Car Rant @ Christmas!

[zedx19]

Do cars become more unreliable at Christmas or am I just unlucky? I've now accepted that every Xmas, whatever car I have will break in a spectacular fashion.

Last Christmas I had a C4 VTR+ 1.6HDI, which decided to cut out and refuse to start on a busy roundabout, joy.

Christmas before I had a Ford Focus 1.8 TDCI which went into limp home mode at 9pm Xmas Eve, joy.

Christmas before I had a different Focus Focus 1.8 TDCI which cut out and refused to start Boxing Day, joy.

This Christmas? My Passat 1.9TDI cut out last night and refused to start.

All these are company cars and we have our own on site garage, the mechanics even now accept that I will break one of there cars this Xmas and was not surprised to hear from my last night. I now have a Mondeo 2.0 TDCI replacement, lets see when this will break.

Anyone else have as much luck during Xmas?

[Captain Muppet]

Weirdly my Lotus has been fine for years but this Christmas the slight misfire I've been ignoring for six months has finally got to the point of ordering some new HT leads and driving a 20 year old Mazda instead.

[SturdyHSV]

Clio has been pretty much fine for 7 years. For this Christmas however, the passenger seat now won't slide back (broken by Roni's car wash in MK, as well as obliterating the battery, thanks very much), the windscreen washer pump is a bit intermittent (apparently due to rubber tube inside it expanding with age blocking up both outputs), and the horn now activates itself randomly (apparently due to shoddy french wiring in the steering column that needs to be soldered back on).

I know. It's french. Thankfully I never drive it anyway, so it's her problem.

[trickywoo]

zedx19 said:

HDI, TDCI, TDCI, TDI

That's your problem right there - you need to ditch the oil burners.

[Krikkit]

I'm going to try and find a gap in the weather to preventatively change the alternator on my car - a breakdown on either xmas eve or boxing day would have me in deep, deep brown with the Girl's mother.

[Rovinghawk]

Krikkit said:

a breakdown on either xmas eve or boxing day would have me in deep, deep brown with the Girl's mother.

Just pretend to run out of fuel- much easier.

RH

[mike80]

I managed to kill a tyre hitting a kerb the other. Was quite lucky that the wheel was fine!

I'm sure I had a puncture/needed a new tyre at Christmas a couple of years ago too...

[zedx19]

Well, last nights disaster turned into a bit of a blessing for me! Spoke with our company car director this morning, explained the situation with my Passat and the fact my mrs is due to give birth anyday, so I need a reliable car. Hey presto, keys to a 60 plate Mondeo are given to me which seems a much nicer car then the Passat. 2 litre TDCI with 6 speed rather then 1.9 TDI with 5, better spec and equally as big for lugging baby stuff about. Also less emissions so hopefully less company car and fuel card tax, result.

[Deva Link]

trickywoo said:

zedx19 said:

HDI, TDCI, TDCI, TDI

That's your problem right there - you need to ditch the oil burners.

I realise that was probably a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I've had a lot of company cars and (touch wood, as they're all diesel now) the only ones that broke down were petrol's.

[Dangerous Dan]

zedx19 said:

Do cars become more unreliable at Christmas or am I just unlucky? I've now accepted that every Xmas, whatever car I have will break in a spectacular fashion.

Last Christmas I had a C4 VTR+ 1.6HDI, which decided to cut out and refuse to start on a busy roundabout, joy.

Christmas before I had a Ford Focus 1.8 TDCI which went into limp home mode at 9pm Xmas Eve, joy.

Christmas before I had a different Focus Focus 1.8 TDCI which cut out and refused to start Boxing Day, joy.

This Christmas? My Passat 1.9TDI cut out last night and refused to start.

All these are company cars and we have our own on site garage, the mechanics even now accept that I will break one of there cars this Xmas and was not surprised to hear from my last night. I now have a Mondeo 2.0 TDCI replacement, lets see when this will break.

Anyone else have as much luck during Xmas?

You are the anti(diesel)Christ. Stop driving Diesel vehicles.

Clearly the management of your work needs to install you in a petrol car, preferably a V8 (supercharged is a bonus, XFR?)