G'day Vicki,



07 Jan 97 03:38, Vicki Crawford wrote to Paul Edwards:



 PE>> My bloody car got broken into last night!!!!  :-(



 VC> I love it!!!



I cracked up laughing when I read that message from Paul -  It seemed

so   "fitting".

(Not that having a car broken into is particularly humourous)



 VC> Maybe the thieves have been reading AVTECH and been

 VC> reading about what a great car you just got.



ROFL.  Now this is sarcasm at its best.



 VC> I knew nothing about cars before you bought yours (I just drive mine

 VC> and put LPG gas in it) and have followed your questions and others

 VC> replies and guess what? I still know nothing about cars, I still just



LOL.  AVTECH being as informative as ever eh?



 VC> drive mine and put gas in it. I am good at reporting strange noises

 VC> that aren't normally there and guessing what the problem is.



NOISE:   MMMEEOooooWWWwwwwwww, clunk, clunk, clunk.

Vicki:   Hmm, that strange noise sounds like a cat caught in the

         fanbelt again. 



 VC> I only learnt how to open the bonnet last week (finding the latch



I'd forget it just as fast if I were you. :-)



 VC> under the bonnet was a problem) when I had auto-transmission problems

 VC> on a trip in the country and pulled into a country service station to

 VC> have the fluid in the auto-trans checked. I don't even know how to



But even if you did/do know how to open the bonnet, there is pretty

well fuck all you can do about most problems anyway.



 VC> change a tyre because I have never had a flat tyre in 24 years of

 VC> driving.



I said that after about 10 years of driving.  Over the next few weeks

I ended up with 3 different flats :-(



 VC> I do know that if I did have a flat tyre that I couldn't

 VC> change it anyway because I would NEVER be able to undo the

 VC> wheel-nuts.



You'll be surprised at the strength & resoursefulness  you'll find

when stuck in the middle of nowhere and _need_ to undo them.



Incidently, those puncture_kits_in_a_can can be very useful in an

emergency situation. I'd get it fixed properly ASAP afterwards though.

I've driven over 200miles on such a 'repair' when I'd caught myself

with a flat spare as well as a flat tyre :-(



 VC> I am in the position though at present where I will have to be

 VC> responsible for maintaining and getting fixed any problems with

 VC> either of our cars.



OTOH, At that time, you'll not need the 2 cars anyway.  I gather you

will be selling one of them?  (no, I'm not looking to buy - but Paul

Edwards might be )



 VC> For some-one who has never had to worry about how

 VC> the car works/goes this is a worry to me and the best advice I have

 VC> read from all the replies to you is to find a reliable mechanic. The



Yup.



 VC> other option which hasn't been mentioned to you is to do a car

 VC> maintenance course with the local TAFE so that you find out how to do

 VC> the simple maintenance jobs yourself.



Knowing how to do them, and having the tools, ability, time & interest

to do them are entirely different things.



 VC> There has been a lot of discussion about your lack of car knowledge

 VC> and I have to admit that I am in your position. A lot of women (and I



Not quite. I'm sure even you know that its not wise to drive with no

speedo, and unsafe to drive with bald tyres. This is (or should be)

basic common sense rather than 'car knowledge'.



 VC> am one) just don't want to know about how to fix/maintain a car. I



There's nothing to them. They're just like a big/heavy mechano set :-)



 VC> was bought up with a father who always did the car maintenance, a

 VC> first husband who was a motor mechanic and a second husband who was

 VC> at one time a toolmaker/car-conversion operator. I haven't had to

 VC> know. I still don't want to know,



Knowing how is always a very good thing, 'cos it helps prevent you

being ripped off.



 VC> normal "male domain" jobs are falling to me and I realise I don't

 VC> have a clue.



That's ok, us males don't have a clue either. We just fake it.



 VC> I only towed a trailer for the first time in 24 years of

 VC> driving in the last month.



Easier than you thought, wasn't it ? :-)

It takes a few seconds to figure out what direction to turn when

reversing though, doesn't it (assuming you did reverse)



 VC> What I do know is that good tyres are important.



Only if you want to stop in a hurry or go around corners. ;-)



Cheers,

Rod



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