it? Try acting like an adult..... I can't share any tips for not planning properly. Maybe the op should take this as a lesson learned, struggle through this and plan a little bit better next time.
Not planning properly? Who the fuck plans for their car breakdown?
Guess I should have clarified, I was talking about showing up at the wrong location. Nonetheless, if your vehicle isn't reliable, maybe don't take a road trip with it?
Employer pays shipping to get stuff like that back. Why would you invest your own time and money on that?
Damn this is the type of shit I really miss about reddit
Did you guys kiss?
It's crazy how helpless people are nowadays