Inside Out – Part 2

The surprises continued, not surprisingly in my current round of restoration ructions.

I drove past the mechanic’s at about 9:30, to find not surprisingly that my car was not there. I dropped into the trimmers and couldn’t see it there, but decided to drop in. My car was there, with the roof lining and carpet in the car, but the seats and belts nowhere to be seen. The trimmer told me that they had spent more time than they thought, but had called the mechanics to arrange for the car to be there at 11 am. The glass fitter would meet the car at the mechanic’s in the afternoon. I thanked them for calling the mechanic and left them to their own devices.

I spent the rest of the day looking forward to the results. At 4”15 I got a phone call from the glass fitter, to tell me that the car was almost ready and to collect in 30 minutes. He asked me if I knew where he was. I gave him the names of the mechanic. He told me that he was at his shop and that he had collected the car from the trimmer’s.

I called the mechanic, who told me that the car had not made it to him. I booked it in for the next week, re-stating my need to have the car’s heating issues sorted before the 28th, as we had a club run of about 200k. The only day that they could do it was Thursday, the last ay before the long weekend. This means that they have a day to find the problem, get the parts and fit them, with no time for me to test the car and return it to them before the run.

The good news was that the glass fitter did a great job (including some extras) and did it for a great price, including a discount from the quoted price. The rubber that was sent to him was the wrong one, so I’ve had the old one resurrected and will put a new one in once my bank balance heals.

The roof lining is excellent. I was a little hesitant about using the light grey, but the black and blue interior makes it look light blue in the car. The carpet fits far better than the old one, which had gaps around each sill. It’s a bit baggy over the transmission tunnel, but consoles hide a multitude of sins.

I haven’t heard from the trimmer yet about the bill or why it didn’t go to the mechanic. I drove past their business after I collected the car, but they have left for the weekend. Interesting times lay ahead.