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

[Thug Life]

We broke down on parkway once. It was very scary because we were in the middle lane and cars were going past fast but the police turned up and pushed us to the side. 

[Tipstaff]

It was in  the autumn of 1979 around 10pm on the Snake Pass during heavy rain.   I was driving an old Morris 1300 (1100 shape) and the windscreen wipers had packed in.  I just kept at a steady 30MPH (ish), put my hand through the quarter-light and moved the wiper blades by hand.  I look back now and think how dangerous it could have been, no mobile phone, no hazard warning lights and no breakdown cover. 

[Padders]

9 hours ago, Tipstaff said:

It was in  the autumn of 1979 around 10pm on the Snake Pass during heavy rain.   I was driving an old Morris 1300 (1100 shape) and the windscreen wipers had packed in.  I just kept at a steady 30MPH (ish), put my hand through the quarter-light and moved the wiper blades by hand.  I look back now and think how dangerous it could have been, no mobile phone, no hazard warning lights and no breakdown cover. 

Been there and done that Mr. Tip.

[Al Bundy]

Just to add, many a time I drive through Europe, and especially in Germany and Austria on the motorways there is literally no where you could pull in if you break down.

 

I sometimes get really nervous as if your car or especially a van or truck suddenly broke down you have no where to go and not only would it create absolute chaos it could really endanger your life.

[echo beach]

2 hours ago, Al Bundy said:

Just to add, many a time I drive through Europe, and especially in Germany and Austria on the motorways there is literally no where you could pull in if you break down.

 

I sometimes get really nervous as if your car or especially a van or truck suddenly broke down you have no where to go and not only would it create absolute chaos it could really endanger your life.

In the mid ‘50s when I first experienced the German autobahns they were horrible to drive on due to there construction from concrete sections. Every few metres you would hear the thud thud as your wheels drove over the joints. A bit like the noise that the old railway tracks used to make but not as metallic. I also don’t think that in general they had a top speed limit although nowadays in some more congested areas it’s 81 mph.

They were laid down, no doubt, to allow fast troop movements in WWII.

[echo beach]

2 hours ago, Padders said:

Been there and done that Mr. Tip.

So have I Padders although in my case I tied some string to the wipers of my Moggie Minor and passed it through the quarter lights asking my date to pull one way and then the other way so I could see. Needless to I didn’t end up with that one!😉

 

echo.

[Gormenghast]

My Dad had a motorbike and bullet sidecar many years ago.

I was about 5 or 6 years old I think, in the single seater sidecar sitting on my Mum's knee.

We were on our way home from somewhere when a car behind kept flashing his lights and pressing his horn, which Dad took to be an indication he wanted to pass, so of course he just started to go faster.

As we approached a left turn he slowed down to turn left,

 At that moment a wheel went past us.

Next thing I remember was we'd stopped and we were sitting in the sidecar at an angle of about 45 degrees.

The wheel that had passed us was from the sidecar of course, and the man behind was trying to let my Dad know that it was loose.

I've got a vague memory of Dad recovering the wheel and putting it back on to get us back home.

 

 

[echo beach]

1 hour ago, Gormenghast said:

My Dad had a motorbike and bullet sidecar many years ago.

I was about 5 or 6 years old I think, in the single seater sidecar sitting on my Mum's knee.

We were on our way home from somewhere when a car behind kept flashing his lights and pressing his horn, which Dad took to be an indication he wanted to pass, so of course he just started to go faster.

As we approached a left turn he slowed down to turn left,

 At that moment a wheel went past us.

Next thing I remember was we'd stopped and we were sitting in the sidecar at an angle of about 45 degrees.

The wheel that had passed us was from the sidecar of course, and the man behind was trying to let my Dad know that it was loose.

I've got a vague memory of Dad recovering the wheel and putting it back on to get us back home.

 

 

The first thing that came to mind when reading your post Gormenghast was that Dick Van Dyke 1961 song ‘Three Wheels on my Wagon’ and I’m still rolling along.😃

Not sure if you remember it but it was a children’s favourite around that time.

Although in your Dad’s case it would be 2 wheels on my bike & sidecar.

 

echo.

[carosio]

It was around midnight, I had left my friend's house (top of Stocksbridge nr Bolsterstone) in my "jelly mould" Morris Oxford. Going though Deepcar on the main road, the car suddenly lurched over with a loud scraping noise with sparks flying past the drivers window- the front wheel had collapsed under the car. I left it where it was and walked back up the hill to my friends. Next day I got the local garage to suspend-tow (about £6) it back to near my friend's house, the roads up there were covered with snow and ice. We then went down to Cooper's breaker's yard and sourced (for a couple of quid) a radius arm which I fitted at the side of the road.

 

I discovered the hard way that this was a common occurance with Oxfords and Morris Minors; if the bottom ball joint thread wasn't greased regularly, it would sieze, twist and break!

[echo beach]

2 hours ago, carosio said:

It was around midnight, I had left my friend's house (top of Stocksbridge nr Bolsterstone) in my "jelly mould" Morris Oxford. Going though Deepcar on the main road, the car suddenly lurched over with a loud scraping noise with sparks flying past the drivers window- the front wheel had collapsed under the car. I left it where it was and walked back up the hill to my friends. Next day I got the local garage to suspend-tow (about £6) it back to near my friend's house, the roads up there were covered with snow and ice. We then went down to Cooper's breaker's yard and sourced (for a couple of quid) a radius arm which I fitted at the side of the road.

 

I discovered the hard way that this was a common occurance with Oxfords and Morris Minors; if the bottom ball joint thread wasn't greased regularly, it would sieze, twist and break!

My eldest son is an expert on Moggie Minors. He has 3 of them all going back to the ‘50s.

He bought the first one after passing his test and ran it all through his years at university.

Classic car, cheap to run and more importantly to insure and simple to repair. They are all the deluxe version, that is, they have a heater. They’ve even got aircon. You simply open and reverse the quarter lights.😃

I borrowed one when I was working at school and it was like Marmite, the pupils either loved it or hated it but they were all fascinated by it. Then another member of staff turned up in a Traveller!

Currently whilst his car is being repaired he’s using one of his Moggies to run around in.

Aye they don’t make ‘em like they used to! Perhaps thank goodness.

 

echo.