Tweet
this was going in the minor rants but its a long one, feel free to skip to the end.
Went out in the car, had a friend in it, driving around a corner, very slowly, smoke started coming out of the engine
Stopped car sharpish, got out even more sharpish. Smoke disappeared, opened bonnet, earth wire no longer has insulation, and is burned through.
Got out phone to phone RAC, nice man stopped, attempted repairs, explained to me in broken english his daughter had the same problem, it was the battery. Repairs didn't work, but he offered me a tow home, very very nice man, I declined, said i'd phone the RAC, didn't want to put him out any more than he had already been..
Phoned RAC who told me to contact motor insurance as a fire wasn't their problem. Great. Been a member for 13 years, phoned them three times in all that time, they were bladdy useless!!
Ex-boyfriend drives past, stops, I ask him to get me some duct tape, as I've noticed what the problem [i thought was] and could repair it enough to get home, he goes off to get some tape, comes back while friend is on the phone to her father to tow us home
I repair what I think is problem [when the original bloke stuck it together, the wire had been eaten through, and the two ends weren't touching] so I stuck it back together making sure ends were touching, bonnet is still open, car starts, yayy
Friend phones father to cancel tow, he's stuck in a jam anyway.
Another friend drives past, asks if we need help, I reply no, we should be ok now....
Start car again, we both get in, get 10 meters down road, car catches fire again...stop car sharpish, both get out of car sharpish
Ok, open the bonnet, wire is burned again, duct tape is melted. Hang on i think, whats that hole in the bonnet? Look at battery, look for bracket to hold battery, bracket is there, but isn't fixed. Right then, the battery must have moved, so I move it as far away as i can from the back, re-do the duct tape thing, jam a load of stuff behind the battery to stop it moving, ask friend to check while I lower the bonnet that the positive terminal connection isn't in contact with the bonnet, it isn't, we both get in the car, drive off very slowly, I take her home
Now my hands are covered in smelly rubber and black soot, so I drive round to partners house, park car, see his brother there.
I've said I'd de-tile the bathroom, realise he's there to plaster, go in, and de-tile the bathroom, no soothing cup of tea becaue I don't want to make him wait around.
Realise I've left my washing in the car, that I was going to take round the laundrette, but I forgot my 20 p's,. and the forecast is for rain, so I stick them on the line, and then finally collapse with an excess of adrenaline, and have a cup of tea.
Phone my father to explain what a crap day I've had and ask him why on earth he bought a massive battery for a little car, and didn't fix a bracket to it, he replies it was the same battery that was in the car originally, it's not, I know it's not, and he tells me it's all my fault anyway for driving too fast around corners.
At this point I give up.
So to everyone on the my favourite car thread, my favourite car is my van, and I damn well want it back.
The end.
Went out in the car, had a friend in it, driving around a corner, very slowly, smoke started coming out of the engine
Stopped car sharpish, got out even more sharpish. Smoke disappeared, opened bonnet, earth wire no longer has insulation, and is burned through.
Got out phone to phone RAC, nice man stopped, attempted repairs, explained to me in broken english his daughter had the same problem, it was the battery. Repairs didn't work, but he offered me a tow home, very very nice man, I declined, said i'd phone the RAC, didn't want to put him out any more than he had already been..
Phoned RAC who told me to contact motor insurance as a fire wasn't their problem. Great. Been a member for 13 years, phoned them three times in all that time, they were bladdy useless!!
Ex-boyfriend drives past, stops, I ask him to get me some duct tape, as I've noticed what the problem [i thought was] and could repair it enough to get home, he goes off to get some tape, comes back while friend is on the phone to her father to tow us home
I repair what I think is problem [when the original bloke stuck it together, the wire had been eaten through, and the two ends weren't touching] so I stuck it back together making sure ends were touching, bonnet is still open, car starts, yayy
Friend phones father to cancel tow, he's stuck in a jam anyway.
Another friend drives past, asks if we need help, I reply no, we should be ok now....
Start car again, we both get in, get 10 meters down road, car catches fire again...stop car sharpish, both get out of car sharpish
Ok, open the bonnet, wire is burned again, duct tape is melted. Hang on i think, whats that hole in the bonnet? Look at battery, look for bracket to hold battery, bracket is there, but isn't fixed. Right then, the battery must have moved, so I move it as far away as i can from the back, re-do the duct tape thing, jam a load of stuff behind the battery to stop it moving, ask friend to check while I lower the bonnet that the positive terminal connection isn't in contact with the bonnet, it isn't, we both get in the car, drive off very slowly, I take her home
Now my hands are covered in smelly rubber and black soot, so I drive round to partners house, park car, see his brother there.
I've said I'd de-tile the bathroom, realise he's there to plaster, go in, and de-tile the bathroom, no soothing cup of tea becaue I don't want to make him wait around.
Realise I've left my washing in the car, that I was going to take round the laundrette, but I forgot my 20 p's,. and the forecast is for rain, so I stick them on the line, and then finally collapse with an excess of adrenaline, and have a cup of tea.
Phone my father to explain what a crap day I've had and ask him why on earth he bought a massive battery for a little car, and didn't fix a bracket to it, he replies it was the same battery that was in the car originally, it's not, I know it's not, and he tells me it's all my fault anyway for driving too fast around corners.
At this point I give up.
So to everyone on the my favourite car thread, my favourite car is my van, and I damn well want it back.
The end.
Comment