I happen to be unlucky enough to drive a car (from a well known French company - I don't like to name names. Papa and Nicole, that's all I'm saying) which isn't paid for yet. It's not mine, so I can't get rid of the horrible, unreliable thing for another year.
It doesn't exactly break down every other day, but there's always something wrong with it, and it's safe to say that it's the bane of my life. Always something - small niggly problems.
Anyway, I've become very well acquainted with all of the local mechanics. Newtownabbey Autos is a big warehouse with a small army of fixers working for them. When my suspension went, they knew what it was right away. Every time something goes pear-shaped with the electrics (my indicators and windows having minds of their own caused all sorts of hilarity), they sort it out promptly.
I was told of a local mechanic after the Car From Hell failed its first ever MOT, so I decided to compare prices, and went for the independent guy. I told him of all the work that had recently been done to the car, and how much it had cost... Turns out I had been overcharged, by quite a bit. Local dude replaced a suspension ball joint (whatever the hell that is) for £30. Newtownabbey Autos emailed me a quote of £86. Not good, considering how many times I'd been there. read more