This ain’t so clutch
Exit Glacier River Valley, Seward
Before we begin, I'd like to draw your attention to the fact that this is blog post number 13. You'll see further on why this small detail made me laugh as soon as I realized.
A little over a year ago, I had the clutch replaced on Envy, our 2014 Toyota Tacoma.
Throughout the same summer, the clutch strangely started burning, or slipping, every now and again, especially when Tom and I were offroading. I pride myself on being a good manual driver. With a Scottish father and an English boyfriend, I've been amongst those who know manual like no other. So the slipping was odd. I took Envy to Toyota and told them she seemed to be burning up unexpectedly. They couldn't recreate the issue, of course, and proceeded to tell me that without taking the whole thing apart, they couldn't help me.
Because we were trying to save money at the time, while simultaneously spending every dime we owned building out our camper and getting Envy road-ready, we decided to forgo the clutch check and save where we could.
Several weeks into our trip, we preemptively booked a routine maintenance check in Terrace, proactive truck owners that we are. The check went well, though the mechanic mentioned the clutch was on her way out and we should get her replaced when we could find the time. Being on the road and managing a booking of this kind is its own logistical puzzle. We landed on Whitehorse as our best option, rerouting slightly to make it work while still enjoying the journey. Instead of seeing Skagway and Haines after Whitehorse, we swapped the order. Only a short stretch of highway repeated. No problemo.
We booked the appointment while still in Stewart, a full three weeks out, to give Whitehorse Toyota enough time to order the parts. The appointment happened to fall on the Tuesday morning after the long weekend and National Indigenous Peoples Day.
On the Friday afternoon before the long weekend, we returned from a relaxing soak in some hot springs to find a voicemail from Whitehorse Toyota. They'd cancelled our Tuesday appointment due to staff shortages from the long weekend.
Oh, but it gets better.
Rather than arrive on Tuesday and make the staff feel bad about something that was, objectively, quite bad for us, we took the high road and simply asked if we could buy the clutch parts directly and take them to our next suitable location. They said no problem. $1,800 later, we were back on the road, parts in hand, optimism largely intact.
I did my homework before leaving and called Anchorage Toyota to explain our situation and ask for the earliest possible appointment. Since we were bringing the parts ourselves, they didn't need to order anything and could get us in for July 6th. Perfect. We had plans around Independence Day, could enjoy a detour south to Valdez first, and would swing through Anchorage in time for our appointment.
Fast forward to Monday, July 6th. We drop off the truck and spend a pleasant morning pedalling around Anchorage with nothing but a single overnight backpack, basking in a park like two people without a care in the world. Then, Toyota called.
The parts we brought were incorrect. Not only that, the flywheel, which I now understand to be a rather crucial component of a clutch replacement, appeared to have never been replaced when Squamish Toyota did the original clutch job last summer, revealing our original issue. And since they don’t have those in stock, we’d now be expected to wait upwards of two to three business days before they could get a flywheel delivered.
Awesome news.
We now had to purchase another full set of parts in USD, while being in possession of a set of completely useless parts, and wait on a flywheel. Toyota also declined to offer a courtesy vehicle. What began as only one night booking accommodation in Anchorage turned into three nights, with only our bikes and a single backpack to travel and carry our belongings. Hotels in Anchorage run approximately $300 USD a night. You do the math. This supposed short stopover was getting very expensive.
A silver lining? The sun came out the past two days we were pedalling around the city. We had a genuinely wonderful time cycling through Kincaid Park, and spotted a moose and her calf in the woods not 100 feet from the main trail. Alaska, as ever, doing its best to remind us we can't stay annoyed for long.
Having vehicle work done while moving from one destination to the next is no simple feat, and I understand that. This particular escapade has tested my patience while providing ample opportunity to practice indifference, adaptation, and above all else, a sense of humour. All of which, it turns out, you need in considerable supply when you're on the road, at the mercy of dealerships, and very far from home.
We’re now back on the road, happily reunited with Envy, trying not to think about our bank accounts. In Canada, the clutch replacement last summer cost us $3,500 CAD. The same job done in Anchorage cost $5,000 CAD. The unplanned hotel expenses cost $1,300 CAD.
Blog post number 13… indeed.
