Unlucky

Not quite as unlucky as Unlucky Alf, but not far off.

Things have been a bit quiet on the blog front for a little while for me, for a couple of reasons.

First, and least interesting reason: Work has been really busy, and frankly I can't go into detail on here about it, so it means many of my weekdays are rather limited in terms of stuff to share.

Second reason: I've been quite low for a few days, and haven't really felt much like writing. There are a few reasons for this too, inevitably.

Mr WithaY has been floored by a nasty bout of Man Flu, and has more or less been in bed since Sunday afternoon. He has very kindly decamped into the spare bedroom which is good in that it means I am less likely to catch it myself, or be kept awake by him coughing/sneezing/sweating profusely, but I hate it.

We have both been a bit strapped financially this year too, what with various car problems (eg Mr WithaY's latest £800 repair bill), and things are getting worse.

For example, I have been over in Trowbridge this morning, sitting in the plush waiting area of the huge Toyota garage. Not because I enjoy people-watching, or reading the Daily Mirror and OK! magazine, although I did enjoy doing both those things.

No.

I have been waiting for a Diagnosis on my car. And yes, it deserves a capital D. About 2 weeks ago I noticed that my car felt a bit odd when I was sitting at junctions, traffic lights and so on. Nothing major, just kind of extra vibration, not quite as smooth as it used to be. So, I booked it in for a service, as it was due one, and thought that would sort it out. I mentioned to the very helpful guys at the garage that I had picked up this odd extra wobblyness, though, just in case.

They went all grave and serious at me, and explained that there is a known fault with the flywheel on Toyota 4D4 engines, and if that was the problem it would be "bloody expensive" to fix. It did improve a bit after the service, but was still there.

Hence my trip to the Toyota garage for a full checkup.

The bad news: My flywheel is indeed fucked. I need a new one, and a new clutch. Job will cost about £1,600. Arse.

The good news: Toyota acknowledged that this is a problem and extended the warranty on these engines to 90,000 miles or 5 years, which ever came first. If your car falls into that category, they will pay for the repair.

The really bad news: The garage rang Toyota and explained the situation. Toyota's response is summed up neatly in the comment "No contribution!" on the record of the call. My car hit the 5 year mark on the 12th of March 2008. It is less than a month over the extended warranty date.

How unlucky is that, eh?

So. I am about to ring Toyota and ask them if they feel like being generous. I am not going to hold my breath.

I drove home a bit distractedly, wondering what I can sell to raise the money, and came to the conclusion that I have nothing anyone else would want. How depressing.