54,100 Another service, bulb and two front tyres

Fifty four thousand, one hundred miles was as close to the ten thousand service interval as I wanted to get, particularly since the condition of drum and disc brakes needed establishing. Received wisdom and past experience suggests pad replacements every nineteen thousand miles, more in urban contexts or the discs will be tantamount to scrap. Interestingly, braking was given the all clear but the two front tyres were down to the legal limit and frankly, my trade seems to attract sufficient police introspection without giving them additional/just cause for reprimand. That aside it was simply routine plugs, filters oil and a replacement bulb. Total bill £255 including VAT.

Autumn has become progressively drier, albeit cooler but hasn't presented opportune moment for further chassis waxoyling. However, I took the precautionary measure of shooting some WD40 into locking mechanisms, touched up a few stone chips before treating the coachwork to a thorough hard paste polishing seeing as the Ka finish needs a little help and pigeons have been taking rather accurate, acidic aim at the panels. The driver's side mat is looking increasingly threadbare too so I'll replace that come the next available opportunity.

Work's been slow these past few weeks-allows me to concentrate on some other pressing matters. Cash flow has certainly taken a dive but in these straitened times, creative types have to get creative... Is this a crisis or the opportunity for greater collectivism? I'm not referring to the cynical rhetoric espoused by the political elite but a greater sense in which people form workers cooperatives and other, similarly empowering collaborations. The potential has never been greater but the question remains whether people will actively embrace this or will online activity remain deeply routed in rudimentary one dimensional pornography and consumerism...

Ending on a happier note, Florence has been seen driven locally- We'd had some adventures and very happy times together-maybe our paths will cross again.

Oh no, It’s raining again.

39,000 miles presented a very wet driver’s side footwell. My heart sank, reasoning in between bouts of denial that such must be the dreaded Ka curse lamented by owners and denied by Ford main dealerships across the land. Water was probably entering through a faulty seal around the bulkhead and therefore not strictly an electro-mechanical fault likely to be covered under warrantee.

Had it been a wet passenger footwell, I could’ve blamed a blocked pollen filter, possibly a faulty door seal or something less daunting. However, given diagnosis pushes repair bills skyward, I set about dismissing the most obvious. Simple tests ruled out a faulty windscreen seal, heating matrix and at least water wasn’t entering through the dash and ruinously contaminating the electrics. A business like but friendly email to the dealer withholding my true fears induced a very positive telephone conversation-he was happy for the coach works to investigate-even through as I suspected, seals in the strictest sense weren’t covered. Rescheduling some business appointments, I left Kushi complete with my business card on Monday morning, the sales manager reassured me he’d call just as soon as he knew, adding they’d need a couple of days to be really thorough. With that I handed over the keys, rescued my camera equipment and arranged for someone to collect me. Close of business on the Tuesday confirmed defective sealing around the bulkhead-which the coach works had resolved- free of charge as a gesture of goodwill. Cynically one might suggest this was the dealer knowing their statutory obligations but wanting to be seen as doing the consumer a favour. Maybe so but then knee jerk cynicism is the lazy option chosen by those seeking simplicity in a world full of complexity and contradiction. Educated in the school of the streets when it comes to cars and having met everyone from dealers posing as private sellers and dubious breakers’ yards through to genuine old school craft trained coach builders, I retain a healthy sense of cynicism, gut instinct and won’t enter into business with those I do not trust-for whatever reason. My thanks go to Fred Heale at D&G cars for his customer focus and for genuinely fair business practice. Other than a fiddly driver’s side bulb replacement and a quick drop of oil, we celebrated 40,000 and the first taste of March sunshine with a thorough Waxoyling of the chassis. Pump action pressure spray long since expired I left the drum marinating in a bucket of boiling before pouring the molten fluid into a separate container and applying with a brush. Petrochemicals are never pleasant to work with and two hours later I emerged light headed but reassured corrosion wouldn’t be an issue.

Taking the belt and braces approach to corrosion prevention, I will give a further, light application come September before the weather has chance to turn bandit. I consciously use the clear Waxoyl as this makes considerably less mess and sends a clear message to MOT testers and anyone else inspecting the underside that you are a caring owner seeking to preserve their vehicle rather than disguising an underlying problem. A large five litre drum is the most cost effective purchase- I’ve treated two Ka and several lightweight bicycle frames internally with a third of drum remaining. The resourceful (and dare I say tight) will be pleased to know a comparable mixture can be brewed at home using very simple ingredients commonly available from most hardware stores.

Home brewed corrosion inhibitor…Here’s what you’ll need:

2.3 litres of Turpentine
12oz Bees/Candle wax
1 Litre machine oil
(Old) cheese grater
(Old) Wooden Spoon
Clearly Marked Container (Pump spray pesticide types from garden centres are ideal).

Boil, Boil, Toil & Trouble

First pour the turpentine into the container, grater the wax into the turpentine and blend laboriously until completely dissolved using the wooden spoon. Now add the machine oil-this will thin it to a spray able consistency. Apply to chassis, inside door cavities etc as required ensuring plenty of ventilation. This is an extremely flammable mixture. Do not smoke (or permit others to do so) anywhere near it and always store securely away from pets, children and sources of ignition/naked flame.


If you have any doubts, however small, purchase a commercially available variant.