Spending a penny..

Cars. 
Love 'em or hate 'em, most of us rely on them in one way or another. 
I've blogged before about my way of thinking regarding these beasts; they do a job, cost a packet, and need maintaining to work well.  
I understand that for some people they are replacement loved ones or fashion statements, but for us they are a necessary means to an end. (N.B. Obviously our car doesn't have a 'pet name'!)
Now. 
For the last couple of years, our car has made a funny noise. 
An intermittent funny noise.
Like a stock car, which it is not.
When it first started to make the noise, we took it to the garage we usually use.
They listened to the noise.
They didn't know what it was.
They tested all the important stuff - the engine mounts, the gearbox, other big engine-y parts that could possibly make the noise. 
No idea.
They didn't charge us anything though, so that was ok.
We went away.
With the noise.

From time to time, there would be no noise at all, and we thought it was fine.
The car sailed through it's MOT with a could of new tyres.

Then, just when you had almost forgotten it, the noise would be there. 



Loudly grumbly farting away, like a grumpy great-uncle telling you that he doesn't like beans...time after time.
And then, as quickly as it came, it would go again.

Sometimes we would have the noise for more than a week.
Other times the noise would be with us for only part of a short
local journey.

A second garage had the car and gave it a thorough going over.
They could not diagnose what the noise was.
They didn't charge us any money either, which was good.
And they said it wasn't anything dangerous.


Ok.


But what was it?

After a particularly irritating week, we took the noise (and the car) to a garage who kept it for three weeks. We had a courtesy car, and we're very hopeful that this time the noise would be no more.
The garage removed the gearbox and sent it to a specialist.
The gearbox was rebuilt, came back, and was refitted.
The car came home and had no noise!
We had a bloody big bill.


And within a week, the noise was back - as grumbly and farty as ever!


Grrrrr (is what the noise sounded like!)

Two weeks ago I was at a medical appointment.
Man Wonderful and the dog (like she had a choice..) took the car to a garage with the noise.
The mechanic popped it up on his ramp and  told Man Wonderful that a metal mount under the gearbox had been fitted at the wrong angle, and was vibrating.
He took it off and fitted another one.
And the noise, after more than two years, three 'specialist' garages, and three weeks with a gearbox rebuild, was gone.


The final cost?
£10 in the tea fund for the garage, as the chap wouldn't take any money for the two minute job!

Suffice to say we have found ourselves a new garage to use.