The Car!

Well, still no car. :(


It was booked in yesterday and I took it into the workshop. Here's how the story goes.


I booked it in for a service with the dealer as it was due for its 75,000 km service. I mentioned the alternator and said it's not charging.

I decided to put the battery on charge for an hour and also take my jumper pack with me just in case... not sure why but if the battery was dead, the jumper pack wasn't going to make any real difference.

I got her started, on my way to the dealer at about the half way mark, the ever glowing battery light started to flash. Then all of a sudden the beeps started. First ABS went out. Then the airbag system was "disconnected". Followed by a host of other features that make the car safe.

Then it came good for about 10 seconds. Then the tacho started to jump up and down, and the engine lost power. The speedo was also jumping up and down. The lights on the dashboard went out completely and the needles rested as if the car was turned off. I coasted down the hill, putting my hazard lights on, which was futile as there was NO power at all. They didn't even flash once. I got beeped at by cars behind me. And I tried to beep back, but having no power meant all I got was silence.

I coasted down the hill some more, getting ready to vere off the road and slowly pull the handbrake up to come to a stop. I came to a stop. I reached for the key, with my foot still on the throttle all of a sudden I patted her on the dashboard and said "It's okay baby, you got me this far." I reached for the key to turn the ignition off and all of a sudden she came back to life.

Engine idling to spec. Battery light not on. All systems were perfect. I dumped her into first gear, launched her back into traffic and gave her another pat on the dashboard, kissed her on the steering wheel and said "That's my girl... now let's get you to the doctor."

I raced to the dealership because I didn't want her Italian temperament (if it's anything like mine) to change direction and decide that NO, I DON'T WANT TO GO ANYMORE.

I made it to the dealer with nothing but a slight whirring sound coming from the front of the car. I suspect the alternator crying "ENOUGH with the spinning!!!"

I dropped her off and expected a phone call the following day asking me to come and get her. What really happened was a phone call two hours. The service was complete. However, the alternator wasn't good. With my permission it was sent off to an Auto Electrician, but first I was told about the 2-3 hours it'll take to remove it. I believed them. Because when I looked at it in the drive way, the only way it appeared to have access to the damned alternator was from the bottom of the car or maybe the side once the wheel was off and the inner guards were removed (if possible).

Either way, I had to sit down for the cost.

Then they informed me that the front discs needed replacing. I nearly exploded because they were replaced at the 60,000 service (European cars have "softer" discs that bite really well but wear out faster). I told the dealer that I don't want to be angry at him, however if he's going to lie to me about the car I will come over there and proceed to stick my size 12 foot up his size 1 virgin arse.

When I arrived to return the loan car which I only had that day, I looked at him as I marched into the workshop and he got up and ran off.

Another guy came out instead. Greeted me and explained the mistake about the brakes. I told him the other guy is lucky he ducked off for his "lunch break" otherwise I'd bent the brake discs around his neck"

Anyway, long story short. I got a call today that the alternator was sent to the auto electrician, not repairable, I must get a new one. So, the bill which includes the service and alternator comes to about $1,500 Australian Dollars TOTAL... So far.

When I get the car back I'll be more than likely putting it up for sale immediately. And I have begun my quest to find that old HR Holden I grew up saying I'd own one some day.

Electric Dreams - Episode 2

Last week I did a live commentary and opinion on that show on TV called Electric Dreams that covers a whole decade where a family lives back in the day with the technology only found during that time.

This weeks episode is set in the 80's. This is where a lot of our reliance of electricity comes into play. Sony Walkman, Microwave ovens, Video game consoles and computers.

Interestingly, the walkman is a hit with dad who jogs every morning. The Microwave oven, once mother had got accustomed to using a stove and over, she actually thought the microwave was a silly idea and couldn't see how it ever became a popular.

The son was straight on the video game.

Now we're on to the Video Cassette Tape. Beta vs VHS. And even some laser discs too. Since VHS was the popular choice at the time, the show sends the family a video player and also a video camera.

At this point, they find that they have nothing to play on he player. The father heads out to find a player, which is a bit unfair considering they've provided him with old tech in a new world. With no such things as DVD's or Blu-Rays he finally finds a video store that has some video cassettes for sale. $1 each.

Bringing the newly purchased videos home, he finds that the player doesn't work. It turns out the daughter of the house has tried to put in a betamax tape and has possibly ruined the player.

In the morning, the father wakes up to a knock at the door. Coming out to the front yard, he gets great news, a new set of wheels. Although, it turns out that he gets access to a C5. No, not a Citroen. An electric car that never took off. If anything, it was the biggest technological flop every. Though I can't see why it did.... electric powered, and has pedals for some human assistance.

The father likes it, but considers it a death trap due to the more modern traffic surrounding him.

Meanwhile at home, the family receives a "Compact Disc Player". The father isn't impressed. He much prefers vinyl (me too). Dad isn't happy and consoles himself by saying "That's progress".

The computer still hasn't been utilised well. So the father sits with the son and work on it together, loading tapes and they finally get a game to load.... several hours later.

It's now 1987 and they have launched the microwave dinner. Something I cringe about every time I see one.

The show is nearly over, it's 1989 and mum is on teletext and getting a recipe off the channel to cook for dinner for their celebration.

The younger daughter accepts that the 80's pushed technology, but nothing worked. It wasn't really plug and play like things are today.

Since the family received a camcorder earlier, they got to use it as he kids got to make an 80's music video. The father ends with his opinion that he loved the 80's and the technology. He recalls how awesome it was to see all this technology come about. But in reality, it was all a bunch of rubbish.

The show ends, roll credits. Next Sunday will show the family living in the 90's. Can't wait to see the Play Stations and laptops appear in the home.