Car maintenance

A few days ago our car went in to see our (excellent) mechanic. Primarily for a problem with over-heating any time we drove more than a few miles. This was the problem we had way back in early July, but had never had fixed. Secondly, Richard was very concerned about some bad rust around the top of the windscreen. In heavy rain, he was pretty sure it would leak, and would also get much worse. Thirdly, he wanted a towbar fitted so we can pull the mirror dinghy - assuming we can get the trailer fixed.

The mechanic himself couldn't do the towbar or the rust, but recommended someone nearby who could deal with those, although they said they could be expensive and difficult, particularly if the windscreen broke in the process of fixing the rust. The mechanic also said he'd do a full service while the car was there, as it was almost due anyway.

It took a day longer than expected, but that's not a problem. Things usually do in Cyprus. The radiator - which was clogged, causing the overheating - has been totally cleaned out. A full service has been done including replacement of spark plugs. The roof has been mended, the windscreen didn't break, and it's been resprayed to look like new:



A towbar was made from scratch, welded firmly into place, and our towball attached. The people who did it are coming at the weekend to look at the trailer, and quote for attaching new, stronger wheels.


The cost?

We fully expected to have to pay about £400 or even a bit more for all this - almost the value of the car itself. The bill? £200.