Breakdown nightmare

[crankedup]

Steve's mention prompted me to start this thread, what is the biggest / worst on road breakdown your car has ever had?

Mine would be when I had a Bedford 35cwt van, wife and two kiddies on board. We done a bit of shopping in Rayliegh and time to head home to Maldon, started up the engine and instead of the usual roar and clatter we heard a enormous mighty explosion from the engine. The bl00dy block split open A fella came out of one of the shops to see what was going on and he ended up buying the van from me there and then. Cut my losses I thought.

[iluvmercs]

I've had two bad ones.

The E320's immobiliser went all funny, and the car refused to start - while I was stuck a petrol pump (fortunately it was last on a Sunday evening). I needed to call a recovery truck, and my car was taken to my Merc specialist.

Another time was at half 3 in the morning, in November 2005. Driving through Norwich, taking a friend home and my differential blew up! I had no drive, and a que of cars behind me, so rolled back down the hill and sat outside Marks and Sparks until a recovery truck came. My friend had to phone and wake up his boyfriend to come pick him up - like I said, at 3:30am!

Darren

[simpo two]

Best one was when I was on the way to a meeting. I stopped by a postbox to post a letter, and found that on my return to the car, it had locked itself.... engine running, keys in the ignition, mobile phone on the passenger seat... Jaguar 3, Simpo 0.

[tankerman24]

A few years ago i had a VW passat, one morning in the winter it was about -4 the car was frozen so I decided to start the engine and leave it running for five mins and went back in the house. i came back out after five minutes pulled the house door shut behind me and walked to the car, the bloody doors had frozen shut . the engine was still running and my door keys were in the car. this was at five in the morning. I woke the people up next door to use thier phone, phoned Shirley and she sent someone home with her door key so i could get in the house for the spare car keys.

[tankerman24]

Another good one was years ago I used to drive chemical tankers all over the country. it was a friday night in the rush hour I was overtaking a car going over the widnes bridge (two lanes in each direction) near Liverpool. this road is one of the busiest in the area half way past the car an air line broke and my trailer brakes locked on and I skidded to a halt blocking both lanes. It was at the time when the IRA had recently bombed Warrington which was not far away, within five mins my truck was surrounded by police cars. I made the TV and radio news that night. I blocked the road for well over an hour it grid locked the area for quiet a few miles.