Week three car repairs

Since I took my car to my friends’, there has been a lot of real work (i.e. my job) to deal with, meaning I’ve only had two Saturdays so far. But today was aborted early as there was something clearly wrong. When a new (brake) disc was put on the car, and the bolts tightened up, you could no longer spin the wheel. Subsequent to this, I have checked, and they are the right parts, and fit another car, so why the problem I don’t know. Shims appear to be the only answer.

But I am finding this more and more often, that is parts that just are rubbish – and these are supplied directly from Mercedes-Benz. One brand new (front brake) disk sheered at a flange causing the disc to fall off – at least I got that replaced Free-of-Charge. The metal exposed around the flange was very crystalline. Also the flange was too thin, say compared to the disk I was taking off.

Next week I should have more spare time. Everyone wants the car back on the road asap, which means getting it past the MOT test. Apart from the brakes, there are three other jobs I am aware of, but at least job 1 is under control, job two is possible, job 3 is the one I’m not confident about yet.

Ultimatum led to quite a fun time

Car loaded up, ready to go

I have had a car on SORN (Statutary Off Road Notification) for a few months. Although on a shared driveway, it didn’t block it. But I couldn’t do work on the car without moving it to block the driveway, potentially for a week, which was not acceptible.

But the neighbour is about to have major building works done. I agreed to move the car. Another neighbour offered, but then withdrew his offer on a flimsy excuse. Then came the Ultimatum. Move the car, and it mustn’t return. So clearly some bullying had been going on. I’m looking forward to the revenge, of sticking the car back there, but taxed and MOT’ed (it’s always been insured), but this time due to lack of roadside space. Who is he to tell me to scrap a car (or anything else)?

Apart from removing neighbour from my christmas card list, I had to act. Fortunately through a network, I found an understanding car fanatic (who I already knew in a friendly way) who had spare concrete space and willing to let me use it. He apologised it wasn’t under cover (as if mine were!). Only I had to get the car there, with no MOT or tax, and it was 25 miles. Only one solution, a car transporter.

There are websites where you can plug in details, and see if any “passing trade” will offer. I did get a couple of offers at price x, but none responded when I tried to contact them to take it up. The other option was to hire. And I found a place that would hire. Price 1.6x. But it was the only viable option, so I walked to the depot (I didn’t know where I would park my car had I driven). I rather think he didn’t expect me to take him up on the offer. As I arrived, some kid came storming into the office shouting, all sorts of things. It seems he was so late in returning a car, he still hadn’t. And there was a lost key. So he was going on the attack as his defence. After half an hour, the owner was able to come back to me. I pointed out I had not heard one apology in the whole guy’s rant.

The deal signed, the owner showed me, and let me run the slide/tilt mechanism of these car transporters. As my car runs, there was no need to use the hoist. Then a quick trip just to help me get used to it, and it was mine for a few hours. A Mercedes-Benz Actio 7.5ton lorry with modified bodywork.

The first trip was interesting through the centre of Tescoville, with roadworks and narrow lanes because of road works. This being the largest thing I have ever driven, including a 16 seat mini-bus while at Uni.

So I got close to base, but found a level road with suitable space for the transporter to park (I was told makes loading so much easier on the level). Then I fetched the car (I was prepared to drive half a mile, but not 25 miles on main roads etc), and doing as I had been taught, loaded her up. It was quite fun. And I put the restraints around the two opposing wheels. (Photo). Then off we went.

I had to choose the route carefully, both for my unfamiliarity with the lorry, and speedbumps. I found that first gear was unnecessary (it was also difficult to select), just like a Ford, in fact. I drove on A roads to my friend’s place, partly as it would be slower (but I realised, many more potholes!). But I soon realised I was rather enjoying the whole adventure.

I mean, I had been in these trucks before, when a car had broken down, and I had to be rescued, but this time I was doing it all for and by myself. Having offloaded the car at my friend’s place, and a few minutes chat, it was return to base. For they may need it for the Friday night rescue service.

Because the current Tescoville roadworks closes the main A road through town every night, I decided to take the motorway, and then back down to the A road the far side of the roadworks. With no car on the back, I was able to take the old girl to her speed restricted limit of 56mph. I was having fun!

Just before I returned, I added fuel, at a rate I calculated plus a little bit more (and I was about right, it was just a little more), and dropped the lorry off at the depot, whose gates had been left open for me. So I phoned the owner, to say lorry returned, keys through the door, and if it wasn’t so expensive I’d do it again!

Mind you, 1.9x (with fuel etc) the poorer.

Note added later.

I didn’t mention, but the last time I had driven a manual gearbox vehicle was three years ago. So I was pleased how easy I found the gearbox (other than 1st gear, which I soon found wasn’t needed on the level) and clutch control was still pretty good. The one stall I made wasn’t clutch, it was the operation of the handbrake, being slower to come off than the level suggested.

Parking cars

Car parking is a topic that gets people hot under the collar. Where I live in London there was huge opposition to the introduction of a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in the area. I was involved in the fight, won a few concessions around the issues – not enough spaces for the cars there then, let alone when they zoned the place, for example. Some of us are able to access the neighbouring CPZ (just across the road), which was very underused even at night, so I’m glad I got involved and won the concession of “dual zone” permits for the like of myself. Though I note it’s slowly disappearing as new people, unaware of the concession, apply for their permits.

I was talking to another anti-CPZ person a few days ago, and he said he was utterly converted – it was so nice to see the road so empty. during the day Now, unlike me, he has off-street parking in London (a driveway), so he didn’t have the problem I have.

I have the same problem of parking spaces “in Spades” at Mother’s, where on street car parking spaces are reduced by rather inconsiderate off-street parking arrangements. Yes, they park on their own front garden, paved over – but they assume access across the full frontage to the road, rather than just by the driveway. So in the past couple of years, the number of street parked cars appears to have doubled, while the number of spaces have actually decreased.

There has not been, to my knowledge, people coming to blows over parking spaces, but it’s getting close. Recently, someone with off-street parking was blocked in by an inconsiderate car-parker blocking his (driveway) access. A couple of cars are now parked crossing the pavement (not parallel, but across the pavement) due to lack of space, and one appears to be parked in the middle of the road simply for somewhere to put it (cars can get by either side)

A drive in the country

I made a visit to my favourate place today, but met with a major disappointment. Someone had decided that the hedgerows alongside some of the single-track roads were overgrown, and took the modern tractor mounted gear to it.

Not the worst section, but where I could stop without blocking traffic to take this picture…

It was difficult to stop, without blocking the road to traffic either behind or oncoming. I’m more used to the game in London, where couriers and delivery vans hold sway, otherwise it’s a game of ‘chicken’, who will give in first and reverse back, or pull over to allow the other to pass. Here in the country, the rules are different. In one case I had to reverse a quarter of a mile…

This was not the worst part – the road was relatively clear of debris here, elsewhere there were still branches, leaves, and loads of hay for some reason strewen across the road. This hadn’t been done today, either, so it’s not a case that someone hadn’t yet got to clear up – they’ve just left it like this. I hoped there wasn’t broken metal mixed in with all the debris to give me a flat tyre.

Now I know the hedgerows have to be kept in order, else they’d block the road, but it seems to me the wrong time of year and very viscous cutters were applied here.

One reason for the drive out was to see if the blackberries in the hedgerows were starting to ripen – I didn’t even stop to search.

Not a Lucky Escape – it was well executed (after we got into the mess)

In the film ‘The Blues Brothers (1980)’, one of the many chase scenes involves the by now crippled ex-police car of the brothers being chased by Illinois Nazis. They run through road-works, and end up at at the end of a partially constructed roadway – they literally run out of road, and the car hangs over the edge.

(Screensave from DVD of ‘The Blues Brothers (1980)’. I know how they felt at this moment…

I know how they felt. I’ve been in that position of hovering over the edge. They had an easy way back (‘Movie magic’). The other really famous situation of this kind was the (almost literally) cliff-hanger ending to the original ‘The Italian Job (1969)’, with Michael Caine’s famous last words
“Hang on lads, I’ve got a great idea,”

Many years ago, in Germany on business, in a ‘company car’ (in fact one of the directors, loaned to me). I was not in my car, on the grounds that my then 20-year-old Volvo wasn’t up to the job (sic). Never had power steering, the servo for the brakes had failed (but still passed the MOT, the brakes worked). Anyhow, due to the Bayreuth festival, hotels in that town were sold out months in advance, so we found ourselves out, literally, in the middle of nowhere. My companion was a younger man of dubious sexuality – such that I slept on the floor on the first night out, in Heidelberg, he had the bed in the only room we could find that day.

This was despite his attempts earlier in the day – although he had had plenty of offers of a bed from [or more probably with] various women (sometimes plural) he approached in the attempt to find somewhere (only I was in tow…) He certainly was a ‘Buon Uomo’ (if I’ve got that right), and would top up his sun-tan at every possible moment. But these offers were further complcated by the fact that we needed secure parking for the car at that time, because of the goods we were carrying.

His navigational skills were notible by their absence. At one point, earlier in the day in question, we found ourselves in the then still existing East Germany. Since the car was travelling TIR, and we were now in a country not listed on the forms, we’d be in trouble if anything when wrong.

So late this night, with his at best iffy navigational skills, I found that I had to do a 3 point turn. Only I didn’t succeed – there was a ditch rather close to the road, and the car ended up askew nose down in the ditch, at 2 O’Clock in the morning.

It is not hard to imagine my feelings at this point. After a lot of swearing, I don’t recall that I used Michael Caine’s exact words, but certainly a precis of them…

As I looked at the situation, I thought I found a way out. By jacking the car up on one side, enough to put the spare wheel under the chassis, would equalise the problem (so long as it didn’t slide down further). That worked. So getting my colleague to stand on the rear bumper, and jump up and down, while I, in the driver’s seat, tried to reverse – it worked – the car pulled itself out, scraping along the spare wheel.

The alternative would have been walking to a farm, getting the farmer up, to get his tractor out and pull the car out of the ditch. Fortunately my colleague spoke good German, so there was not that hurdle to overcome, but I didn’t look forward to the prospect.

This ‘getting a car out of a ditch at two am with a spare wheel and physics’ is one of my my better stories, it is also one I cannot tell to friends and family – for getting the car in the ditch in the first place, to the owner of the car, or to my family who’d worry what I’d do next.

End of the New Year Holiday

So ‘back to work’ tomorrow. Well, I was working for a few hours today, and ruing the fact that I’d promised a despatch tomorrow, the first true working day of the year.

There has not that much been done over the holiday period, and it’s hard to know where the time has gone. Certainly some work, although never as much as I’d hope for at the start of the holiday season. Replacing a tap mechanism, and finding out that the old was leaking for the same reason the new one immediately started leaking was not good news, but was fixed by putting two washers in, one on top of the other. A better solution to be made soon (and replacing the whole tap is currently out of the question).

As well as the remote sensor system in the greenhouse, there is currently a power monitor on the circuit, I see from which the blower consumes about 20W,and when the heater comes in, the combined total is about 1080W. It’s used about 10kWh in a week, a significant amount, and it has been mild. It is worth noting that the background 20W usage equates to about 3.3kWh a week, or a cost of just under £7 a calendar quarter, but I’m sure it saves much more in that keeping the air circulating means less heat is required from the heater.

The Mercedes proved harder to get into the back yard driven forward than expected, being rather longer than Mother’s car that was the last one to be parked there. I’ve moved things around to get it in because the road is about to be dug up for utility pipe renewal, so roadside parking spaces will be at a premium for the month of January.

Preparing for Winter

Not for the first time in recent years, has there been a mild October and November – although I believe this year was record breaking.  A few years ago, when we were having a new roof put on the block of flats, the roofer disappeared for weeks, during that fine, mild autumn, and when he then complained about trying to finish the work in a cold wet December – he finished on 24th(!) – I pointed out the weeks of one of the best Autumns for years when he was away [doing other jobs, no doubt] – he pretended not to hear me.

Preparations this year are different and it is probably worth giving some detail as it gives an idea of the current situation chezes (sic) moi.  For I have three places to look after, still.

The Greenhouse is tricky, for the second heater appears to have developed an erratic thermostat.  Not that I thought much of the thermostat, or indeed the heater as a whole, to start with.  Using the remote sensor system, as previously blogged about, I’ve gone out late at night on more than one occasion to try and adjust the heater down, for it was holding the temperature too high.  It’s not that it really needs the heat yet (even this late in the year), but I want it working correctly for when the frost/snow does finally arrive, especially if I’m not around to fine-tune (or even, coarsely adjust) the heater.  Or get yet another heater.

As for the last two years, the old heater, just acting as a blower, is on all the time, to keep the air circulating.

If necessary, I do have a lot of bubble-wrap that I could use to make a smaller ‘greenhouse’ within the main one, and put all the valuable plants into that.

As well as moving the summer pelargoniums in last week, the Cymbidium again is in bud.  I fear that neighbours 60′ trees now overshadow the garden so much as to limit summer growth.  Unfortunately the Pleonies were killed off by the cold last winter.

This year's Cymbidium flower bud - only one so far.

One new problem is that I find I cannot reverse the Mercedes into the ‘back yard’ at Mother’s – it just will not go, and how I’ve tried.  I could get it into the garage, poking its nose out, but I’d have to clear the garage (again, it gets cleared and filled with monotonous regularity), take the doors off, and while the car’s there, not have access to anything in the car or the garage.  The reason for this is that the car needs some work to stop the rust now, before it gets serious, but it is the sort of job that could take more than a week (especially at this time of the year), as paint dried, and I cannot block neighbour’s access to his hardstanding for that long.

For the second year, I face winter with no gas central heating – a long running legal battle.  The tenants in the flat below used to be profilgate in keeping their heating on (which helped keep me warm), but I guess they’ve either moved out without telling their landlord, or else the fuel price has finally forced some economy in their living standards.  I’m really not sure which of the two it is!

Fruits of a (late) Autumn

A couple of days ago I took a late Autumn walk up a favourate hill.  In part it was a valedictory run out in my MB, which goes off the road in a couple of days while I try and get the parts to repair it, and then get an MOT for it.

The old girl recently broke down, but within walking distance of Mother’s, so it doesn’t count as a ‘leaving me in the lurch’ breakdown that my old Saab specialised in.  Luckily I had a spare MB at Mother’s to help me out.  Having finally repaired the MB by the side of the road, (who would suspect two or more spark plugs failing at the same moment?), and using parts from the other, to get it running and thus back-to-base (and there is much more to this than I report here, believe me) this was a run out before the MOT expired.  I know the work that needs doing to the old thing, I just have not had the chance to get it done this year.

Anyway, on what is one of my favourate walks, I was struck by the fluoresent pink ‘flowers’ – or rather fruit coverings – of a plant I’ve never seen before.  The upper branches were bare, the lower had a few leaves plus these ‘fruits’.

This does not look like a native plant to me.

And here is a photo of a leaf, with a rather unusual insect.

And so onto the hill.  And what I noticed most was the ‘fruit’ so often associated with the time before the first frost – Fungi.  I found one that I knew was edible – a puffball, but sadly I’ve forgotten more than many people know about identification of fungi (similarly with wild flowers) so I stare at it, knowing full well I used to know what it was, edible or poisonous etc, but not a clue now.  Oh how cruel the 50th year is.

In the walk, I was surprised as the hare that I surprised, in that I surprised it in the first place.  Humans, with mobile phones, and broadcast inane conversations (which suggested they had not a clue where they were, or did I just mishear that) annoyed me far more.

It was almost dark by the time I got back to the old car.  Too late to pick some rose hips (far too late for brambles despite a bramble flower I’d noticed up the hill).

BLMC Morris Marina

The BLMC Morris Marina was a car that took a lot of flak in its day, let alone in the cold light of posterity – poor design, poor workmanship, poor just about everything else.  But I have an affection for the model, because that is the car I learnt to drive in, and the first I drove around post my driving test.

I had driving lessons from a school in an Austin Allegro.  But it was with my father, who had been a driving instructor in the RAF, who really taught me to drive, in the family Marina.  In those days, it was still, just, possible to have lessons from a non-registered teacher (e.g. family member) and pass the
test.  Although I did pay for lessons, that I was less than impressed by.

I remember the clutch control lesson with my father.  On a gentle slope, I had to hold the car stationary, just using the clutch and accelerator (no brakes at all).  Then move the car gently forward, then let it slide backwards a couple of feet each way.  All, I stress, on the clutch and accelerator.

On the day of my driving test, in the Allegro, I became suspicious that the instructor was still using the dual contols,so I deliberlately didn’t use the clutch for a gear change – yet the pedal went down.

I passed.  Although the question on breaking distance almost threw me; I knew the number of how far it would take to stop at speed x, but was then asked to point out something that far away….and I’m dreadful at distance estimation… I (hopefully) overestimated wildly.

The pictures are of very similar model(s) to the version I learnt to drive in with a 1275cc engine.

One consequence was that I ended up acting as non-registered teacher weeks after passing my test for a friend (then still legal, not sure if that is still true), because he had a car (and insurance, I hope), I didn’t but I had the licence, so I was his teacher as he drove us to work and back daily.

The Marina was also the first car I had to do roadside repairs on, and limp home.
While newly qualified, driving home, with only my younger brother in the car, the spring that held the throttle closed broke, (note the bad design feature) the throttle fell open and the car lurched forwards.  After the initial shock, I switched off the ignition, which stopped the car.  As I recall, it was a couple of 2p coins stuck under the throttle lever keeping it partially closed and then driving back (including up steep hills) without touching the accellerator,

Some years later, while at University (and, by then, the owner of a Volvo 144), I came across a rather outstanding Marina.  It was sand coloured, but more impressivly, had writing all over it – much of it in arabic script – about a Sahara expedition.  This was so unlikely it could possibly have been true.

Sadly, that was in the 1980s, when cameras were large items, film expensive (let alone the processing), and so was not something I took a photo of.  These days, with a camera phone always on me, I would have taken a few, albeit slightly worried about personal protection.

Even by the impressive rate of attrition of BLMC cars, the Marina has significantly less than 0.1% of the build still in existance.

(The above photos are on wikipedia, so must be GPL; they are the nearest I can find that resemble XBH285N, the car that I not only learnt to drive on, but also learnt to drive with a trailler.).

The Out Bag (2) – re-inventing the wheel (or Bug-out-Bag)

I never claimed that the Out Bag was unique, but it turns out that the name I gave it is close to a “Bug-out Bag”, which is a very similar idea. For example this Wikipedia page Odd that I had never heard of it before.

I realise that this makes me out to be some kind of survivalist, and – oldfogie here – I suppose that is another point of view of what I’m doing here. But I’ve made use of a lot of what I’m putting in my bag already, in what were not normal circumstances, but certainly what were met day by day. It is to live in the car, so is in addition to what the car will provide (and Mercedes-Benz come with First Aid kits as standard).

There are a number of differences, for example I’m not carrying food – other than as an emergency fix for my blood sugar problem – or water. It is interesting to see that I was thinking along very similar lines, and had even considered the weight issue that is raised in the wiki article, hence the issue 2 bag as in the previous photo. Also, rather unashamedly, there are items there to have a civilised picnic, with food (bread, cheese, pate) purchased locally, which is not what a Bug-out Bag would be for.

Another case in point is getting stranded. The AA/RAC go on about how unprepared motorists are going out in terrible weather, and then get stuck. Partly I blaim the Met Office, who have gone soft with their move to Exeter, and whose terrible forecast last year left me stranded (albeit only yards from my destination), having taken a seriously major detour to get there because the weather had closed in. Turning around was not an option – that way the traffic was already stationary. So, some items here are for when the car breaks down/gets stuck, and the car rescue people cannot reach you quickly – and as a single male, I’m always low down on their list.

Of course in my case it’s not a natural disaster survival system.

This blog page gives an interesting list of items, and while I won’t repeat them all here, I’ll mention some (in bold) with my comments.

AM/FM Radio with batteries or alternate power source
Yes; with spare batteries, wind-up/crank mechanism, and built in LED torch (two actions, although if there was flashing as well that would be good). Also, for good measure, it has a mobile phone charger adaptor, and a compartment to store the cable! It was moderately expensive, though – over £15. I’ve been stuck more than once with a broken-down car with a flat battery, so I know how useful a radio other than the car’s own can be.

Cell Phone
I normally have one on me. Maybe I’ll carry the old one around – fortunately, it works on AA batteries.

Personal Hygiene Kit (Include soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, [sanitary napkins, diapers,] razor, and other toiletry items)
Toilet paper
Tissue
Tissues are already there, the others are already under consideration. How small can a kit be made? Hospitality soaps are small, need to find a few small squeezy bottles for toothpaste etc.

50 Feet of Nylon Rope
Pocket Knife
Rolls of Duct Tape
Foldable Shovel
Hatchet or axe
Sewing Kit
Much are in the car or I’m considering being in the car.

Tent/Shelter
For many situations met in England, such as stuck in snowdrifts, it’s hard to see the benefit of leaving the car if you’ve got items to keep warm with you.

Hand & Body Warmers
Gloves and socks (in addition to the change of clothes already listed) are something I had not thought about, and my feet are cold right now!

This page is another interesting source – never thought of a USB memory stick, but why not, and come to think of it, there have been times in the past I’d been glad of some kind of portable memory/disk on me.

Another point. In my case the cash is there in case my wallet is stolen (and I do have an old mobile phone, as mentioned above, that I could keep as well, for the same reason). As I have had my wallet stolen, as well as just simply forgetting it (see last entry), the only scenario I cannot yet sort out is if my keys are stolen as well. Well, I do have a solution for that, but only if I can get back to a certain location first, which is not ideal if I’m out and my car is there, but I’m minus keys.

Then there are a couple of items I’ve not seen listed elsewhere:
Latex or vinyl gloves – a few in a self-sealed plastic bag, as I can get the boxes of 100 – otherwise they are expensive. This can be for working on the car, or dealing with “bio-hazard” with first aid, moving things that have the “yuch” factor, or whatever.
Towel – I already mentioned it, but it is conspicuous by its absence in so many articles. Apart from the hitchhiker’s comment – Frood – this is not for survival, and there are times when a towel – even if it is not soaked in vitamins, have wire threaded into it, reinforced seams or other modifications – is that little touch of comfort in a harsh world. I wasn’t planning on a full blown double-bath size, Marks & Spencers did a “tea towel” that, for some reason, was a perfectly good hand towel, but rather smaller.

But still, got to keep the weight and size down. Some items, more than just the picnic blanket, will have to live outside the bag, and can be detached or added as and when needed, I suppose, outside the core bag.

Perhaps in the light of all of this, I’ll do some more research, in order to come up with an even better one. In the mean time, the bag goes into the car.