Re: Just Shoot Me!

[quk@isham-research.demon.co.uk (Phil Payne)]

In message <4.1.19990724080155.00972100@traverse.com> Kneale Brownson writes:

> Imagine!!!  A car company actually used more than one name for the same
> model, depending upon the country getting it.  What a novel idea.  Wonder
> if they also changed parts in the middle of the model year just to make it
> MORE interesting.

When my leased Granada came up for renewal in about 1985, I decided to
wait until the new 2.0l EFI engine was available.  The leasing company
managed to find one, but with a much higher specification than I had
planned.  For those who don't know the Granada body, it's about the
only 'executive hatchback'.  Not a bad package.  The thing I miss
even today is the heated _front_ windshield.  It would free up frozen
wipers in about thirty seconds.  I ran it through the running-in period,
and took it back to Currie Motors (why shouldn't they be named?) at
7500 miles for a routine service pick-it-up-this-evening.

It wasn't ready, and with some difficulty in logistics they arranged
a hire car at their expense.

It wasn't ready the next day, either.  Or the next week.

After several abortive attempts to pick the thing up, they called and
said: "Tonight.  For definite."

The eventual story was that one of the spark plugs had snapped off when
they tried to remove it.  So they had to take off the head and helicoil
it.  When they put the head back, they set up the timing wrong and
wrecked the engine.  The replacement engine had an oil supply problem
and siezed when being run in the workshop.  Finally (and this is the
hard one) the battery exploded when they tried to start the third
engine.  All this was no inconvenience to me - I had the rental car. I
was a bit miffed about being told it was ready four times when it never
was.

Anyway - when I finally picked it up, it was perfect.  Work done,
valetted, cleaned, polished.  When I drove through the back lot on
the way to the street, five guys in "Ford of Europe" overalls were
getting ready to climb into a crewbus.  Next to it was a van with the
shattered remains of an engine just dumped in it.

That car's life ended when I took it show-jumping.  I cleared a
four-foot fence in it, leaving the Sherington Bypass at 90+ mph one
frosty morning - rolled three times end-over-end and four times
sideways, ending 210 metres from the carriageway.

Not a scratch.  Lots of bruises from the belt.

--
 Phil Payne
 UK Audi quattro Owners Club
 Phone: 0385 302803   Fax: 0870 0883933