If it hadn't happened to me...

...I would not have believed it!

Inspired by Diane's car radio story on The Cat, I thought I might relate the story of my longest and least successful garage visit.

On the way to work one morning (it must have been in the mid-1990s) a red light came on on my car's dashboard. I drove round the corner to my little local mechanic, Harry, only to find he was on holiday. So I went to the nearest KwikFit, which back then just did tyres, clutches and batteries. They said it looke like the alternator, and they didn't do alternators.

PANIC!!

Then I remembered the garage I'd used before I found Harry. It was further away, but they were reliable, so off I drove.

They looked at the car straight away, as I needed to get to work. It was the days before mobile phones were common, and I still hadn't let the school know. They were going to let me phone from their office, but the phones were out of order!

I went down the road to the call box and phoned school, telling them I had been told it would take them about half an hour to get the part and fix the car. I went back and waited.

They'd used the phone of a neighbouring business to order my new alternator. I waited, and waited, and finally went to ask what was going on, as the allotted time had long passed. The alternator had just arrived. The road had been closed off for the air ambulance to land!!!!!!

The mechanic brought in the new part as we spoke - and a bit fell off!

These wonderful people now ferried me to school, where I spent a nervous day. They said they would bring the car to me after school had finished. It didn't arrive. I tried to phone. The phone was still out of order. I tried to fax. Ditto. Finally, 45 minutes late, the car arrived.

When the second alternatot had arrived, it had turned out to be the wrong one. Eventually they had had to go to the suppliers themselves and get the correct one.

All at no extra charge.

Given how much had gone wrong that day, I was surprised not to have an accident on the way home.