Dr Kev. - Kam Servicing Network.

Hello Again!

It's Dr Raj with you again this week, taking you through the topical tales of technical triumph. Try saying that with your welding mask on!

I heard a great story recently, which I can assure you is 100% true. A friend of a friend of a friend is getting married in a few months time and had everything arranged, wedding, reception, honeymoon, the whole lot. Then he gets a phone call from the hotel where he is due to hold the reception.

"We've got a problem, will you move your reception?" Unsurprisingly, the young man concerned said 'No', especially as he had relatives flying in from around the planet and this was too short notice to change all the arrangements.

Half an hour later, the hotel is on the phone again. "If we pay for your reception and the costs you'll incur by moving venue, will you move?" Again, 'No'.

"Hmm. If we paid the penalty on all the flights that you'll have to rearrange and paid for the reception, will you move?" Another negative.

"What about if we threw in the cost of your wedding as well?"

"No."

"And the cost of your honeymoon?"

"No." Something odd was obviously going on, but the young man couldn't do all the rearranging at this short notice.

"OK. Are you buying a house?" (Regular reader, I promise that I'm not making this up)

"Yes."

"OK. What if we paid for your reception, your wedding, your honeymoon, all the penalties on your relative's flights and your house, will you move your reception?"

By this point, the young man had decided that enough was enough, so agreed. The next day, a cheque for the full amount (which I won't disclose) arrived in the post. Sign by a firm of solicitors. On behalf of a famous footballer who wanted the hotel for his son's birthday. I won't say exactly which football player, but suffice to say his son might be celebrating his next birthday somewhat closer to the Mediterranean, and has recently been playing with Daddy's present from the Queen... It's true, I promise you, hand on heart. Some people have all the luck!

Anyway, on with this week's tale! Mr Ochs (name changed to protect his innocence) brought his Honda CRX into the workshop, complaining that the ride was:

"Somewhat soft, Raj. Going around corners feels like I'm driving across treacle. It just isn't as firm as I remember it. OK, I know I've been driving the works Omega for a week, but my little baby just isn't right."
"No problem, Mr Ochs," I said. "Take one of the courtesy cars, and I'll personally get onto this right away for you."

Well, regular reader, I have to say that this was one of the easiest fixes I have ever been asked to undertake - but also one of the most potentially lethal. Mr Ochs' front shock absorbers had both given up the ghost completely. In fact, I didn't even need to get the car up on the ramps for the diagnosis - not only could I clearly see where they were leaking badly, but when I gently pushed down on the front wing, the whole car rocked up and down for a minute of so before coming back to rest! I suffer from sea-sickness, so I'm glad I found this out before taking it for a test drive!

Shock absorbers are one of the most vital parts of your car, second only to tyres and brakes in safety terms. Work shock absorbers not only make the ride far too soft, but can increase your braking distance dramatically. For instance, from just 30mph, your stopping distance is increased by something like 2-metres! That's enough to be lethal especially in built up areas...

After letting Mr Ochs know what the situation was, I replaced the shocks with brand new manufacturer specification items (at a fraction of the cost of Honda-manufactured parts!) and released the car back to him after taking the CRX on a lengthy test drive to check that everything was perfect. As a real enthusiast, Mr Ochs had kept the CRX in perfect condition, and, with the new shock absorbers on the front, it drove just like new.

We're seeing more and more spent shocks, where seven or eight-year-old cars are still running the original items. It is, quite frankly, shocking, especially as we offer a free shock absorber inspection to make sure that yours are in peak condition... Plus, as I've already mentioned, it can be lethal if you can't stop quickly enough.

I'll leave you with that thought for the week - if you're got any doubts, bring your car to Kam and we'll check it all out for you!
Until the next time,

Dr Raj