Frank Martin & Zed Are Poorly

[zedonist]

Well Frank Martin decided to throw a shoe last night, and the drive shaft went leaving me stranded at a set of very busy traffic lights, as usual the british public showed their true spirit and drove around me as i struggled to extricate myself from the precarious position by pushing Frank onto the pavement to assist the arse holes who did not help to get home quicker, you know who you are!!!

Well good news the RAC arrived when they said they would and put Frank on a low loader, the guys who sold me Frank promised to repair him today if he got there first thing, The RAC promised to deliver him at 08:30 today. Massive rushing wind sound and fast forward to today, The RAC failed to deliver Frank as promised, in fact they did not know where he was, as they had appointed a subcontractor. The subcontractor then promised they could deliver by 12:30. The garage advised me that by that time they would not be able to strip him and confirm the parts and get a delivery so would be Monday when Frank can get back.

So Plan B, Z3 is in the garage partially stripped awaiting new wheel bearings and big brake kit, well i can't go to work today, so may as well completely strip the Z3 and rebuild back up ready to use for work Monday, as wheel bearing kit and the 46mm socket had now been delivered. I spent 3 hours stripping the car, reversed it half out the garage first to get some extra room and not work in the rain, and proceeded to strip. well i got to removing the rear bearing race, using the three leg puller, which the only way is to do is to put behind the rear dust cover and pull, which in doing so destroys the rear dust cover, yes i can hear you say, i see where this is going, and yes you are right, there is no rear dust cover in a z3 wheel bearing kit. So no worries jump on tinternet, get part number obtain from local BMW dealer. Well blow me down with a feather, its an order only part, because its Friday wont get it till Monday, several dealers later same story, Plan B is now totally shot, car is now half in /out of the garage, cannot shut the garage door doh!

Right lets check on Frank maybe they can do something with a bit of pressure, well no, the RAC still has not delivered Frank, two phone calls later, they have tracked him down and he is 7 miles away from destination, an hour later Frank arrives just as the Garage is closing, its going to be Tuesday now you can bet your bottom dollar!

So now I have a car half in/out the Garage, a Car that won't be available to Tuesday, what do you do? Well i thought, i will put the RAC under some pressure, and i asked for a courtesy car, certainly sir, let me take some details and i will tell you where to collect it from, pardon i say, collect it how will i do that, you have my car, how far away do i need to travel? 30 miles sir. Oh right, can you deliver it? yes sir £25, phone went down with a bang. What do you do?

If you remember panatela, then the smoke would have been rising to the tune, I chose Beer.

Everything is looking rosy at the moment, but i have formulated Plans E, F & G, and i will have two cars available to me by Tuesday latest (Fingers Crossed), having no car is like having your legs cut off. But i have some good work colleagues who are prepared to pick me up so all good on that front.

As a side the missus then did a beef dinner tonight, she opened a 12 pack of Aunt Bessies Yorkshire Puds, and pulled out a 13th arrgh!

 

[GazHyde]

That aunt Bessie has got a lot to answer for... At least there is beer in the house, can you imagine if you had to catch a bus to Tesco

Actually there's a thought. Public Transport. I think that's what people use who don't have cars. I'm not sure how it works, but google or Wikipedia may be able to explain how it works.

 

[zedonist]

Dont get me started on public transport, i refuse to use the Bus with my missus, as she always, always and i mean always attracts the nutter!

 

[hard top]

I would probably like her then...... Joking aside, sounds like a crap day.

 

[zedonist]

All happy now, thanks to Mr Carlsberg. It's just one of those things, but goes to show that when it goes wrong it goes wrong, you could not have scripted the last two days.

 

[FRANKIE]

There are some things you have spoken about of which I have no knowledge such as the "RAC". But most of my life I have had older cars and have tried to keep them on the road. And almost always worked on them myself. Reading your thread is like reading a chapter out of my own book. Recently, as I have said on this forum before, I'm in the process of selling my Honda since I bought the BMW. I put in a new A/C compressor at the end or last year. This summer I had no air. Turned out the pulley that is used as a tensioner went bad. So I put a new one in. Still no air. The wire going to the compressor is hot so I hot wire the electromagnetic clutch on the compressor and it works just fine. The only thing in between is a thermal protection switch on top of the compressor. Since the compressor is new, then why doesn't the switch work. I check it out with a tester and its bad. I no longer have the receipt for the compressor but I'm told that I can get the switch at a parts store for about 20 bucks. No dice. Go to the dealer who wants $85. I order it. They look it up and its 'no longer available'. I was able to track one down online.
In some of my pictures, you see the red pick-up in the background? I close the door and the dome/cargo bay light doesn't go out. Now what? Used to be, on older cars, on the door post there was a switch that grounded your light circuit when you opened the door and released the button on the switch. Now its in the door. I know. I'll just disconnect the ground strap on the battery so it doesn't go dead until I can fix the door switch. When I pull the hood release, something snaps. I open the hood and disconnect the ground on the battery but the hood no longer closed completely. Either the cable or the latch. I'll get it later.
The best thing is when your busting your tail fixing your car and you have one last screw to put in place to finish the job and it drops down somewhere. You can look for an hour and never find it. Completely off the face of the earth. And the screw is something like a specialty item that only the dealership has, and " it will take 3 to 6 days to come in from the west coast".
And lets not forget about those fun little experiences that reinforce the laws of Physics such as " the angle of inflection equals the angle reflection". Specifically, this means that when you drop something on the bend of your foot, that curve between your shin and your foot, it shoots forward about 4 feet dead center under your car, just far enough that you have to get a broom stick to reach it and fish it out. Does the same thing in your house, only it goes under the bed. Yes, I can understand what you're saying, as probably most of us do and our hearts go out to you for your troubles. Hope you're back on the road soon. Frankie

 

[zedonist]

Hi Frankie, brilliant piece of narrative, and the essence of your prose is really why i like to tinker, and to be honest had, i had a vehicle to ride around in today, the issues would have been funny and lived with as part of the joys of ownership of a hobby car (my Zed). Had the Van not been under warranty it would have been transported to my home and fixed by me today, it was not a hard job.

Unfortunately the issues caused today was all about people, and had they all done what they said they would do when they said they would do it, i would not have embarked or witnessed the comedy of errors today.

It is perhaps this funny quirk of "Man" that a lie or elaborate story is better than telling the truth, that is the most puzzling, what do they expect the end result will be when you have to call them 10 times, that i will be happy and grateful? The answer is of course no and always will be. Truth has to be the best policy, that way we can all make plans that work.

That said the 13th Yorkshire Pudding has made me think if the planets are aligning, and i am in for me mischief and mayhem!

 

[Brian H]

Sorry to hear of your troubles, I chickened out of replacing the rear wheel bearings and rear protection plate when I did my brake overhaul, be interested in you thoughts once you have finished the job.

You nailed it on the head you said "had they all done what they said they would do when they said they would do it." It seems there are a lot of hollow promises these days to attract your attention or get your business.

Hope you get both back on the road soon.

 

[zedonist]

Hi Brian,

The job itself is really easy on the wheel bearings, it's the fact you believe you have bought a kit but in reality you have not! So it's good just to check real oem first on all the components required and question if they are needed if not in the kit. It will literally be a 20 minute job when the parts arrive.

I will take pictures as it will be a more relaxed build, but the job is made easier by having a three leg puller, I am happy to lend these items on a pay postage basis. Oh yes and I now have the ubiquitus 46mm socket for the front bearing nut.

Yes the hollow promise thing really needles me.

Good news though, just returned from the van dealer with a courtesy van, and mine will be back on Tuesday, zed will back up and running Monday (promise from the dealer!)

 

[FRANKIE]

Well Frank Martin decided to throw a shoe last night, and the drive shaft went leaving me stranded at a set of very busy traffic lights, as usual the british public showed their true spirit and drove around me as i struggled to extricate myself from the precarious position by pushing Frank onto the pavement to assist the arse holes who did not help to get home quicker, you know who you are!!!

Well good news the RAC arrived when they said they would and put Frank on a low loader, the guys who sold me Frank promised to repair him today if he got there first thing, The RAC promised to deliver him at 08:30 today. Massive rushing wind sound and fast forward to today, The RAC failed to deliver Frank as promised, in fact they did not know where he was, as they had appointed a subcontractor. The subcontractor then promised they could deliver by 12:30. The garage advised me that by that time they would not be able to strip him and confirm the parts and get a delivery so would be Monday when Frank can get back.

So Plan B, Z3 is in the garage partially stripped awaiting new wheel bearings and big brake kit, well i can't go to work today, so may as well completely strip the Z3 and rebuild back up ready to use for work Monday, as wheel bearing kit and the 46mm socket had now been delivered. I spent 3 hours stripping the car, reversed it half out the garage first to get some extra room and not work in the rain, and proceeded to strip. well i got to removing the rear bearing race, using the three leg puller, which the only way is to do is to put behind the rear dust cover and pull, which in doing so destroys the rear dust cover, yes i can hear you say, i see where this is going, and yes you are right, there is no rear dust cover in a z3 wheel bearing kit. So no worries jump on tinternet, get part number obtain from local BMW dealer. Well blow me down with a feather, its an order only part, because its Friday wont get it till Monday, several dealers later same story, Plan B is now totally shot, car is now half in /out of the garage, cannot shut the garage door doh!

Right lets check on Frank maybe they can do something with a bit of pressure, well no, the RAC still has not delivered Frank, two phone calls later, they have tracked him down and he is 7 miles away from destination, an hour later Frank arrives just as the Garage is closing, its going to be Tuesday now you can bet your bottom dollar!

So now I have a car half in/out the Garage, a Car that won't be available to Tuesday, what do you do? Well i thought, i will put the RAC under some pressure, and i asked for a courtesy car, certainly sir, let me take some details and i will tell you where to collect it from, pardon i say, collect it how will i do that, you have my car, how far away do i need to travel? 30 miles sir. Oh right, can you deliver it? yes sir £25, phone went down with a bang. What do you do?

If you remember panatela, then the smoke would have been rising to the tune, I chose Beer.
111111
Everything is looking rosy at the moment, but i have formulated Plans E, F & G, and i will have two cars available to me by Tuesday latest (Fingers Crossed), having no car is like having your legs cut off. But i have some good work colleagues who are prepared to pick me up so all good on that front.

As a side the missus then did a beef dinner tonight, she opened a 12 pack of Aunt Bessies Yorkshire Puds, and pulled out a 13th arrgh!

I forgot to mention another cute story that's probably never happened to you. Just another little fun item while working on the car. Perhaps you've seen the thread I directed to Gary about the tires. If you look at the thread, you can see my tire machine which is in the back yard. The z is in the front driveway. I took the old tire off the car and carried it to the back yard to work on it. After the new tire was mounted on the rim, instead of carrying it to the front of the house, I rolled it along the ground. Now I have 3 dogs which I walk across the street near the woods. I really don't want them to do anything in my yard because I don't like stepping in anything. My neighbor, however, lets his dog run free. She comes into my yard, smells around for the scent of my dogs, and leaves gifts on the grass. As I'm rolling the tire from the back of the house to the front, I roll the tire over one of these loads, which I can't see because of the leaves. The tread of the tire does its job well by gripping the entire load and carries it around to the top of the tire just in time for my hand to push into it as I'm rolling the tire along. I look at my hand with total dumbness as if to say "where the hell did this come from?" What a mess!!!!!!!!!!! As you know, you just can't do the job you intended without a few little fun incidents to distract you. Frankie

 

[Mint]

Wow, all your bad luck came on the same day Rich. Sorry to hear of your troubles, but it sounds like by Wednesday both will be back on the road.
All the best...

 

[zedonist]

Cheers Dave, hopefully normality returns on Wednesday