And Yet More Car Woes...

[athersgeo]

Someone suggested a while back that my car was, in fact, possessed. (redjacket - was that you?)

I'm reaching the point of agreeing now.

For those newly joined the insanity that is this live journal, the cliffnotes version of my car trouble is as follows:
Bought car (N reg Feista) end of November 2003. It had been barely used over the last five years so it had a very low milage. Yay, I thought. Car will last me a while.
Beginning of December: Car refuses to start. Starter motor says I. Leads says mechanic. After several false starts and two callouts to Tesco Breakdown, problem is fixed.
January 2004: Car refuses to start. Blocked fuel line diagnosed. Very nice auto electrician (and fuel systems!) man comes and fixes. Also fixes dodgy and hard to open petrol tank. (Yay for no more standing around like a lemon trying to get dang thing open!). Car starts again.
February: Car refuses to start. Yet another call out to Tesco Breakdown. Call to mechanic...who finally agrees with me that yes, starter motor is indeed shot. Car starts again.
March: Drive over nail in office car park courtesy of untidy roofers. Puncture. Change wheel. Discover that Ford thought a sling underneath car with no access from boot was a good idea. Decides Ford are morons. Replacement spare now sits in boot.
June: Car passes MOT after replacement exhaust clamps fitted - and after testers having spare wheel pointed out to them (no spare = failure; they checked silly sling under car!)
July 2004-February 2005 - Car behaves self, barring a dodgy left hand wing mirror (damaged by yobs under previous owner, finally knackered by idiot current owner knocking it against own gatepost...)
March 2005 - Lose right hand wing mirror in irritating incident with other driver (other driver in small Fiat with bags of room apparently unable to move any closer to her side of street; current car owner as far over to her side of street as possible; end result, both lose left wing mirrors - hers is body coloured and probably electric powered, mine is bog ordinary Fords). Then discover two tyres require replacing. Then discover that alignment is out.
April - Something goes clunk while driving along M4/M5. Car begins to make noises. Call to mechanic. He ajusts timing. Still makes noises. Call to mechanic. He tries to test and discovers battery is flat. Diagnoses faulty altinator. Replaces.
May - Car still making noises and has now developed strange inability to accelerate in anything higher than 2nd gear [culminating in driver feeling very embarrassed as she does 40mph along M32 and watches as other drivers go sailing by, probably wondering what the learner is doing on motorway without supervision or L plates]. Also, stearing has developed an interesting feature - car has started acting as if tyre is flat, except all four tyres are fine. Call to mechanic...

I don't know what the out come of the most recent call to the mechanic is going to be (he's coming on Saturday) but with the MOT looming (just about a month's time), I'm rapidly reaching the point of saying "stuff it" and buying a new one.

Or finding a good exorcist...anyone know one?

Comments

[antigone-ks.livejournal.com]

I'm inclined to agree with redjacket. Self-exorcism is easy, though-- you only need holy water and tomatoes.

[athersgeo.livejournal.com]

Tomatoes I can do. Holy water...maybe a bit more of a problem. *wanders off looking for some*

[antigone-ks.livejournal.com]

I bet you could make a mint selling home exorcism kits over the internet. I mean, if you were totally unscrupulous and didn't mind taking advantage of other people's superstitions and insecurities.

...dear god. I think I've found my dream job.

[athersgeo.livejournal.com]

*giggles* It certainly sounds like it.

[antigone-ks.livejournal.com]

I wonder if that's illegal... I mean, if it doesn't work you can't prove that's because the holy water is in fact rusty tap water. You can just say "Thy faith is not strong, my son, tbbtptptpt!"

[athersgeo.livejournal.com]

There's PROBABLY some legal get out somewhere... Know a lawyer you can ask?

[ex-mercurial539.livejournal.com]

Aww! When you start paying into a vehicle so it begins to resemble a money pit, reconsideration of said vehicle is definitely in order. I can definitely commiserate! We have a recently completed a woe-free vehicle year ourselves, having donated our decade-old car to charity and purchasing Mum's when she bought new. The great thing is, we know this one was maintained. Good luck!!

[athersgeo.livejournal.com]

*nodding* I think I've already spent on it (over a two year period) about what I bought it for.

On the upside, having just spoken to the mechanic, the stearing doesn't sound like it's going to be much to fix (I got half way through the description and he said "Oh yes, it sounds like it's X problem - it's a common problem on older Fiestas"). On the downside, the noises are probably exhaust related and probably require a new catalytic converter...which will probably be expensive. *sigh*