My dear family & friends
This is my story of the week: I took my car to be serviced at Honda on the outskirts of Coventry last Tuesday. I also asked them to check the wheel alignment because the steering wheel was sitting slightly off centre after I (gently) clipped the curb in the snow two weeks ago (as I mentioned in my previous letter.) My first shock came when I was told that I needed three new tyres because they were on the limit of legality. I only needed three tyres because I had already replaced one when I had a puncture couple of months ago. At first I was told that they would be £95 each which was then reduced to £75 because I expressed some dismay that the price could have shot up so much in a few months when all other prices are dropping. The second shock came at the end of the service when the workshop manager said they had been unable to align the wheels because I had bent something on the suspension when I clipped the curb. He quoted me £650 to fix the problem.
I was dismayed that such a gentle bump could have caused so much damage and disheartened at the price to fix it. Lucia was a bit annoyed that I hadn’t been more careful, but she also insisted that I take the car to another workshop for a second opinion. So on Wednesday morning I took my car to the AA Nationwide Autocentre in Warwick. I explained the problem to the workshop manager and he put the car up on the lift to check the suspension. After fiddling around for some time he told me that he couldn’t see anything wrong. He recommended that I take my car to Silverline, a wheel and tyre fitment centre around the corner. The CRV was again put up on a lift where the alignment was checked with laser beams. Silverline told me that the camber of the wheel which I clipped on the curb was at the limit of its tolerance, but that this wasn’t a problem. The price for aligning the wheels would be £65 which I gladly paid them.
I later called Honda to let them know how I felt, but the events merely reinforced a lesson I learned long ago in South Africa: never trust a dealer workshop and always get a second opinion on expensive quotes.
On Sunday last weekend we drove down to Oxford again for the annual Snowdrop display at Waterperry Gardens. As it turned out, there was a lot more snow to be seen than the actual flowers we were hoping for. (You can see a few more pictures in the usual spot at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/llewellynijones.) Still, we had a pleasant time strolling around the snowbound gardens, although the background traffic noise of the nearby M40 motorway was a bit of a distraction. And this time, to avoid disappointment, we went to Farmoor Stores on the other side of Oxford first to stock up on Lunch Bars, Bar Ones, some rusks and a packet of biltong. We hadn’t realised how much we’d missed biltong until we got stuck into the packet. Now we’re thinking about buying our own biltong making box. After a light lunch and a pot of the best Earl Grey tea I’ve had for a long time at Waterperry we drove into central Oxford again for a stroll. Our walk took us past Worcester College, Trinity Colleage, the Sheldonian Theatre, under the Bridge of Sighs, past New College, All Souls, Queens College and down the High Street to Magdalen College. From there we cut across the fields of Christ Church College and through the streets and alleys to Oxford Castle. Along the way we passed the Modern Art Oxford gallery and stepped in to view the exhibits. I was again reminded that the words “modern” and “art” when used together most often leave me murmuring the words “bull” and “shit” under my breath. At Oxford Castle, however, I was again inspired by the truly breathtaking photographs in the “Earth from the Air” exhibition. The cappuccino at Carluccio’s is also near perfection.
Much of last week for me was lost to cold/flu and a throat infection. Apart from sorting out the car, I stayed at home in fairly close proximity to my bed. On Saturday we had Andreas, Michelle and goddaughter Natasha around for lunch. Natasha spent much of the afternoon colouring in the camping chair with the colouring pens provided that we gave her for her birthday. On Sunday we went for a "short" walk across the fields from Leek Wooton to Kenilworth Castle. My superior map reading skills had us walking for nearly six miles instead of the three miles we had intended.
Love, light & peace
Llewellyn
This is my story of the week: I took my car to be serviced at Honda on the outskirts of Coventry last Tuesday. I also asked them to check the wheel alignment because the steering wheel was sitting slightly off centre after I (gently) clipped the curb in the snow two weeks ago (as I mentioned in my previous letter.) My first shock came when I was told that I needed three new tyres because they were on the limit of legality. I only needed three tyres because I had already replaced one when I had a puncture couple of months ago. At first I was told that they would be £95 each which was then reduced to £75 because I expressed some dismay that the price could have shot up so much in a few months when all other prices are dropping. The second shock came at the end of the service when the workshop manager said they had been unable to align the wheels because I had bent something on the suspension when I clipped the curb. He quoted me £650 to fix the problem.
I was dismayed that such a gentle bump could have caused so much damage and disheartened at the price to fix it. Lucia was a bit annoyed that I hadn’t been more careful, but she also insisted that I take the car to another workshop for a second opinion. So on Wednesday morning I took my car to the AA Nationwide Autocentre in Warwick. I explained the problem to the workshop manager and he put the car up on the lift to check the suspension. After fiddling around for some time he told me that he couldn’t see anything wrong. He recommended that I take my car to Silverline, a wheel and tyre fitment centre around the corner. The CRV was again put up on a lift where the alignment was checked with laser beams. Silverline told me that the camber of the wheel which I clipped on the curb was at the limit of its tolerance, but that this wasn’t a problem. The price for aligning the wheels would be £65 which I gladly paid them.
I later called Honda to let them know how I felt, but the events merely reinforced a lesson I learned long ago in South Africa: never trust a dealer workshop and always get a second opinion on expensive quotes.
On Sunday last weekend we drove down to Oxford again for the annual Snowdrop display at Waterperry Gardens. As it turned out, there was a lot more snow to be seen than the actual flowers we were hoping for. (You can see a few more pictures in the usual spot at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/llewellynijones.) Still, we had a pleasant time strolling around the snowbound gardens, although the background traffic noise of the nearby M40 motorway was a bit of a distraction. And this time, to avoid disappointment, we went to Farmoor Stores on the other side of Oxford first to stock up on Lunch Bars, Bar Ones, some rusks and a packet of biltong. We hadn’t realised how much we’d missed biltong until we got stuck into the packet. Now we’re thinking about buying our own biltong making box. After a light lunch and a pot of the best Earl Grey tea I’ve had for a long time at Waterperry we drove into central Oxford again for a stroll. Our walk took us past Worcester College, Trinity Colleage, the Sheldonian Theatre, under the Bridge of Sighs, past New College, All Souls, Queens College and down the High Street to Magdalen College. From there we cut across the fields of Christ Church College and through the streets and alleys to Oxford Castle. Along the way we passed the Modern Art Oxford gallery and stepped in to view the exhibits. I was again reminded that the words “modern” and “art” when used together most often leave me murmuring the words “bull” and “shit” under my breath. At Oxford Castle, however, I was again inspired by the truly breathtaking photographs in the “Earth from the Air” exhibition. The cappuccino at Carluccio’s is also near perfection.
Much of last week for me was lost to cold/flu and a throat infection. Apart from sorting out the car, I stayed at home in fairly close proximity to my bed. On Saturday we had Andreas, Michelle and goddaughter Natasha around for lunch. Natasha spent much of the afternoon colouring in the camping chair with the colouring pens provided that we gave her for her birthday. On Sunday we went for a "short" walk across the fields from Leek Wooton to Kenilworth Castle. My superior map reading skills had us walking for nearly six miles instead of the three miles we had intended.
Love, light & peace
Llewellyn
