Garages, don't you just love em!

This is Paul, my knight in shining armour. He is not my usual RAC man who lives round the corner, but he is just as good.


I wanted to go shopping last night to get the late bargains, and also do a big shop so I could use the £6 off a £40 spend voucher, it has to be used by Sunday. I turned the key and it was like Blackpool illuminations on the dashboard, OMG switch it off quick.

Paul came this morning at 9.30am and had a good check round, and figured the battery wasn't charging, alternater problem maybe. He had a word with his engineer who said it is more likely to be the cluster behind the dashboard as no gauges were working, and all lights were flashing, and it was bleeping. I rang my one man band repair man who said I could bring it down, but he couldn't look at it till Monday, so I got RAC man to follow me so he could bring me back.

When I got there Mandy, Mrs one man band, said hang on, there was a recall on the Ford Focus with this problem, then she rang the Ford dealer to clarify. The answer came back, there was indeed a recall, and they could do the repair for £100. So thank you Mandy, and RAC man followed me to Hartwell Ford.

I got a phone call a couple of hours later telling me, it was the cluster behind the dashboard and it would be £250 to put it right. I said hang on a minute, what about the recall that we were told about on the phone. Man said, that was three years ago, and it was for exchanged reconditioned units, and he also couldn't find anyone who took the first phone call. So I said, I'll call you back.

While I was trying to get hold of Mandy, and ring Ford Matlock where I bought the car, Hartwell rang me back. They had found the person who took the first phone call, and they could repair it under the recall system. Well hallelujah, result!

So I have been to fetch the car back, thank goodness I have a friend to give me a lift, thank you Paul, (of Janet and Paul). I have been assured it is driveable, and will not blow up or catch fire. I did my shopping at Tesco because I have hardly any food left, and I have to pick someone up from the railway station on Sunday, but that's all the driving I will be doing till it goes in. I had better not push my luck, in case it develops another problem.

I started writing this post this morning, what with two dogs to look after, going in and out, and sorting car out, it has taken me all day to write it. Now I'm sitting here with a can of cider, not for long though, got to take Jessie out for her last walk, when it stops raining.