What's The Worst Place That You've Ever Broken Down In Your Car/Vehicle? Share Your Breakdown Tales

[Draggletail]

8 hours ago, Al Bundy said:

Rush hour, Clapham Common on the massive roundabout in my old Triumph Dolomite. It caused chaos, it even made it onto the travel news on local radio.

 

I sold it not long after!

Triumph Dolomite, that's going back a while! Was your subsequent car more reliable?

[Draggletail]

7 hours ago, carosio said:

I was halfway down the Huddersfield slip-road which joined the M62 West in my Cortina 2litre GXL Mk3, when I saw smoke billowing out from the bonnet. What made things worse was that I was towing a 24ft 4-wheel trailer with a huge diesel sea boat on it (you could do that in those days). I pulled into the hard shoulder, whipped the bonnet open and saw a glowing red-hot cable connected to the battery, I grabbed it with bare hands and ripped it away.

 

The day before I had changed the headlight bulbs and it seems I hadnt located the holder correctly in the headlight, it had fallen out and the live pin had somhow connected to earth and short-circuited through the supply wire, but had not blown the fuse. I was carrying some spare cable so made a running repair, and carried on to my destination in South-West Scotland.

 

 

Well sorted out! I'm very practical but not when it comes to car mechanics.

[Draggletail]

5 hours ago, redruby said:

Coming back via the scenic route from Manchester airport, the car broke down near a rather posh area much favoured by professional footballers.  It was Saturday early evening and the breakdown guy obviously cba and as it turned out incorrectly (or purposely) misdiagnosed the problem. For some bizarre reason he took us a mile or from our car to a poncy pub restaurant type place so we could wine and dine whilst  we waited for a recovery vehicle to take us home.  Well the restaurant was shut and we heard nothing more about the recovery vehicle after some time waiting so called the breakdown company.  They didn’t seem to know what was going on but said they’d sent someone.  So we then had to walk the mile or so back down the narrow road with no footpath to car.  The recovery vehicle turned up, this was a different guy, he correctly identified the issue and got us home.  Note made to self never to use the breakdown service using a flag of a certain colour ever again.  

What a weird experience! Glad you got home safe in the end!

[echo beach]

Yes. I could write a book about that holiday.

I’ve no doubt the first two repairs were temporary bodge jobs. They knew we were on holiday from the UK and wouldn’t be back complaining.

To do the repair properly the engine head needed re grinding which happened when we eventually got back to Sheffield. The NSU was then part exchanged for a New Bedford Beagle van. Remember them?

 

echo.

 

[Draggletail]

6 minutes ago, echo beach said:

Yes. I could write a book about that holiday.

I’ve no doubt the first two repairs were temporary bodge jobs. They knew we were on holiday from the UK and wouldn’t be back complaining.

To do the repair properly the engine head needed re grinding which happened when we eventually got back to Sheffield. The NSU was then part exchanged for a New Bedford Beagle van. Remember them?

 

echo.

 

My vehicle that had its head gasket blown definitely had the engine head reground, a mate took it to a workshop close to Division Street to be reground and then he refitted it. He knew what he was doing, a trained engineer but it still blew again! Coincidentally he was the owner of an old NSU! I had to google Bedford Beagle Van because it wasn't familiar with the name but when I saw the pictures I do remember them, just!

[Draggletail]

31 minutes ago, echo beach said:

Yes. I could write a book about that holiday.

I’ve no doubt the first two repairs were temporary bodge jobs. They knew we were on holiday from the UK and wouldn’t be back complaining.

To do the repair properly the engine head needed re grinding which happened when we eventually got back to Sheffield. The NSU was then part exchanged for a New Bedford Beagle van. Remember them?

 

echo.

 

Just to add, it's the Bedford Beagle camper with the raised roof that I remember. The Bedford Beagle images of cars that came up in the google search don't ring a bell at all!

[Delbow]

2 hours ago, echo beach said:

Yes. I could write a book about that holiday.

I’ve no doubt the first two repairs were temporary bodge jobs. They knew we were on holiday from the UK and wouldn’t be back complaining.

To do the repair properly the engine head needed re grinding which happened when we eventually got back to Sheffield. The NSU was then part exchanged for a New Bedford Beagle van. Remember them?

 

echo.

 

 

Did they smoke a lot?

[echo beach]

2 hours ago, Delbow said:

 

Did they smoke a lot?

Mine didn’t because it was brand new but I get your connection Delbow with the dogs being used in medical smoking tests.😃

 

echo.

[echo beach]

4 hours ago, Draggletail said:

Just to add, it's the Bedford Beagle camper with the raised roof that I remember. The Bedford Beagle images of cars that came up in the google search don't ring a bell at all!

The Bedford Beagle van was the commercial version of the first Vauxhall Viva HA saloon which arrived  in 1963 and was superseded in 1967 by the HB model Viva.

 

echo.

[Al Bundy]

14 hours ago, Draggletail said:

Triumph Dolomite, that's going back a while! Was your subsequent car more reliable?

Not really, a Renault 19 I think it was!!!

 

It was around 1999.