Val (Zebedee) Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 We have a Fiat Croma .... rare car really, only a few hundred in the UK, I believe; when things go wrong, UK garages don't hold replacements generally & parts have to be imported from Italy, when things go wrong, it's never an easy fix, the whole engine has to be removed to tighten a nut! (well, it seems that way, some of the repair bills we've had!) Now, we've had a NEW issue .... went out in the car yesterday to bring the caravan home to get ready today, car won't start.... nothing! A flicker of the dashboard & a few clicks & that's all your getting! Steve managed to bump start it, got it running, went out for a drive to put charge in the battery (thinking the alternator or something) ended up at the Waterside, a pub at the bottom of our village. Came to start the car again ... you guessed it - NOTHING!! Now, I'm in the AA, so we call them out. 50 mins later, a patrol van arrives. First tells us it's a bad earth ... cleans that and - nothing! Then he asks if we have an inertia switch I said, I've not heard of one, therefore we ain't got one!! He checked around the front seats in case a switch had been knocked moving the seat back & forth but nothing (turns out the inertia switch is controlled by the ECU, so I can't be blamed for THAT one!!) He finally checks the battery, and in his words - "it's cabbaged!!" so we need to have a new battery fitted. He said because we have a Breakdown Repair Cover with the AA (basically, any problem they are called to to this car that they can't fix, we pay the first £25 & they pay the rest up to £500) we can have a new battery fitted in the morning. Great stuff - he jump starts the car & we're running, he will tell the Battery Assist people to come to the house 9am. 9am today, I get a phone call from another AA patrol man who has turned up at the pub carpark looking for the car I tell him it's at home with us & why do we need another patrol man?? He comes to the house, checks the problem still exists (which of course it does!) and checks the Battery Assist guy is on his way, but will make sure he gives the home address, not the pub. Has a look at the battery as he carries a few & this car will probably take the same as a transit van - oh, no - not this car, even THAT battery is too small! Off tootles Mr Patrolman No 2. 9:45am, gets a call from the Battery guy - looking for the pub!! Tells him the car is at home .... I'll be saying my postcode in my sleep! He turns up, has a check of the car (still dead) and gets on with replacing the battery. I leave him to it thinking all the trouble is over & the battery is going in .... how wrong was I?? Don't get me wrong, the battery he eventually fitted went in OK & starts the car, the battery they took out is not on any database they have & therefore does not exist the Fiat Croma is not on their database at all (but I promise, that is what the car is, I've not made it up!). The old battery was a Dutch model & cannot be found anywhere ARE YOU STILL AWAKE??? I'VE NOT FINISHED YET!!!!!!!! Battery in, car starts - FANTASTIC!! Now to pay .... Sorry Mrs Mc, you've not got Breakdown Repair cover!!! WHAT?? Well what do I pay the AA extra for? He makes a few phone calls, it's not on the AA database & it should be on my membership card but it's not ... have I dreamt I have this cover then?? Knowing how much we'd save by having this as this car costs a FORTUNE when it goes wrong!! Takes over 10 mins of him with my membership card & credit card (wanted to pay cash but it has to be card payment ) calling his offices & me on the housephone calling AA helpline to finally agree I AM covered & I only need to pay £25 - but I now have high blood pressure, a stress headache & a need for a very large drink!! So, I have yet to go out to the car with it's new battery & 4 yr guarantee to see if it works for me and will it get Steve to husky camp with caravan in tow tomorrow?? (I'm going over earlier with Jos in the Astra, that has also started giving me a warning light on the dashboard ) I HATE CARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Biscuits & marshmallows if you get to the end!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tan J P Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 I got to the end....................and feel your pain soooooo much,cars is a swear word in my house!! lol Forget the biscuits,but i lurveeee marshmallows Enjoy your trip......hopefully you'll get there xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahNukka&Shadow Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 LMAO Val you have a very good narative even if you dont like cars! Can I have my marshmallows now!? LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich & Kody Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Glad you got it sorted, i actually had to google Fiat Croma, no idea wtf it was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val (Zebedee) Posted April 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 LMAO Val you have a very good narative even if you dont like cars! Can I have my marshmallows now!? LOL Just for you! Glad you got it sorted, i actually had to google Fiat Croma, no idea wtf it was exactly, but when car mechanics look at you dumbfounded, you know you have a problem!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tikaani&Aiyana Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Poor you! Cars are a nightmare & are like money pits Hope nothing more goes wrong and you have a safe journey to camp xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 smores!!! lol omg what a pain - i almost dont want a car when i pass lmapo - weve had trouble with our car n its crappy battery th past couple of weeks too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark-Akasha-Kenzo Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 We have a Fiat Croma .... rare car really, only a few hundred in the UK, I believe; when things go wrong, UK garages don't hold replacements generally & parts have to be imported from Italy, when things go wrong, it's never an easy fix, the whole engine has to be removed to tighten a nut! (well, it seems that way, some of the repair bills we've had!) Now, we've had a NEW issue .... went out in the car yesterday to bring the caravan home to get ready today, car won't start.... nothing! A flicker of the dashboard & a few clicks & that's all your getting! Steve managed to bump start it, got it running, went out for a drive to put charge in the battery (thinking the alternator or something) ended up at the Waterside, a pub at the bottom of our village. Came to start the car again ... you guessed it - NOTHING!! Now, I'm in the AA, so we call them out. 50 mins later, a patrol van arrives. First tells us it's a bad earth ... cleans that and - nothing! Then he asks if we have an inertia switch I said, I've not heard of one, therefore we ain't got one!! He checked around the front seats in case a switch had been knocked moving the seat back & forth but nothing (turns out the inertia switch is controlled by the ECU, so I can't be blamed for THAT one!!) He finally checks the battery, and in his words - "it's cabbaged!!" so we need to have a new battery fitted. He said because we have a Breakdown Repair Cover with the AA (basically, any problem they are called to to this car that they can't fix, we pay the first £25 & they pay the rest up to £500) we can have a new battery fitted in the morning. Great stuff - he jump starts the car & we're running, he will tell the Battery Assist people to come to the house 9am. 9am today, I get a phone call from another AA patrol man who has turned up at the pub carpark looking for the car I tell him it's at home with us & why do we need another patrol man?? He comes to the house, checks the problem still exists (which of course it does!) and checks the Battery Assist guy is on his way, but will make sure he gives the home address, not the pub. Has a look at the battery as he carries a few & this car will probably take the same as a transit van - oh, no - not this car, even THAT battery is too small! Off tootles Mr Patrolman No 2. 9:45am, gets a call from the Battery guy - looking for the pub!! Tells him the car is at home .... I'll be saying my postcode in my sleep! He turns up, has a check of the car (still dead) and gets on with replacing the battery. I leave him to it thinking all the trouble is over & the battery is going in .... how wrong was I?? Don't get me wrong, the battery he eventually fitted went in OK & starts the car, the battery they took out is not on any database they have & therefore does not exist the Fiat Croma is not on their database at all (but I promise, that is what the car is, I've not made it up!). The old battery was a Dutch model & cannot be found anywhere ARE YOU STILL AWAKE??? I'VE NOT FINISHED YET!!!!!!!! Battery in, car starts - FANTASTIC!! Now to pay .... Sorry Mrs Mc, you've not got Breakdown Repair cover!!! WHAT?? Well what do I pay the AA extra for? He makes a few phone calls, it's not on the AA database & it should be on my membership card but it's not ... have I dreamt I have this cover then?? Knowing how much we'd save by having this as this car costs a FORTUNE when it goes wrong!! Takes over 10 mins of him with my membership card & credit card (wanted to pay cash but it has to be card payment ) calling his offices & me on the housephone calling AA helpline to finally agree I AM covered & I only need to pay £25 - but I now have high blood pressure, a stress headache & a need for a very large drink!! So, I have yet to go out to the car with it's new battery & 4 yr guarantee to see if it works for me and will it get Steve to husky camp with caravan in tow tomorrow?? (I'm going over earlier with Jos in the Astra, that has also started giving me a warning light on the dashboard ) I HATE CARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Biscuits & marshmallows if you get to the end!! :lol: i got to the end make sure you bring Marshmallows and Biscuits to Camp lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Angel n Auroras Mum Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Blimey, almost dropped off then! lmao. why is it when u dont want anything to go wrong, everything goes wrong! mmm marshmallows. x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidjk Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 yay biscuits and marshmallows. time to go back to bed i think. days like this usually only get worse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamz Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 i got to the end hun......dont even get me started on cars :angry: i have had endless trouble with my zafira since i got it- thankgod ian used to be a mechanic...saves me a fortune..........i feel your pain believe me!!!! :angry: what annoys me the most though is when idiots try and say you dont have certain cover when you quite clearly do :angry: they never seem to apologise afterwards though once they have fiugured it all out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val (Zebedee) Posted April 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 exactly, Tamz, all I got was a thumbs up and a "Sorted now" while I was slowly having palpitations of having to pay out for an unusually large, heavy duty battery (for the car, before anyone thinks of a wise crack!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamz Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 my car was in for its MOT last month...first one since i got it and guess what????? IT FAILED!!!!! :angry: was waiting for the car as had the kiddies with me and the garage is not with walking distance...took paper and crayons with me so they wouldnt get bored and was told it would be an hr tops.....2hrs later im still sat there getting very frustrated as the kids were beyond bored by this time i went over to reception to see what the hell was going on...."oh has no-one been out to you yet??" erm NO!!!! i wouldnt be stood here asking you if they had :angry: anyway off she went into the back then 10mins later re-appeared and said "yeah its done now but its failed so he jst doing the paperwork for it" so i ask whats its failed on to then be told "on quite alot and most of which is quite major" great thats all i need.....started cursing the entire world under my breath...rang ian and ranted at him down the phone as he was suposed to have checked it all the night before :angry: anyway she came over to me about 5mins later with the mechanic who had done the MOT...he went through everything with me..moaned at me about the carseats being fitted as they could test the seatbelts properly so got given advisorys for that- jst snapped at that point...he knew i was waiting for the car why not come and get me and ask to me move them if it was a problem :angry: the next bit is the best...........he gave me a quote for the work...are you ready???? £565 plus vat :lol: told him id be intouch and left the building....all that needed doing was the rear brake pads and driver side boll joint in the steering rack the rest of the things were advisorys......took my failure sheet home to ian who then went to bms and got the parts for £53...fitted the brake pads that same night and did the ball joint in 2hrs on sat morning :lol: can you believe they quoted me that though...just goes to show how much they rip you off......thankgod ian can do it all instead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nkientoff Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 but I now have high blood pressure, a stress headache & a need for a very large drink!! Over here in the U.S., AA is for Alcoholics Anonymous and judging by your comment, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Yeah i also feel your pain, my car is due for an MOT on 25th and both drive shafts are bent... Oops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowpup Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 You kept your cool then? I'd of been on the phone complaining to the supervisor! Enjoy camp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebe03 Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Sorry to hear of your problems with the Fiat What's the warning light on the Astra? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val (Zebedee) Posted April 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 the engine symbol stays on when running the engine - the book says faulty emissions, Lee had a gander at what it meant last night but the Croma was taking up so much of my attention Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebe03 Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 the engine symbol stays on when running the engine - the book says faulty emissions, Lee had a gander at what it meant last night but the Croma was taking up so much of my attention A check online suggests the problem may be the result of the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve sticking open or closed. The following test can be run to prove of disprove this being the source of the problem. Disconnect the Battery for about 10 to 20 mins and then reconnect and start the car. If the warning light goes out the problem is possible the EGR valve. It had it's lamda sensor replaced about 18 months ago which also causes this warning light to be illuminated so don't think it will be the lamda sensor. Please let me know the result of the above test. Alternatively we can try it at the camp tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Hope both vehicles behave for you, Val! I learned to drive a Fiat 124s, and loved it. My ex got a Fiat 127, and it made frequent stops at Mario's Foreign Cars Repair Shop! Was soo glad when we sold that car!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinville Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 As the wife of a mechanic (hubby owns a repair shop), I have to say I understand your frustration, but I love cars (specially ones that are broke down as that's what pays the bills here) *hangs head in shame at your dilemma, but hopes you understand* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabresmum Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Oh that's not good Val but glad you got it sorted eventually Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val (Zebedee) Posted April 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 As the wife of a mechanic (hubby owns a repair shop), I have to say I understand your frustration, but I love cars (specially ones that are broke down as that's what pays the bills here) *hangs head in shame at your dilemma, but hopes you understand* I totally understand! we have a mobile mechanic we contact usually when the car/s play up & he's got 2 young kids, self-employed, so I feel I'm doing my bit to keep a roof over his head every time we call him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val (Zebedee) Posted April 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Lee, TBH, got loads on here at home, so will do the battery discon/recon trick at the camp with you tomorrow, if that's OK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinville Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 I totally understand! we have a mobile mechanic we contact usually when the car/s play up & he's got 2 young kids, self-employed, so I feel I'm doing my bit to keep a roof over his head every time we call him! He appreciates it, I'm sure. Being the wife of a mechanic, and living across from the business is sometimes hard. Everytime we get something new (like our camper) we hear about how much money we make. Just makes me cringe... On the upside of being a mechanics wife, my car seldom leaves me stranded as there is no worse advertising that his wife sitting on the side of the road! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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