That?s it, I?ve had enough. The car has got to go.
Driving back from London to Kent in the rush hour yesterday the car started to misbehave. Didn?t seem to be changing gear properly (it?s an auto). Continued more circumspectly than is my wont after pulling over to nearside so that I could access the hard shoulder if need be. Peripheral vision spotted a red flash from dashboard. Wasn?t sure if I had imagined it. Saw another. Still uncertain what it was. Then it really started to blink, red oil can symbol appeared. Recalled instructions of umpteen years ago that if I ever saw an oil light appear I was to stop immediately or the car would BLOW UP.
Was on the A2 approaching M2 which presents me with a dilemma. Should I risk the M2 that is full of road works, cones, switchbacks, varying speed limits from 50 to 40mph and back again. Had visions of multi-mile tailbacks if I broke down. Wouldn?t be at all popular. Elected to take the unfamiliar A229 dual carriageway to Gillingham.
?No stopping for 5 miles? signs. No hard shoulder. Open countryside. Red oil light flashing quicker than that dirty old man in Bermondsey who, on approaching me removed his raincoat from his nether region and asked me did I think this would show if he went swimming. Ugliest thing I ever did see in all my born 10 years. I digress.
Managed to stop under a viaduct. Called the AA, mobile not working properly. Finally established that breakdown vehicle would be sent. Cars and lorries passing at speeds over 70, - terrifying noise, a constant whump, whump, whump as they passed. Remember no hard shoulder. Tried to erect my red triangle warning light. Worse than useless - the darn thing had rusted together so couldn?t set it up (I didn?t like to say erect it).
Decided to I had to get out of car as too dangerous to stay. Hopped over the Armco barrier and stood leeward of the support column of the viaduct. By now it was getting darker, the rain was heavy and getting icy, felt like the wind would bowl me over. Fortunately I was wearing a warm jacket but I still needed to don the emergency coat, gloves and scarf that I had in the boot. Me, I am the most prepared girl who never guided in her life.
Eventually the AA arrived, diagnosed a massive oil leak. Patrolman arranged for flatbed pick-up to take my car home. At that point HIMBO arrived having been contacted by the AA and took me home. The poor patrolman was going to have to wait in the open for approx. an hour before the arrival of the pick-up truck.
Is there a moral to this story? Nah, except that just when you think that you have got one problem sorted out, another takes its place.
Life?s a bitch, ain?t it.
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Gah!!!
Rita, your story has a useful moral.
Many of us drive around in shirt-sleeves (or maybe blouse sleeves) without a thought as to what might happen if the car breaks down.
This is like the 'going shopping at the Mall' syndrome. We don't take coats because the place is so damn hot, and we can always turn up the heater in the car... and then if the car breaks down on the way home...
(Mark (Brasil) - do you pack a cold box???)
Martin.
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I learnt my lesson a couple of years ago when the keypad imobiliser on a 106 packed up one night at 10.00pm. By the time the breakdown sent by the AA decided they couldn't fix it and a relay truck got me home it was one am and I was frozen to the marrow, this being on a frosty November night. This taught me the wisdom of always keeping a warm jacket in the car for emergencys.
One day I may well get round to actually putting one in there.
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Well Rita, WOULD it show if I went swimming?
Come on, it's rude not to answer.
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Robin -
Were you the man in question?
RIta
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Rita,
You should be published.
Scrap or repair the old friend?
David
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Despite the tropical climes, the weather here can get a bit brisk, especially inland.
The "emergency kitbag" contains, waterproofs, boots, socks, sweater, wooly hat (no pompom), etc, and sits in the boot, alongside the toolkit.
Often used to stop to assist motorists, who had failed to proceed (as RR say) and were stuck in the middle of nowhere (literally) in t-shirts and shorts, while the temp drops close to freezing.
But, amazingly, at least 70% of the time the problem was of their own making - ran out of fuel, didn't have a jack/wheel spanner, the spare was flat, they didn't know how to change a wheel...
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David W -
Fortunately, the car will be looked at on Saturday by our mechanic who was booked in to service our (his) other car. My car will take precedence. If it is cheaply repairable it will be sold in due course. With great reluctance on my part. If it is not cheaply repairable then I don't know what our course of action will be.
HIMBO has been trying to persuade me to sell the car for the past 5 years (it is a D reg. and we have had it since it was 10 months old. Sold to us by a con-artist when it was on lease. I won that battle , kept the car and paid nary a penny extra). But, I love it, and have argued that we might as well run it into the ground as it has been cheap motoring due to its perormance and reliability.
Considering all the kids, cats, cow (well, someone has to drive), furniture, fripperies, bales, boxes, bikes, bags - in both senses of the word, dumped wives, runaway lovers - not mine, etc. the list is endless, that I have ferried in that vehicle I am astonished at just how good the interior and seating is. And the bodywork is exemplary for a car of its age.
But common sense must prevail, so once I have defined my current motoring needs then I will call upon all your good offices to advise me in making the appropriate choice.
I take it that they don't make a smaller version of the Volvo 740, rhetorical question.
Robin -
Just a rider to my previous post, I did say the ugliest not the biggest.
Rita
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