The red car is sick and is gradually getting sicker but while I was using it for a trip to the shops a week or two ago it decided to have an acute attack of failure and broke its exhaust. I had an interesting trip roaring back from the Carrefour in St. Lo and subsequent investigations revealed that it was fortunate I hadn't lost the whole thing during the journey.
Luckily it was hanging on by a thread as the economics of repairing this 10 year old vehicle are poised on a knife edge - we only want to get it back to the UK so that we can use it as part exchange for a newer vehicle and it's extremely unlikely to ever pass another MOT test without a substantial injection of cash. The decision was made to do a running repair which we hope will last long enough to see us back to Newport Pagnell.
Flashback to the summer of 1976 where the adolescent M was first learning about the art of car maintenance at St. Margaret's House University Residence, Southampton on the hulk of an old Austin A40 owned by the first Paul. In those days an exhaust bandage and a set of gaskets made from cereal packets were the only requisites for repairing any vehicle, provided you were allowed to put the head on the dining table whilst tootbrushing the valve seats...
Anyway, a set of ramps and a tin can from the breakfast ackee and the repair has been made. So far, with fingers crossed it's holding but we'll test it properly tomorrow with a short run to the Le Molay Littry with the cat for his vet's appointment. Wish us luck.
1 comment:
Would the cat have helped so much with the repairs if he knew it would lead to a vet visit?
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