Monday 21 July 2008

Turning five

This week my car has its fifth birthday. Recently it has been taking up a lot of my time and too much of my money. Last month it had to be taxed and this month it has be insured and to have an intermediate service and MOT before the five year warranty runs out.

The MOT and intermediate service were last week. It is very difficult taking the car into the garage and leaving it there all on its own. The fact that it was its third MOT didn't make things any easier. When my car is in the garage I feel as if I am missing something. It's like a child's first day at school. Earlier in the week, in preparation the service and MOT I gave the car, a Mini Cooper, a good clean inside and out. I spent hours vacuuming and rubbing away at it and I could have spent even longer because it still was not as clean as I would have liked. Living up a muddy lane is no real fun for a silver mini - it nearly always looks dirty. I was not going to let my baby down and take it into the swish BMW dealer, with its artificial plants and shiny chrome decoration, looking all dirty. It has scrubbed up really well and looks like a different car. If looks alone would get a car through its MOT mine would have sailed through. It passed the MOT but BMW managed to find a leak which needed sorting plus some other minor problems. I am afraid that I am not very technically minded when it comes to looking under the bonnet of a car so I can not tell you what the problem was.

As far as the insurance is concerned I have still to sort it out. Mini insurance, who it has been insured with, sent their renewal quote about a month ago and have phoned twice to try to get me to pay there and then, which has annoyed me. Consequently I have been online scouring the insurance companies to see if I could get a lower quotation, which I have, but I can not, now, log into the website of my new chosen insurer. So tomorrow morning I shall try again. I have saved over one hundred pounds but it has taken me I don't know how many hours to do so.

7 comments:

Working Mum said...

If I was taking my car to a BMW dealership I'd expect them to clean it for what they charge! Get haggling! Even my little man at the local garage cleans my Polo for me when it's serviced and he does things like replace my lightbulbs for free.

btw I'm so jealous you've got a Mini Cooper

Dottie said...

There is a lovely man called Harry from the local Vauxhall healer/dealer who comes to collect my car for its annual doings, leaves me a replacement, and brings my car back again. I'm just wild about Harry!

Lindsay said...

I have to rely on the AA if anything goes wrong. Had puncture in Waitrose car park once. With Wonky Knees there is no way I could start wresting with a jack (even if I did know what to do with it). At last service Daihatsu garage changed my windscreen wipers for free (I had not noticed anything wrong with them!)

Maggie May said...

When we got rid of one of our faithful little cars, I felt I had put down a pet! Was nearly crying.
Had a problem with an insurance broker recently, that we had got on the net & was really much cheaper. Then they sent a recorded letter explaining that husband had NOT filled in the form correctly & that insurance would be null & void from the next day! What if we'd been on holiday with the car?????
Turned out it was not our fault at all but gave us a scare. And guess where we will be going to next year? Yes, the dearer one. Not worth the hassle!

Liz Hinds said...

Poor little car! Still it's done now.

I have a friend who goes to great lengths to save money by shopping around; I'm too idle on the whole, but Husband does seek out the cheapest insurance.

Lindsay said...

Thanks for commenting on sunset pics - sorry you are having another grey day - quite hot here!

cheshire wife said...

WM - I only paid £100 for five years servicing under the warranty so they are not making much out of me.

MM - Thank you for your advice. Before you left your comment I had already paid the new insurer's premium. Will now have to see how things go over the next year.