What Warranty ??.....

Lasts 5 years....
Yep dealing with the public can be trying especially when they have bought a Used Second Hand car with maybe 60 -80 thousand miles on the clock. Parts do wear out....
So where I've  been helping out and where 35 - 50 cars can change hands a month problems both real and Imaginary can arise.
Most are an easy fix...... some may never be fixed....

And here are a few examples of why... These all relate to vehicles purchased from the above..

A lady returns in her car saying there's a knocking noise in the rear end mechanicals. It's serious...
The mechanic jumps into the driers seat with the lady beside and heads off for a test drive to hear the noise...
First, second, third gears nothing, sounds sweet.
She says it only does it in 5th gear so faster, faster and then sure enough the bang, bang, bang there's the noise, self diagnosed as the diff about to depart from the car.
You have to remember when most of these people return with a problem it's a nearly the end of the world, I want my money back situation, being fuelled by some friend / mate who has a degree in "sh-t stirring"...
Anyway the mechanic stops the car having already in his mind 99% solved the problem. And there it was, the nice little ball the husband had put on the roof aerial for a decoration. Probably in his Footy club colours.
Once 5th gear and enough speed was achieved the wind force banged the ball on the roof..... Easy fix, remove the ball and the customer gets to keep the car...

Lady comes in with a "Exhaust Blow By", it'll need replacing at no cost to her.
Mechanic takes the steering and off they go.
Through the gears, nothing, turn the radio off to hear, nothing. Hmmm, it sounds alright to me says the mechanic.
Well it only does it when there's "snow on the bonnet" says the owner.
Doohhh...
Obviously the weight of the snow caused a "deadening" and maybe a "drumming" effect but there was no issue with the exhaust.
Easy fix.... do nothing..... Ohh and advised owner to remove snow off bonnet before driving...

Last week, young lady, proud owner of her just purchased very tidy car heads off, Bye, have a nice day.... and all that.
About 10 mins, later phone goes. That car you sold me, well there's something wrong with the tyre, it's gone down.
Off goes the mechanic armed with some rescue gear and finds her parked on the edge of a 70mph road and close to the approach to a large intersection.
As described the tyres flat and in damaged condition, more than just a puncture.
A quick look around and the cause is discovered. A large wooden pallet lying on the road had been run over by the young lady driving her new car.
When it was explained that it wasn't a "Warranty" issue but here's the phone number for a call out tyre repair fella the driver replied with..
See that concrete post over there, that's where I ended up, upside down in my last car, wrote it off.
"Spookey" Eh she says....
Easy fix... get as far away as quick as possible....

A tale from a little while ago..
An elderly later returns in her car with the  complaint that it runs "Rough" when the motor gets warmed up and is then very hard to drive.
Same old, mechanic jumps in the drivers seat, owner beside.
Cars is idling beautiful, select first move off, still sweet. Second gear, bit more accelerator, no problems so far, about to select third when the owner reaches out, pulls out the "choke Knob" and hangs her hand bag up.
On with the brakes. Do you do that often....
Oh yes I don't like my hand bag on the floor.
Easy fix... screw a Coat hook through the hood lining into the roof panel...

Finally, A Man phones, problems with car. Exhaust banging... door something... light something.. wheel bearing something... etc, etc...
Bring the car back for the mechanic to take a look..
Returns a day or two later and goes through the routine again of all the problems then adds to the sales person, I know because I'm a "Professional Driver".
Wow that's impressive Nobody thought.
Anyway it was discussed what sort of "Professional Driver" he may be or have been.
Could have driven in say the Dakar Rally... 24hr Spa... maybe delivered Arms to the Sudan in a camouflaged transit van, or  even chauffeured the Queen....
No not Even, after a bit of investigation we found out he...
Drives a Freak,n  truck delivering "Bread and Bagels". And it's only a 7 toner which means a bloody car license is near enough and any "Sheila" could manage to park it in any high street.
So his "Professional" credentials qualified him for no "Diagnostic Diagnosis" and true to form the problems simply disappeared.

I got a problem of my own... It's no wonder I suffer from " Repetitive Selective Syndrome"...
From NB to work via dropping Leonie at work I change gear in the race tuned F/focus......
196 times... Yep counted them all today.  Thought that an achievement on its own. When asked Leonie said, "after 100 just pretend your starting again, and could you count to yourself.... quietly.....quieter... please.... idiot...
And then we gotta drive home, not as many changes as there's less traffic normally so less down changing.
But five days a week, average say....1780 motions... that's  shifting gears...then a days work as well..
Just bring on Continuous  Cruising....

Sunny Sunday.....

Last Sunday was a spring type day with blue skies and a mild temperature.
After doing the routine things like, eating, washing some clothes, sweeping the floor, emptying the log fire ash try, getting some wood stacked inside we done the supermarket thing. After returning  to the boat and off loading the tucker we headed to the outskirts of Oxford city for a touch of getting back to nature.

Heading up a walking track that leads to a wooded area known as The Shotover we walked up an area where once there was  rail tracks....

 

We came to this Blocked Up railway tunnel, 524yrds in length.... Since 2002 it's been an official "Bat Hibernaculum..... Be Spooky in there.....

 

Looking back down the valley...

One can see the line off the once railway.... Tracks were lifted in 1969...


Near the summit of the hill, 557 feet high....

Families were catch,n the "rays".....

Hundreds of trees large and small......

Surround the walking paths.... Chuck in a "hut", there's also a large natural sandpit and mountain bike tracks with jumps. Ryan knows it's a "cool" place...


In the Spring and through the summer....

With all the foliage the walking tracks would be special..... The Bluebells were just starting to break the ground cover....

Back down the hill and...

The village of Horspath appears......


Leaving the walking tracks and following the road......

This large "thatch" is enroute.....


To a place to quench the thirst....

The "Queens Head" pub.... The upward glance is to keep track on Spencers team.... Arsenal playing Liverpool...... and they gave them a "Whupping"...


On the Saturday Leonie and me went on a fire wood replenishing drive. On my daily "Tiki Tours", work related of course I'd spied some logs laying on the road side.
So.....

Stop, pick them up.... the traffic passes at 70mph, no one seems to slow down...... the odd "tosser" blasts the horn......The cars off the road, 2 wheels anyay...


But into.....

The back of the "race tuned" focus goes the wood..... 7 -8 logs by the end .... a good drives work.....

One log was 2 inches to long to allow the tail door to lock shut so we headed off with the tail door down resting on the log. It was only open 2 - 3 inches until we'd travelled 300 yds and joined the "70" club then it blew up vertical. Oh well no use stopping. Gave the "Poms" another lame reason to blow there horns......