Vocal Voices

But. Now It's decided that it no longer wants to go over 30mph and doesn't like more throttle than idle.

I have to go home this weekend and will come back a week later. So I've hired a car to take me to the hotel tonight, work tomorrow and then onto the airport.

In all it's not so bad as I would be paying around £130 for the parking plus the fuel to and from the airport in my fuel guzzler (currently doing even less than the 20mpg it's been getting recently). So at €39 for the day's hire plus £16 CDW and the train back on the 28th, I think I'm winning.

When I get back I've a part to fit which I ordered and then if that doesn't do it, I'm going to have to put it into a garage to get it diagnosed.

I shall be pushing Mrs S to honour our deal on a bike for me whilst working here. I've spotted a nice little 600 Honda for a decent price which my Uncle lives very close to. I see a "discussion" coming up tomorrow or over the weekend. I have a spreadsheet which shows the £1,000 I'll save on a bike (including purchase cost, tax, insurance, other stuff), never mind the wear and tear on my frustrations at UK drivers.

Hopefully the MAF I've ordered (and can fit myself very easily), will do the job. But I don't think so. It feels like a clogged fuel filter or a blown head gasket. Neither of which is filling me with joy. Although I have the tools and the knowledge to replace the head gasket for about £25 instead of the £800 or so a garage would charge me....

Not looking forward to it though.

You don't think how you have become comfortable with your car until you have to squeeze yourself into the toy hire car......

Oh well, could be worse. I could have "toughed it out" and broken down on the M3 heading for the airport, missed my plane, racked up a towing fee (I don't have AA or anything, have to fix that now I'm over here) and had to buy a new plane ticket for £200.

Life has been easier. Then again it's been MUCH harder.

I gave up my L reg Rover 216 with the Honda engine when the head gasket blew..... even the DIY kit cost more than the car was worth.

Then I had this bright idea, a SuzieQ GSX-R 600. The trouble was that my children knew how I drive/ride and I was not permitted - no way, no how.

Drawing board - back to.

Good luck with whatever transpires Suff....

We've had a bit of a history with head gaskets in our family. Outside of my Army work where I changed more than a few, I've had to change at least two on my own cars. #1 son has had to change two on his cars too. In fact his Landrover diesel blew the gasket just two weeks before he was heading out to Argentina (supposedly for 2 years). Needless to say I got the phone call. I asked one question which took about 20 seconds to get the answer. I gave one piece of advice which involved a sheet of cardboard with 8 holes and 8 numbers on it.

Total cost to fix??? £12. Lowest land rover quote? £500

He insisted on borrowing a torque wrench to do the head bolts. I couldn't convince him that "tight" plus a "bit" would probably do and if he wasn't sure, make the "bit" a "bit more".

As for bikes? I've been riding them since I was 15. When I left the Army I ran my Uncle's bike workshop for a while and rode a large range of bikes. I've dropped a bike twice before I came to France and once since. But since that was 40mph, on a roundabout, in the rain at 4am in the dark and on diesel, I don't see as there was much in the way of mistake about it. Except, perhaps that I was on the bike in the first place in that horrible weather.

I did have one other exciting moment when my front brake master cylinder failed at 60mph just after the guy in front of me decided not to take the amber traffic light and stamped on the brakes. I don't count that as "dropped" as I wound up as sandwich between two vans.... That one broke a bone in my hand but that was all. New master cylinder shortly after.

We'll see how it goes. I see a stormy week coming up....

As I am sure you know, Suff it is easy to tell a blown gasket by bubbles in the rad header. Your lack of performance could be one or more of many things. I like to make cars last a long time too and beat the built in obsolescence but there comes a time after a certain age and mileage when it is not just practical not to buy new. I now have a tdi that does not pay road tax, does 70 to the gallon on a run and 112 mph. I know that because I had been reading the manual and thought the speedo was in km and I was doing 70!