Got the bug back...

I finally decided to face facts a few weeks ago and confront my poor old abandoned Jag. She'd been parked up in a side street ever since her last visit to the college when two slow punctures were sorted out among some other bits & pieces (like completely replacing the front brakes!). 

I hadn't sat in her for around 4 months, let alone drive anywhere. The reasons? Well, lack of mojo brought about by rising repair costs, potentially crippling engine issues, and what I perceived to be a dearth of results from recent repairs. I just parked it - and ignored it. Now I understand why cars lie in barns for decades, under tarps in people's driveways, or buried beneath the detritus of family life in a dusty garage. It's really easy to forget you're responsible for that vehicle and what becomes of it. 

Unsurprisingly, 'H9 WAP' reacted to the abandonment by draining her battery. She was sleeping and there was no way she was moving. With the help of classmates from the college we managed to jump start her and begin the warming up process. A couple of problems became apparent  - there was a horrible noise coming from the power steering pump, and the battery was toast. The pump noise was quickly cured with a top up of fluid and we found that the brakes all worked (nothing seized thankfully), so with a bit of gentle manoeuvring the old girl eased from her place of rest. The big cat became Nyan Cat though, leaving a rainbow trail of leaking fluids in her path...

Nevertheless, I shifted her to a new parking spot closer to home so that I could keep a better eye on her. It also gave me the chance to remember why I love this car in the first place. The ride, the power, the presence  the looks... As soon as I sat in her again I was grinning. I had been silly to ignore its pull.

As with anything that isn't used regularly, 'H9 WAP' had developed a couple of problems. The power steering fluid top up didn't stay where it should and the brakes were crap - spongy and dead. They worked though, but by the time they did my foot was nearly out the floor! After a short run around town to blow off the cobwebs (literally), we parked up with a plan to come back later in the week to sort the PAS issue and get things back on the road. I wanted to get the rear brakes replaced using the spares I'd bought months ago, and I also wanted to get things moving on replacing the holy back box. 

So, in the next update, I'll explain how all that went, and where we are - a year after I started a Jaguar's Tale.