Tag: Breakdown

Stuck in Wales

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My sister is broken down in a car in Wales, her clutch has gone. She’s been waiting for the breakdown service for about four hours! They keep saying they are sending someone but it’s getting late, and cold. Why they advertise a service when they can leave someone on their own late at night. So of course I’m worried about her. I will keep ringing her back until I know she is safe. I cannot go to her because she is about eighty miles away in a town I don’t know. So if you read this please just send her good wishes. X

Car saga

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The garage we took our car to is closing down! The owner is retiring apparently. We didn’t know when we left our car on the forecourt. I’m trying to find his mobile number so I rang another business that knows him. They might be able to get his mobile number for me but apparently he will be going there later today so all I can hope is that they tell him we have been trying to contact him or that he goes to the garage and sees the car!

We tried other garages, but I would need to take the keys to the one who could help and they are seven or eight miles away, or the local garage but they can’t collect it until the third of February!

All we can do is hope the mechanic gets in touch for now. I would go and bump start the car but I don’t know if we have the strength to push it as its on the flat.

Update, not the battery?

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The breakdown man arrived. He asked what had happened and I explained that the battery had been going and in the end the engine would not turn over. I also pointed out there was oil around the engine rocker box gasket. He said he would check a few things.

Knock on the door. Hello, it’s your starter motor. It’s stopped working. It is no more…. I had thoughts of ‘monty pythons’ dead parrot sketch. The battery may still have a bit of life in it, but until the starter motor is replaced its not worth changing. The man had bump started the car, the problem was if he switched it off it would not start again without bump starting it again.

We sat in the car till it warmed up and the snow and ice melted off it. Then I drove it round to the garage we usually go to. Its closed till Monday but I just had to leave the car parked outside. I will ring Monday morning to explain!

Broken car!

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The ice and cold have killed my car battery. I tried several times to start it (with gaps in between to let it rest). I turned everything off, had it in neutral, gave it a little gas to try and get the engine to turn over. Just a splutter or two, then nothing.

I left it an hour and tried again. No joy. The battery is probably four years old and has been struggling when I’ve used the car lately. I haven’t been out much and then only short distances so the alternator hasn’t had the opportunity to charge it up. Cold and damp makes electric power seep away somehow and this last few days have definitely drained it.

In hope I rang a local garage, they have the right battery in stocks, but they can’t fit it, you just need some spanners they said. Half an hour on trickle charge from the charger just brightened the lights on the dashboard a bit. No chance of getting it going.

I then remembered I have breakdown cover! We breakdown so infrequently that I don’t remember to use it. They can’t say when they will be here, but they are at least coming out. Hooray.

Stuck!

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Just at the bottom of this picture is the inner door catch of my car. I’d been out to the shop and when I got back I tried to open the door, and it snapped off in my hand! I had to get someone to open the door from the outside. I called the AA (automobile association) and they came out quickly. But all they coukd do was thread a cable tie round the pinion inside the door… Now I can pull on a bit of plastic, and if that doesn’t work lower the window and pull the catch on the outside… Hopefully I will be able to manage until the catch is replaced!