Thursday, April 23, 2009

Grounded

My car was grounded yesterday.

Took it in for its MOT and should have feared the worst when the lady off reception approached me in the waiting room as if she was about impart news of a bereavement.

Some coil to do with the suspension was broken, no I wasn't allowed to drive away cos it was too dangerous but that will be another £200 thank you very much.

Bugger! :-(

Couldn't get hold of the boss so I just went home and when I finally spoke to him, had to book the day off as an unplanned holiday.

Ok, so I did spend some time sitting in garden but it was...a waste, I couldn't go anywhere, it wasn't a proper day off to do as I pleased.

And it totally knackers up my planned finances when I'd seemed to be making some headway with my credit cards this year.

AM kindly gave me a life into work this morning and also took me to the garage to pick the car up at lunchtime.

The car just looks like it's been given a very, very expensive valet.

Work is really stressful right now and taking the day off has just worsened the situation.

And Boom has been too busy on his jollies to text me, although I hope it's just because he's turned his phone off as it's the one he uses for work.*

Double bugger - not happy at all!

* Edit - got an email from him and his phone doesn't have international roaming! Happier now but yowch, my credit card!

6 comments:

  1. That stinks.

    Did they whistle through their teeth when they told you how much it was gonna cost?

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  2. No, just pity in their eyes!

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  3. Major suckage. The last car I actually owned cost me a fortune. Head gasket went within 6 months or so - that was £1000. Then the gearbox needed replaced. All of it. That was a few hundred.

    Then I was driving out of a garage forecourt when *BANG*. Everything was ticking over, but no power reaching the wheels. Turned out the only gear they'd not replaced in the box had just snapped. The guy at the garage had never seen anything like it before. That was a few hundred more.

    Only MOT problem I had was when the psycho ex took it and and the arse there told her the head gasket had gone, which was why it was failing the emissions test. Hence it would be several hundred quid to fix and she was in tears.

    I politely asked him what else could be wrong. Well it *could* be an £18 thermistor that triggers the fan to stop the engine overheating and throwing out too many pollutants... which it was quickly determined it *was* when I told him the aforementioned head gasket was still under warranty *at that garage* as they were the ones who'd fixed it only a few months earlier.

    Bloody cowboys.

    Company cars and loaners since then. I can't afford to own a car right now.

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  4. Ouch - head gasket is the killer and cowboys can dupe the unsuspecting - good job you were on the ball!

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  5. Yeah, especially when the only way to be "sure" it's a head gasket is to take the whole engine apart. In which case you may as well replace it while you're in there.

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  6. Anonymous3:25 pm

    Oh what a bummer.

    Cars are so contrary. I have my MIL's old car and for the past 6 years I have been telling it "next time you need any money spending on you, I'm getting rid of you and getting a different car." And of course nothing ever goes wrong.

    But all the cars I had that I loved - they always died or cost loads of dosh.

    Glad that you heard from boom anyway.

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