The Disreputable one will be moaning like mad about all this doggy-bloggery (he likes a non-dog blog every so often), so I’m going all mechanical today just for him. Well yesterday was a day of major-league road miles. My jeepy 4×4 thing has decided to stop reading how much fuel is in the tank and permanently flashes an angry red light at me, even when the tank is full. I’m afraid the maths required to work out how much diesel you have in the tank by how many miles you’ve done is sadly beyond me, so I’m just filling up every 250 miles. It had to be booked in, so yesterday, I did the driving day from hell:

Kids to school: 1 hour (well, 25 minutes each way)
Down to Dublin to drop car at dealership: 1 hour
Back up to home in flashy loan car sadly foregoing shopping trip due to dog needing pee: 1 hour
Back down to Dublin to pick up car (still not mended) whilst dropping me Mum to the airport: 1 hour
Back up to school to pick up kids: 1 hour 10 minutes
Back home: 25 minutes
Total spent driving: 5 hours 35 minutes

And yes, before you all email me, I’m sure there must be a dealership closer to where I live, it’s just that the people where I go are SO nice, and I get a swish hire car to drive around in too. Anyhoo, the upshot was that the diesel tank has to come out and there was far to much in there to attempt it, so it must be booked back in at a later date when it’s only half full, and a new off side CV boot has been ordered; all this to coincide with replacing my front brakes which have about another 5000 miles wear on them and the above-mentioned CV boot (still don’t know what that is). I also have ’slight play in my bottom ball joints’ (no sniggering) and I require spring washers on my wheel nuts (getting all this?). I did, however, receive my ’service, replacement bulbs where required, a road test and a wash and vacuum’. All for the princely sum equivalent to at least two haircuts with highlights and a blow dry - and presumably a nice big bill to follow for all the rest of the stuff that needs doing. Hubby’s going to flip. But on the bright side, my dog’s lubly (and my kids are fab too). Here’s a pic.

No Comments »