You know when things go wrong they really go wrong!!

[pepper]

This years beginning to really suck!

Ive had my Father pass away whilst I'm stuck on a country line train going very slowly across the South Coast, then when travelling up to organise the funeral arrangements the cam belt on Judiths Twingo goes Bang!

Last weekend I decided to drive from Germany down to Western France for the weekend to visit Judith on her birthday, we decide to go out for a meal in La Roche Sur Yon and on the way there she's driving and the cam belt on our Kia Sedona goes big styleee! (I only had it changed 5000 miles ago before anyone starts blaming me!)

Then we find out that the breakdown company will provide us with a car until ours is repaired so we think great, trouble is its August and France is not working at all so they don't expect us to get our car finished until the 28th of August (the day before we are due to drive back funnily enough) Today the recovery company ring to tell us that actually the hire car is not for the duration of the repairs but has a €650 limit and we will reach that on Sunday (the day I'm due to fly in to begin my two weeks holiday) so I've managed to extend it for a day so Judith can pick me up but after that we're stuck in Western France for two weeks without a vehicle, luckily we all have bicycles!

Sometimes things really do go wrong big time, I'm going to be looking at a €2000 bill to get the Kia repaired and I very much doubt if I'll be able to claim a single penny back from anyone back in England who changed the belt!

 

[malcolm]

Don't be despondent. These things are sent to try us. Sorry to hear about your father.

It's probably the weather. It's not been a great year for me either, mostly because the automotive industry has cut back a lot, and I've been one of the things they've cut back on. It's saved them millions! On a more positive note this is the first year I've ever made a new years resolution, and hopefully that will start paying off by next year.

For all the cambelts - India and China (the normal source for reproduction parts) still have very little understanding of rubber technology. Were your cambelts from the OEM? The accountants at car manufacturers do sometimes get suckered in for low prices, but for newer cars it tends to straighten itself out once they've had a few warranty claims. Be sure that the new belt is from Kia.

Why not drive BB to France? That would cheer up your year.

 

[pepper]

I've thought about driving BB to France but its more probable that its now going to get registered in the UK and sold to pay off the bills!

 

[malcolm]

Don't leave us :eek:

You'd get more for the Oxford

 

[pepper]

LOl I may well get more for the Oxford. but funnily enough it would be the last one of my vehicles I'd sell.


I just love driving the Morris, and after never being an English car lover preferring the voitures Francais the MO has really grown on me.

 

[ian Stanbury]

..Fancy a SAAB 9000 Turbo Aero Pepper?

..Its in the garage till the end of next week but when I come over for the knees up next Saturday if you can drive me home, you can use it for the following week if you would like...

 

[pepper]

Ian you're a GOD!

You've just made my day!

Thank you very much for your kind offer I'll give you a ring early next week,

Kind regards

Richard

 

[pepper]

Ok just to update this after a months of waiting for my Kia to be repaired I finally get the bill texted to me today!

Its €2800 including tva!!!

 

[pepper]

LOl I was just reading through this thread whilst looking for Renault4Mads posts concerning my Twingo as I've finally got around to looking at fixing it!

There's me extolling the virtues of my Morris Oxford and how I would not get rid of it and blow me if it wasn't the first car I did get rid of!

 

[pepper]

Thanks go out to Andrew for sending me the relevant pages needed to repair Judiths Twingo.

You sir are a star.

 

[pepper]

Well all's repaired in the Twingo World!

I hope my other half appreciates the trouble I have to go to, to repair her car, never mind the fact that it was me who was driving it and of course it should have been me who had replaced the timing belt earlier!

Note to self: Replace the timing belt on any car I purchase from now on (if it has one of course). Oh and it wouldn't ever be a new one because I will never buy a new car.

Bangernomics are where its at.

We take £500, look through Ebay at the cars in our budget and decide upon the car. This is normally based on the fact that it looks interesting and we haven't owned one of those before! Best way to buy cars ever! if it last more than two months then its already paid for itself compared to to buying a new car!