Well, with the tedious predictability of a stopped clock being right twice a day, the car went wrong again the week before we go on holiday in it. This happens every time and normally the dealer can fit it in and sort it before we go. Not this time...
The issue this time, is that the sound generator that operates at low speed to warn careless pedestrians of its approach has stopped working. So you'd think you could simply proceed with caution in pedestrian heavy locations. But no. Instead you get a flashing yellow light on the dashboard all the time and at speeds below 20mph a constant bloody foghorn going off inside the car, in case I didn't realise there was a problem.
Rang my usual dealer at Cheshire Oaks. They can't fit it in until Friday. We leave Thursday morning. Rang Shrewsbury, Walsall and even the useless feckers in Stafford who can't look at it until January.
Not happy, so out of sheer desperation, I rang the dealer nearest to where we are going on holiday, in Aix-en-Provence. No problem, said the service manager, we'll pick the car up from you Saturday lunchtime and hopefully have it back to you by close of play on Monday and leave you a car whilst we have it. Oh and would you like me to talk you through the procedure for disabling the warnings?
I could have kissed him if he wasn't 950 miles away.