My car... grrrrrr!

[Rel]

Insofar as blinding lights are romantic.

A particularly bright light so as to be highly visible even in foggy conditions. Not like headlamps that illuminate the road for the driver, but like a beacon that other drivers can see. Designed so that, for instance, on the autobahn, when it's really foggy, and you're cruising at 180 kmh, you can (ideally) see the car in front of you and not slam into it. In theory.

Warrior Poet

Couldn't Morrus just promise not to drive on the autobahn?

 

[Morrus]

Certainly there must be some kind of waiver that you can get to allow you to drive the car for a short period until the repair can be made. Mustn't there?

Here in the state where I live we have emission standards that must be met for your car to pass inspection. But even if your car fails, if you can show that you at least tried to fix the problem (by spending a certain amount of money - I think $200) then they'll issue you a waiver to drive the car for one year only.

Heh. No. The MOT must be taken yearly, and you can't drive a car without an MOT. It doesn't cover the mechanical soundness of your car, but the safety of it. A non-working fog light is failable.

Without the MOT certifcate and your insurance certificate, you can't purchase your car tax (sorry, "license"), which must be bought yearly. When you get the car tax, you get a small license disc which you have to affix to the bottom corner of your windscreen. So, if a car has no MOT, insurance or tax, it's clear to all. Can't really get away with it.

 

[Warrior Poet]

What's the distance to work? Is it feasible to find an alternate form of transportation, like a scooter, bicycle, or motorcycle? Obviously there's an exposure issue, with winter approaching, but perhaps if it's not too far . . . ? Or is it possible to take public transportation for a while, saving some petrol costs to file away for repair?

Warrior Poet

 

[Infiniti2000]

My car, an Infiniti I30t of course model year 2000, has just started acting up, too, and I'm not happy about. Fortunately here in Florida there are very little regulations and for the most part we can feel free to pollute the environment and leave broken-down vehicles all over the place.

 

[Morrus]

What's the distance to work? Is it feasible to find an alternate form of transportation, like a scooter, bicycle, or motorcycle? Obviously there's an exposure issue, with winter approaching, but perhaps if it's not too far . . . ? Or is it possible to take public transportation for a while, saving some petrol costs to file away for repair?

Unfortunately not - I work in the middle of nowhere about 20 miles from home. Too far to cycle every day, and not on any public transport routes. There's literally nothing for miles around. As for motorcycles - I don't have a motorcycle license or a motorcycle!

 

[Tewligan]

Must be the season for inopportune car problems. Literally within 2 weeks of making my last car payment, my "Brakes" indicator came on, followed not long after by the "Service Engine" light. I'm moving to a new apartment this weekend, plus I'm taking a week off work next month to fly home for Christmas. Damn car! I'm currently driving around hoping not to die before I have the money to fix it. Fortunately, L.A. traffic is generally horrible enough that I don't have to worry about zooming around at high speeds or stopping suddenly from said high speeds.

 

[Warrior Poet]

Unfortunately not - I work in the middle of nowhere about 20 miles from home. Too far to cycle every day, and not on any public transport routes. There's literally nothing for miles around. As for motorcycles - I don't have a motorcycle license or a motorcycle!

Whoops, yes, good point.

I don't suppose insurance can help cover any of the costs? It's unusual, but perhaps there's something in your policy that might help, and I'm guessing tele-commuting is out of the question? I sold my truck five years ago after it became more expensive to upkeep than the value of the vehicle, but I'm lucky in that I live in a city with extensive public transportation, so I don't know if it's better to repair or seek a new used vehicle.

There's a popular radio program here in the States called Car Talk, hosted by two brothers who are very successful and skilled auto mechanics. Their website is http://cartalk.com You might be able to find some information there about comparing the costs of one approach versus the other, although I don't know how that might translate to costs in the U.K.

Good luck.

Warrior Poet

 

[Warrior Poet]

L.A. traffic

My sympathies.

 

[EricNoah]

Find another mechanic and ask him to beat his competitor's prices?

 

[Desdichado]

Fortunately here in Florida there are very little regulations and for the most part we can feel free to pollute the environment and leave broken-down vehicles all over the place.

When I lived in Texas, we had a yearly inspection that sounds very much like Morrus's MOT. I mean, technically of course, you can drive without passing, or having it expired, but you risk getting an expensive citation.

Here in Michigan nobody seems to care about how your car runs. I suppose if I had big holes in the floor and ran the car with my feet like the Flintstones, that would probably be OK. Which is very odd considering that the local economy is completely driven by the domestic automobile business. Stricter guidelines on car functionality via a yearly inspection would probably drive more new car sales and leases.