A Busy Wednesday

~ beetleypete

Yesterday was a big break in routine for me.

Julie had to renew her passport. She had asked about a postal renewal, and was told it would take ten weeks at least. As she is travelling abroad in March, her only option was to go to the main Passport Office for the East of England. That is 65 miles each way from Beetley in the city of Peterborough, around 90 minutes each way by car.

I offered to drive her there in her car in case of parking issues, so I was up much earlier than usual, and took Ollie out while it was still below freezing, and very frosty. As it turned out, we parked easily, and were also early for her pre-booked appointment. It all went smoothly inside, (I was not allowed in, so waited ih the car) But even with that ‘personal appearance’, she was still unable to return home with a new passport. They will send it by insured courier within seven days.

The journey home was even easier, and I was back in plenty of time to give Ollie his favourite dinner of cold chicken.

Forty minutes later, the car dealership phoned to say my car was ready for collection. Out we went again, just 4 miles each way this time. I was told that the mechanic was able to remove the magnet and electrical connection that was stopping the gear selector going into and out of park, but he also had to rig a small cable below the selector in case the ‘override’ happened again for any reason. Just pull it, and the selector moves easily. I would have preferred a new part, but had already been told it was no longer available.

Then the mechanic showing me how to operate the cable-pull informed me that if the very small part had been available, it would have cost me a staggering £500! Add to that the fitting charge of well-over £200, and I would not have been a happy bunny.

The final bill was £198, intead of around £740 had they fitted a new part. As I drove home, I had never been so grateful for a part no longer being in stock.

76 thoughts on “A Busy Wednesday”

    1. You can also do it at any main Post Office, Jack. It depends how quickly you need it. We only went to Peterborough because my wife needed it within six weeks.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. Everything around me is too old now, including me! I am just hoping my car will see out this year, as the next time something goes wrong, I will be forced to scrap it. I cannot justify throwing any more money at a car that has zero resale value.
      Best wishes, Pete. x

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  7. Blimey, that’s a long time since mine was sent from here and received back within 7 weeks and it was Dec so I expected delays but not the case I was quite impressed with the service…Great news about your car, Pete I hope you have an enjoyable weekend x

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  12. Did you hear about Peter, the robotic rabbit, whose faulty electrical connections wreaked havoc on his hop selector? The factory rigged a small multiple phase inducer below the selector case to resolve the problem, and also, as a matter of preventive maintenance, replaced the rotten leaf springs in Peter’s legs, so that he could regain full control of his movement to and from McGregor’s garden. The work only cost him £198. That made Peter a happy bunny!

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  13. I should be speechless, really, at the expensive exigencies of contemporary corrupted civilized life, but a few stuttering sounds come forth…1) Peterborough??!!! 2) the fragile chance that brought you and a great mechanic/human being together 3) Happy ending – Ollie got dinner on time

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    1. Getting that particular mechanic was indeed a rare stroke of luck. He was the only one who could be bothered to try to fabricate something to get me back on the road at a supposedly ‘reasonable price’.
      If my wife had thought to renew her passport in 2022, Peterborough could have been avoided. But it was a ‘morning out’.
      Ollie’s dinner is rarely delayed, and he ate it with relish.
      Such is life. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete. x

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  17. Sounds like everything worked out. I once had to have a mechanic fabricate a part for an old Mazda and it saved me a lot of money and the car lasted for many more years. (I drive my cars forever!)

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    1. I was hoping to keep my old car until I died, or could no longer drive. It is one of the best cars I have ever owned, until age took its toll. But if parts were still more widely available, I could keep it going for some time yet. Sadly, the next breakdown will be its last.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. It’s the same with many items, not just cars. It’s difficult to get parts because the manufacturers want to make more money by selling new products. Zanussi have missed out with our tumble dryer though – Sam’s kept it going for 32 years so far!

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  19. Excellent news! A friend of mine has a Very Old Lexus that belonged to his mother. A tiny wire going to the almost inaccessible starter broke. $1,200 for the part and weeks away. The same part from Toyota was $700. His son manufactured one for under $5. It took them most of a Sunday to install but he said “A long Sunday and $30 for dinner and beer sure beat hell out of $1,200.”

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    1. I would definitely recommend getting mobility scooters, Julie. There are many good secondhand ones for sale, and as long as you live reasonably near to some shops, (I don’t) they are useful.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  22. Good of that mechanic to find a solution. I once had a good guy who kept my old Peugeot on the road by DIY fixes. How old is your car Pete? I have an inkling it’s close to mine. May 2008.

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    1. Mine is June 2007. Now considered by the trade to be ‘obsolete’, as no spare engine or gearbox parts are available for it any longer.
      The scrap value is £270. Depressing, for such a good car. (When it’s working!) The alloy wheels alone are worth more than that, but I would have to take them all off of course.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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                1. My wife fractured her skull, (temporal lobe area) and was never the same after. We spilt up 9 months later. I broke all my fingers and had rib pains, but wasn’t too bad. They let me stay in so we could be together, and she discharged herself after one week. We got insurance money for the car, and bought a used Ford Capri that she saw and loved. Now I have arthritis in my fingers because of that.
                  I was 33 at the time. x

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  23. Hi Pete, I didn’t know it took so long to get a passport now. You have to apply online if you are outside the UK and it took about two weeks last time I did it, including couriering the old passport to the UK and receiving the new one. I’m glad you sorted out your car. GBP500 for a part is huge 🫣

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    2. My dad’s first car was a 1938 model, which he bought when I was born in 1952. He kept that going for another 8 years, then bought a newer car in 1960. There was so little to go wrong with cars then, he could do almost all of the servicing himself. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. No trains. The nearest station is almost 20 miles away. The local bus into town only runs twice a day, with the last one back at 4:45pm. Otherwise, it’s a 3.5 mile walk to the town bus stops across fields! (And in the dark during winter) Once in town, (Dereham) there are numerous buses to all other parts of Norfolk, and beyond. But you have to be back by 4:45, so that’s not much use. A car is essential, so as long as we have one between us, that’s okay.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. Thanks, Maggie. No idea how long the repair will last, but the next time something happens, the car will have to go. I can no longer throw good money at a ‘dying’ car, especially as it is now considered to be obsolete by the market. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. They blame the delays on the changes to UK passports after Brexit. If it wasn’t that, they would probably blame the war in Ukraine.
      The car is living on borrowed time now, but at least I can still use it locally.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  28. Well done, that mechanic, showing some initiative! That seems to be in short supply, these days, with companies not wanting to deviate from standard [and often expensive!] procedures, even if it’s not what the customer wants. I hope Julie’s passport arrives in time. Cheers, Jon.

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    1. Thanks, Jon. I congratulated the mechanic for thinking outside the box, and using his skill instead of walking away from a problem. I would still have had to pay the same for the time involved, even if they had done no rerpair at all.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. My car is on its last hurrah, Beth. The next time something goes wrong, it will be heading for the scrapyard. It is no longer viable to throw money at a car that nobody wants to buy, so has no resale value whatsoever
      Good luck with your one. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. mine is doing pretty well, I’m a weekday commuter, so it’s hard on it and things needed to be replaced more frequently. my plan is to retire a year from June and pass it on to my grandsons, one will be learning to drive this year, and another in a couple of years. after that, I plan to just get a drive around town car, as I won’t have to commute anymore )

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