I thought I’d just share my morning of car problems.
I live next door to my parents and between us we have the use of 3 cars. The blue one which I share with them had to go in the garage this morning because it needs new brake pads and discs and is making a funny sound. My dads silver one is going in on Thursday because its making a screatchie noise.
This morning I followed my dad down to the garage, him in the blue car, me in our green car.
On the way back my windscreen wipers packed up - not great timing as it was pouring with rain! So it was back down to the garage with that one, we now have no cars on the road and a courtesy car, which is needed because this afternoon I have to pick my mum up from the train station, then tomorrow morning I have got an interview and my mum has a hospital appointment which I was supposed to drive her to.
Arghhh the timing couldn’t be worse, I can feel a hefty garage fee coming up in the worst month of the year for finances!!
Oh no this is why I service and do all my own car repairs. I find relaying on garages can be so frustrating espeically if they don’t have the part or just have too many cars so you have to wait untill they can fit yours in.
I’ve had the windscreen wipers go in a thunder storm not good at all. I hope it’s not a burnt out windscreen wiper motor because depending on the make of car and the garage you might end up waiting for a new windscreen wipe motor. Did the wipers simply grind to a halt or was there a crunch/thud noise? Mine was the crunch/thud and when I looked one of the little mechanical connections that move the wipers that has broken.
Hubbie had to take me in his car to buy the replacement which was a hours drive away then I had to exchange the part. Took me 10minutes to do the job. A garage was going to charge me a large sum and didn’t even have the part and told me it would be 3 days wait just for the part.
Hope it all comes together for you and it’s not too expensive.
Oh poor you. Our windscreen wipers had a fight when we were driving down the motorway the other day. Fortunately the driver’s side won but it killed the passenger one. I say fortunate as the rain was torrential and we were 40 miles from home but at least Bob could see through his side to drive.
What was not fortunate was the cost of the replacement wiper assembly £250 Plus labour. Ouch. Hope yours is a lot less serious than ours.
They have assured me they can fit a second hand motor for 70quid. Hopefully that will be true as I know I have a £200 bill coming for the blue car!
I hate having to rely on cars, but we live in the middle of nowhere, we cant even get a pint of milk without a car! Our fault I guess.
@EileensCraftStudio the intermitant hasn’t been working for a while and I thought on the way down that they were slower than normal, no crunching noise, just didn’t work when I turned the engine back on. 
Wouldn’t mind but we were hoping to eek our old banger out for a few more months before the MOT is up in May, we were told last year it wouldn’t pass again this year without basically re-newing the whole car!! and with a 156400 miles on the clock its time for a new one!
yep that sounds like the windscreen wiper motor 
They often start out by slowing down as the connections overtime and usage weaken wires coverings become brittle over time and then moisture/dirt etc can get into the wire’s causing a bad connections.
Look up scrapyards in your area and give them a ring with the model, make and year and see if they have a working one for less that will fit your car.
It’s always a good idea to know where your local car scrapyards are as you can often get almost new parts for tiny prices.
The neigbhour killed two of his Jag’s wheels they were cracked on a hole in the road so the tyree’s would no longer seal ie so couldn’t even pump them up again.
Jaguer new wheels are expensive but I gave him the name of two local car scrapyards and they had just what he needed from a jag that was right off expect for the wheels he required.
I was given a large box of choccies, flowers and a bottle of wine for helping him out 
clever lady Eileen…lady of many talents.
aww thank you Brenda 
I’ve been playing with cars for the past 10years I didn’t know a thing at first just drove them like most people.
Joining a car club was a real eye opener and encouraged me to do a lot of reading and watching car club member doing jobs on their cars.
My first ever job I did was with my Hubbie’s help, changing the brake pads and discs on his car.
My first ever job totally by myself was changing a lock on a car door felt amazing when it all worked
I once did a year’s car maintenance but hey…I don;t want to damage my nails…lol
I once had a pair of dungarees. While returning home one day, wearing them, I got a puncture. It took ages and ages before a car stopped and a nice kind man changed the tyre for me. I presume that passing motorists saw my dungarees as working overalls and thought I was a mechanic (not likely, I have nails too)
I’ve never had to actually change a tyre myself (despite having worked at Pirelli and its tyre outlets for several years and watched several demos) so was a bit surprised at the lack of response from kind knights on the road.
When I eventually got home I threw the dungarees away and returned to my skirts. Still never had to change my own tyre and never waited so long to be rescued either !
I’m like you Eileen. 99% of what happens to our car my husband and I just sort it out.
And If we need a garage for anything my friend is a mechanic and they get use of the garage on weekends, so that comes in handy for the ramps and tools and things that we obviously don’t have.
Means he can buy parts in on cost as well which is really helpful.
We used to have an amazing shop up the road from us until just a couple of years ago, a proper old school car parts shop- the guys who ran it knew everything and despite my car being a 20 year old Toyota, they could get parts in the same day from all over the country and they never ripped anyone off- unfortunately I live in a rather touristy seaside village so as they nearer retirement they were bought out by a ‘pretty’ looking restaurant. They were great though!!! Window wipers cost £3 each! Bargain!
Mind you- given the age of my car- nothing has ever gone wrong with it, just the odd thing needs replacing as it corrodes over time.
I wish you luck with your cars though- nothing worse than being off the road- it’s rediculous how much we come to depend on having a car sitting outside. Haha
I am no way any good with cars, I’m one of those terrible women who just drive it! I put oil in the green car for the first time in years the other day!!
It was the motor, he put a second hand one in for us, so not too expensive.
I did borrow a courtesy car, which I fell in love with and its for sale!! So after he has put a new mot on it we are going to buy it!
Hoping he might take my ageing green car off our hands for spares and knock a bit off, I mean it does now have a functioning windscreen motor in it!!
You haven’t got an MR2 by any change or Supra?
So glad it’s sorted for you and I hope you can buy the other car and get a great deal on it
Haha no I don’t. But from my experience and that of others all toyotas will last forever! Haha