Ah, those French
Rather against the odds, our Citroën has been pretty trouble-free over the last six years - mechanically and electrically, that is. Cosmetically it looks particularly peasanty - or just maybe like the fifth car of some landed but penniless gentry who either can't or won't spend much on either buying or repairing their cars, and needs something to tool around the village in.
L'anyhoodle, it's started displaying a troublesome streak; some kind of midlife crisis perhaps. (What do six car-years correspond to, 54 or something?) The original stereo, which has recently been returned to it, refuses to work until we give it a code, but the code written in the manual isn't the one it wants. I tend to keep it switched on anyway because I like the pretty green lights on the steering-wheel, but it's not going to be much fun doing any long journeys. In addition, I suspect the heater of having simplified it's choice of settings to 'hot' and 'off'. Finally and most disturbingly, it's taken to signalling left of its own accord, and persevering in signalling left when I had previously told it to but would now rather like it to stop. Inducing it to desist requires a very delicate touch, especially if one doesn't want to go along signalling left, then right, then left, then right... I'm slightly concerned that, in traffic, I might have to give in and do what the car's proclaiming the intention to do (viz. turn left), and then who knows where I'll end up? At least the chances are I won't go far before ending up in a cul-de-sac. At one point earlier I did give in and pull over on the left, since I thought it the least confusing thing to do.
So, all this needs some fairly simple attention, I hear you say. But I doubt that I'll be able to fix it, and I'm not sure I can take it to the garage because it's not my car, and Mum can't because they're only open during office hours when she's - surprise surprise - at the office. Might have to look out the Haynes manual and see what it says about column stalks.
(I tried this evening to avoid using the stalk whenever possible. So no signalling at roundabouts when there's nobody to see, no flashing of foglight gimps, and worst of all, no main beam. But I did allow myself to hoot at the guy who elected (without signalling, natch) to overtake me when I was doing a perfectly reasonable speed on an A-road, and there were several other vehicles heading our way, led by a not-inconsiderably sized lorry. I know overtaking is an entirely reasonable thing to want to do at times (I even overtook a tractor once. Only once.) but I rather suspect that if the overtakee feels the need to brake sharply as you do so, the moment may not have been opportune. It was interesting to note that when one doesn't signal, thus removing the 'S' of MSM, the manoeuvre itself seems less ritualistic somehow; junctions become simply sharp bends and there's more of an ease to the enterprise. Which I suppose is how some people drive all the time. Research project, anyone?)
So, in summary, I'd quite like a Japanese car, please.
L'anyhoodle, it's started displaying a troublesome streak; some kind of midlife crisis perhaps. (What do six car-years correspond to, 54 or something?) The original stereo, which has recently been returned to it, refuses to work until we give it a code, but the code written in the manual isn't the one it wants. I tend to keep it switched on anyway because I like the pretty green lights on the steering-wheel, but it's not going to be much fun doing any long journeys. In addition, I suspect the heater of having simplified it's choice of settings to 'hot' and 'off'. Finally and most disturbingly, it's taken to signalling left of its own accord, and persevering in signalling left when I had previously told it to but would now rather like it to stop. Inducing it to desist requires a very delicate touch, especially if one doesn't want to go along signalling left, then right, then left, then right... I'm slightly concerned that, in traffic, I might have to give in and do what the car's proclaiming the intention to do (viz. turn left), and then who knows where I'll end up? At least the chances are I won't go far before ending up in a cul-de-sac. At one point earlier I did give in and pull over on the left, since I thought it the least confusing thing to do.
So, all this needs some fairly simple attention, I hear you say. But I doubt that I'll be able to fix it, and I'm not sure I can take it to the garage because it's not my car, and Mum can't because they're only open during office hours when she's - surprise surprise - at the office. Might have to look out the Haynes manual and see what it says about column stalks.
(I tried this evening to avoid using the stalk whenever possible. So no signalling at roundabouts when there's nobody to see, no flashing of foglight gimps, and worst of all, no main beam. But I did allow myself to hoot at the guy who elected (without signalling, natch) to overtake me when I was doing a perfectly reasonable speed on an A-road, and there were several other vehicles heading our way, led by a not-inconsiderably sized lorry. I know overtaking is an entirely reasonable thing to want to do at times (I even overtook a tractor once. Only once.) but I rather suspect that if the overtakee feels the need to brake sharply as you do so, the moment may not have been opportune. It was interesting to note that when one doesn't signal, thus removing the 'S' of MSM, the manoeuvre itself seems less ritualistic somehow; junctions become simply sharp bends and there's more of an ease to the enterprise. Which I suppose is how some people drive all the time. Research project, anyone?)
So, in summary, I'd quite like a Japanese car, please.
posted by Z31 at 10:15 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home