Where have you broken down?
Discussion
Volvo V40 lunched its gearbox on a straight stretch of A167 just outside Northallerton. It took three hours for the RAC to come out and tow me home. It wasn't in an awkward place but I still got loads of abuse from passing motorists. 
Previous was a clutch pressure plate in a Daihatsu Fourtrak in heavy traffic in Beverley town centre. It wouldn't knock out of gear so I had to turn it off to stop. Only just stopped in time.
Previous was a clutch pressure plate in a Daihatsu Fourtrak in heavy traffic in Beverley town centre. It wouldn't knock out of gear so I had to turn it off to stop. Only just stopped in time.
Head gasket blew up outside Telford Bus Station, that was interesting..
Broke down on the M54.
Broke down on the A49 after hitting a badger, which went through the bumper and crippled my radiator.
Car failed to start in Aberystwyth, on a Sunday evening.
Had a blowout on the M5, which sent me into some crash barriers, leaving the car resting sideways in the outside lane. (Ok, that's an extreme "breakdown")
These were all in different cars.
Broke down on the M54.
Broke down on the A49 after hitting a badger, which went through the bumper and crippled my radiator.
Car failed to start in Aberystwyth, on a Sunday evening.
Had a blowout on the M5, which sent me into some crash barriers, leaving the car resting sideways in the outside lane. (Ok, that's an extreme "breakdown")
These were all in different cars.
Camshaft belt snapped on my Capri going into the queensway tunnels in Brum. the car coasted through the tunnels and came to a standstill on the up hill bit.
bit of a nightmare then.
The police came after 25 minutes of abuse from every held up driver that went past me. They closed the tunnels during the rush hour peak amd towed me out to wait for the RAC. They let me call the RAC from the back of their RR. Then went to get back into the car and realised the keys had fallen out of my pocket into the back of the police RR DOH!
anyway a few phone calls later and a tow truck ride, I got home at 1.30 AM 7 hours after the breakdown. even the cops were amused when they returned with the keys.
bit of a nightmare then.
The police came after 25 minutes of abuse from every held up driver that went past me. They closed the tunnels during the rush hour peak amd towed me out to wait for the RAC. They let me call the RAC from the back of their RR. Then went to get back into the car and realised the keys had fallen out of my pocket into the back of the police RR DOH!
anyway a few phone calls later and a tow truck ride, I got home at 1.30 AM 7 hours after the breakdown. even the cops were amused when they returned with the keys.
In the days before everyone had a mobile phone I was travelling south down the A19 one evening in a proper Mini Cooper with the weather getting worse and worse and I got a warning light about the electrics. I thought the alternator belt was slipping with the amount of water being thrown up under the car. The engine started to splutter and coasted to a halt near Peterlee just at the start of a slip road. I got out in what was by then blizzard conditions and was looking around wondering what to do for the best when a car pulled up behind me containing two women who were both getting on a bit. One told me to hop in and took me back to their house where I rang the AA, and whilst I was waiting for them to ring back I was plied with coffee and cake.
About an hour later the AA guy turned up in what now was a full blown snow storm of epic proportions and drove me back to my car and told me to sit inside his cab with the heater on whilst he diagnosed the problem as a broken alternator which he then spent about half an hour doing a roadside repair on, jump started the car and followed me down the road for a few miles to make sure things were holding.
That night really restored my faith in people and gave me a long standing respect for the AA guys.
About an hour later the AA guy turned up in what now was a full blown snow storm of epic proportions and drove me back to my car and told me to sit inside his cab with the heater on whilst he diagnosed the problem as a broken alternator which he then spent about half an hour doing a roadside repair on, jump started the car and followed me down the road for a few miles to make sure things were holding.
That night really restored my faith in people and gave me a long standing respect for the AA guys.
B'stard Child said:
Shocked at the number of PH'rs who class runing out of fuel as a breakdown..... OK sure it happens but it's not a breakdown it's stupidity - no offence intended to any of the previous PH'rs who have mentioned it
No, it's deserved in my case. I'd just bought the car, I knew the fuel gauge didn't work but instead of filling the tank I just put a tiny bit in which for some reason I assumed would last forever. A few, strangely enough with the same crap car (1981 Renault 5) when I was a student:
Car wouldn't start as the ferry was unloading at Le Harve, so had to be pushed off by the deckhands and bump started. Meanwhile ppl on the ferry were beeping and shouting etc.
About 4.00pm one Christmas eve on the way back to London on the A31 just outside Four Marks. Behind a lorry, and the road briefly goes dual carriageway. Overtook the lorry and heard a big bang from the front - brake calliper broke off and was dangling and banging off the wheel arch (at 60mph). Got towed all the way back to London by the RAC that night.
Finally the R5 died on the old Winchester to Southampton road (before the M3 link). Head gasket. Police got me out of that one thankfully.
One more, in 1998 coming back from France after having been skiing. Got off the Chunnel and the snow was coming down really heavily. Windscreen wipers packed up and I couldn't see s
t. Spent an hour or so freezing my nads off on the hard shoulder until the snow stopped.
Very recent one, Christmas eve 2011. Took the wife for some very last minute shopping in the Chim. Thing just wouldn't start after I filled her up with petrol on the forecourt. Wife was not amused. Eventually made it to the shops with about 15 mins to spare. Chim now sold
Car wouldn't start as the ferry was unloading at Le Harve, so had to be pushed off by the deckhands and bump started. Meanwhile ppl on the ferry were beeping and shouting etc.
About 4.00pm one Christmas eve on the way back to London on the A31 just outside Four Marks. Behind a lorry, and the road briefly goes dual carriageway. Overtook the lorry and heard a big bang from the front - brake calliper broke off and was dangling and banging off the wheel arch (at 60mph). Got towed all the way back to London by the RAC that night.
Finally the R5 died on the old Winchester to Southampton road (before the M3 link). Head gasket. Police got me out of that one thankfully.
One more, in 1998 coming back from France after having been skiing. Got off the Chunnel and the snow was coming down really heavily. Windscreen wipers packed up and I couldn't see s
t. Spent an hour or so freezing my nads off on the hard shoulder until the snow stopped. Very recent one, Christmas eve 2011. Took the wife for some very last minute shopping in the Chim. Thing just wouldn't start after I filled her up with petrol on the forecourt. Wife was not amused. Eventually made it to the shops with about 15 mins to spare. Chim now sold
This topic is right up my street - I seem to have broken down in enough silly places that I've named my blog in honour of the fact. Top three is probably:
Northern Kenya, in a Porsche 944: A fuel filter failure in a bandit-ridden tribal warzone near the Somalian border.
Namibia, in a Porsche 944: A suspension collapse in the middle of the Namib desert.
Uzbekistan, in a 998 Mini: Brake master cylinder failure near Samarkand.
Full list of my unfortunate breakdowns here: http://80breakdowns.com/previous-breakdowns/
Northern Kenya, in a Porsche 944: A fuel filter failure in a bandit-ridden tribal warzone near the Somalian border.
Namibia, in a Porsche 944: A suspension collapse in the middle of the Namib desert.
Uzbekistan, in a 998 Mini: Brake master cylinder failure near Samarkand.
Full list of my unfortunate breakdowns here: http://80breakdowns.com/previous-breakdowns/
Many different places!
Best one was taking my wife's old Corsa to a Vauxhall dealer to diagnose an intermittent cutting out problem (it would stop and not restart for a couple of hours). Driving down a hill on the A20, it cut out. I coasted down the rest of the hill, straight onto the roundabout (nice gap in traffic!), 270 degrees round the roundabout, and rolled onto the garage forecourt
Worst?
Best one was taking my wife's old Corsa to a Vauxhall dealer to diagnose an intermittent cutting out problem (it would stop and not restart for a couple of hours). Driving down a hill on the A20, it cut out. I coasted down the rest of the hill, straight onto the roundabout (nice gap in traffic!), 270 degrees round the roundabout, and rolled onto the garage forecourt
Worst?
NiceCupOfTea said:
Many different places!
Best one was taking my wife's old Corsa to a Vauxhall dealer to diagnose an intermittent cutting out problem (it would stop and not restart for a couple of hours). Driving down a hill on the A20, it cut out. I coasted down the rest of the hill, straight onto the roundabout (nice gap in traffic!), 270 degrees round the roundabout, and rolled onto the garage forecourt
Worst?
That the one on Perry street? If so I've done the same but through lack if fuel...luck had it the diesel Astra was booked in for a service and wouldn't start after £20 of fuel was put in. Walked up the hill, gave them the keys and asked them to collect it from the pumpBest one was taking my wife's old Corsa to a Vauxhall dealer to diagnose an intermittent cutting out problem (it would stop and not restart for a couple of hours). Driving down a hill on the A20, it cut out. I coasted down the rest of the hill, straight onto the roundabout (nice gap in traffic!), 270 degrees round the roundabout, and rolled onto the garage forecourt
Worst?
sparks_E39 said:
Sandbanks ferry in Poole. Flat battery in the E39. Lasted 10 years though.
Ours too, except waiting for the Brittany ferry in Santander...fortunately we were surrounded by very friendly & sympathetic Brits, one of who dragged us on & off the ship with his Mondeo, & then another, who turned out to be a former B10 owner, offered loads of advice & numbers of locals in Plymouth who could help once we got the other side. As it turned out, Britannia Rescue got us up & running the following morning, after a pleasant evening with friends in Plymouth, & so we got back bang on time, under our own power, rather than on the back of a truck...S1_RS said:
Broke down just before entering the Dartford tunnel in a Mk3 Cooper S. it then broke down on the other side and once more before I made it home.
Had one on the Dartford crossing (the big bridge out of Essex) in a Sierra Cosworth I had just picked up. 30 minutes into the journey, heading over the bridge I could see the temp guage rising fast - this is not something you want in a Sierra Cosworth = expensive problem.The crest of the bridge was about 500 yards in front and I managed to gently get it to the highest point of the bridge before turning the engine off and coasting down to the toll booths, where I chose to go up the emergency escape road much to the anger of the Toll people who then towed me out of the way with their land rover.
The RAC took me home, turned out to be a stuck thermostat, a simple fix and back to 343 bhp no head gasket needed thanks to switching off in time.
Ran out of fuel at the top of a Welsh Mountain.
Stood about waving a fuel can for 20 minutes or so until a woman pulled up across the road with her small son in the car. I approached her and suprisingly enough she offered to take me to the nearest garage which by my Satnav was about 10 miles away.
She took me there and back which I found astonishing and wouldn't take any money in return.
Angie, I know you won't be reading this but thank you.
Stood about waving a fuel can for 20 minutes or so until a woman pulled up across the road with her small son in the car. I approached her and suprisingly enough she offered to take me to the nearest garage which by my Satnav was about 10 miles away.
She took me there and back which I found astonishing and wouldn't take any money in return.
Angie, I know you won't be reading this but thank you.
About a mile from work in West London at 11pm in mid winter car cut out completely, wouldn't re-start. Recovery took ages to come, spent around 2 hours in a soon freezing car. If it had been anywhere than a main road in London, I would've left it for the next day and got public transport home. Recovery couldn't sort it by the road and took me home. Turned out to be a 50p fuel filter O-ring.
Conked out on 4-lane main road in Philadelphia at a major junction, friendly cop car pulled up after a few minutes and gave me a push into nearby bank car park. Voltage regulator brushes worn out.
Lost all electrics on a 'new' Merc diesel I'd just picked up the day before in the middle of a rain storm on the M6- no lights/wipers/hazards etc. Worn down voltage regulator brushes culprit again.
Conked out on 4-lane main road in Philadelphia at a major junction, friendly cop car pulled up after a few minutes and gave me a push into nearby bank car park. Voltage regulator brushes worn out.
Lost all electrics on a 'new' Merc diesel I'd just picked up the day before in the middle of a rain storm on the M6- no lights/wipers/hazards etc. Worn down voltage regulator brushes culprit again.
Mk 2 clio.
Blew it's head gasket on the M8 on day returning from work, drove it for 2 day's with 3 cylinder's thrumming away before i had a chance to get it looked at.
Same car, went over a bump in some road works and tripped the fuel cut off switch.
Ran out of fuel in it as well, it had a rather loud back box exhaust on it which you could hear for quite a distance, so when it gave a few cough's and died as i went round the roundabout and coasted in silence to the pump, everyone knew what had happened and the packed station smiled that knowing smile.
Kitcar has blew 2 fuel pumps while i have been using it. RAC fixed it once, but the 2nd time was a low loader effort home.
Freeby one, shat it's fuel pump on the A9 road, i had just bought it, so limped it back to dealer who gave me courtesy car while they got it fixed.
Same car dropped a propshaft bearing at work, limped it home using back roads as going above 25mph had it banging away.
Clutch issue's with freeby saw me drive 5 miles in 3rd. As no other gear could get selected. I did 3 roundabouts, a few traffic lights and a hill start in one gear.
The Discovery 3 has not broken down, it has been given a severe telling on the driveway that such typical LR behaviour is not on. So far it's been listening.
Blew it's head gasket on the M8 on day returning from work, drove it for 2 day's with 3 cylinder's thrumming away before i had a chance to get it looked at.
Same car, went over a bump in some road works and tripped the fuel cut off switch.
Ran out of fuel in it as well, it had a rather loud back box exhaust on it which you could hear for quite a distance, so when it gave a few cough's and died as i went round the roundabout and coasted in silence to the pump, everyone knew what had happened and the packed station smiled that knowing smile.
Kitcar has blew 2 fuel pumps while i have been using it. RAC fixed it once, but the 2nd time was a low loader effort home.
Freeby one, shat it's fuel pump on the A9 road, i had just bought it, so limped it back to dealer who gave me courtesy car while they got it fixed.
Same car dropped a propshaft bearing at work, limped it home using back roads as going above 25mph had it banging away.
Clutch issue's with freeby saw me drive 5 miles in 3rd. As no other gear could get selected. I did 3 roundabouts, a few traffic lights and a hill start in one gear.
The Discovery 3 has not broken down, it has been given a severe telling on the driveway that such typical LR behaviour is not on. So far it's been listening.
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