R
Rewe
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Stop smirking at the back, this is not a paternity rant!
Yesterday I picked up a woodscrew in the back tyre of the GTV from the car park at work (and for reasons that will soon become apparent, someone is going to get their ar5se kicked on Monday).
Today, I took to be repaired. Because the roads are still very icy here, I decided not to risk driving the GTV with the widow-maker spacesaver on and instead chucked the offending wheel in the back of Mrs Rew’s Honda. Mistake number one as the rim fell on a bit of plastic trim and cracked it in the sub-zero temperature. Next bit of good news was that the screw was too close to the corner to be repaired. Given that the GTV has four nearly new Toyos on I wanted another one and unfortunately there is only one place in my town that stock them. Normally I would scout about for a good price, but then again normally I would have another car to use in the meanwhile. I have recently given my old SAAB turbo to my brother in law who is a decent bloke but has had a bit of financial bad luck involving a manipulative woman. I therefore needed the GTV back on the road quickly. I resigned myself to scooting over to the other side of town and paying £120 instead of £80. On the way, I half filled Mrs Rew’s Honda with cheap unleaded. As it started to judder about three miles later, I remembered that Mrs Rew's Honda is in fact a diesel.
I waited for the AA and a quick search (on my totally rubbish HTC phone) revealed that Honda would relieve me of £5500 to sort it out, not covered by the warranty and probably not covered by insurance. Warranty voided if I refuse. I don’t know about the rest of you but for me, especially with oldest son in medical school and paying for his rent in South Kensington, £5K + would take some finding.
Still, good manners cost nothing so I greeted the AA man with a cheery “You took your bloody time and I suppose I’ve fooked my engine then?” “No mate, I pick up two or three a week and there is never any problem”. He towed me home and arranged for a different AA van to come out to pump the old fuel out. The new guy said that he has pumped an average of four cars a day for the last four years and is yet to hear of anyone who has had a long term problem. It has cost me £180 + £20 for some sort of miracle snake-oil additive but still….Result!
So, as I sit enjoying my third G & T in front of a roaring fire with a dog asleep at my feet all is well in my life. I can’t help but feel however that it ought to be the petrol nozzles that are oversize, after all diesel in petrol is far less dangerous than the other way round. And why do dealers insist on changing the fuel pump, filter, tank, all fuel lines, all the injectors and fuel rail even before they have diagnosed any damage?
Oh, and the postscript. I went back to my parking spot at work and found an unusual rawl plug the same size as my screw. I know who was using them. As, I said before, on Monday someone is going to wish they were a bit tidier.
Yesterday I picked up a woodscrew in the back tyre of the GTV from the car park at work (and for reasons that will soon become apparent, someone is going to get their ar5se kicked on Monday).
Today, I took to be repaired. Because the roads are still very icy here, I decided not to risk driving the GTV with the widow-maker spacesaver on and instead chucked the offending wheel in the back of Mrs Rew’s Honda. Mistake number one as the rim fell on a bit of plastic trim and cracked it in the sub-zero temperature. Next bit of good news was that the screw was too close to the corner to be repaired. Given that the GTV has four nearly new Toyos on I wanted another one and unfortunately there is only one place in my town that stock them. Normally I would scout about for a good price, but then again normally I would have another car to use in the meanwhile. I have recently given my old SAAB turbo to my brother in law who is a decent bloke but has had a bit of financial bad luck involving a manipulative woman. I therefore needed the GTV back on the road quickly. I resigned myself to scooting over to the other side of town and paying £120 instead of £80. On the way, I half filled Mrs Rew’s Honda with cheap unleaded. As it started to judder about three miles later, I remembered that Mrs Rew's Honda is in fact a diesel.
I waited for the AA and a quick search (on my totally rubbish HTC phone) revealed that Honda would relieve me of £5500 to sort it out, not covered by the warranty and probably not covered by insurance. Warranty voided if I refuse. I don’t know about the rest of you but for me, especially with oldest son in medical school and paying for his rent in South Kensington, £5K + would take some finding.
Still, good manners cost nothing so I greeted the AA man with a cheery “You took your bloody time and I suppose I’ve fooked my engine then?” “No mate, I pick up two or three a week and there is never any problem”. He towed me home and arranged for a different AA van to come out to pump the old fuel out. The new guy said that he has pumped an average of four cars a day for the last four years and is yet to hear of anyone who has had a long term problem. It has cost me £180 + £20 for some sort of miracle snake-oil additive but still….Result!
So, as I sit enjoying my third G & T in front of a roaring fire with a dog asleep at my feet all is well in my life. I can’t help but feel however that it ought to be the petrol nozzles that are oversize, after all diesel in petrol is far less dangerous than the other way round. And why do dealers insist on changing the fuel pump, filter, tank, all fuel lines, all the injectors and fuel rail even before they have diagnosed any damage?
Oh, and the postscript. I went back to my parking spot at work and found an unusual rawl plug the same size as my screw. I know who was using them. As, I said before, on Monday someone is going to wish they were a bit tidier.
