It was the Skoda!
In June, I will have been driving for 40 years! Goodness that is a LONG time. In that time I have driven lots of different types of vehicles and always enjoyed being on the road.
Those of you who have been readers here for a long time may remember that Spring brings along Fleet time. It is when hubby goes on his football tour and I get a week-end to myself. Traditionally, I have hired a car to visit with my son but the last couple of years this has not been possible as a new house and baby were taking up his time.
This year though, he has prepared ‘My’ room so I was really excited to go and collect the car we had hired for me as hubby takes ours. I never know what make of car I’m getting until I pick it up. This year it is a Skoda. Now I know these cars have had lots of bad press in the past but certainly the short journey from the garage to home impressed me with how comfortable the drive was.
So, I’m ready for the off. I just need to pack the car. I notice that the key is one of those you press to lock, unlock and lift the boot. I press to unlock but can’t open the doors apart from the driver’s side. I think ‘child locks’ so undo the back doors from the front seat. I finish in the house, lock the door and get settled ready to set off.
The key is in the lock. I turn it but it won’t budge! They have said that I needed to depress the clutch on starting the car but as it is something I have always done, that didn’t make any difference. I get out, go indoors and phone them. I mention the doors. They are not child locks. ‘You have to press the key twice Madam. It is part of our safety procedures. You also need to push the clutch hard on the floor’.
I thank the young man, set the alarm, lock the front door and approach the car. I press twice and check the rear doors. Yay – they open! Now to get the engine started.
I sit in with confidence, I press the clutch right down to the floor, turn the key and….nothing. It is still stuck fast. I nearly put my foot through the floor depressing the clutch!! Still nothing. I may have banged the steering wheel!
I get out…..You fill in the blanks as you know the routine!!
I speak to another man who tells me I have probably locked the steering wheel.Now, how on earth did I do that?!! I have to give it a wiggled to release it then the key will work. I thank him and can almost see the smile on his face as I put down the phone!
Well, you know I’m good at wiggling so it is not long before the car is purring. I am ready for my journey and it has only taken 30 minutes to drive away!!
All these silly gadgets are just more things that can go wrong but im sure it will be a nice drive 🙂
OMGosh. I’d be a nervous wreck by the end. My car is fourteen years old and all this new stuff is beyond me. 😉 Good for you for soldiering on.
Modern Skodas are made by VW, and are much superior beasts to the old ones….mind you, I have an affection for the old Skodas. I first became acquainted with them when I worked in a Skoda dealership as a mechanic back in ’69. We serviced Skodas dating back to the 50’s, and they were solid workhorses. Unsophisticated but sound.
In later years – late 70’s to early 80’s – I worked for Skoda GB, in the motorcycle division. The Skodas of that period were still solid, but a little more prone to manufacturing faults: the Czech motor industry was in the doldrums and workmanship was a little suspect.
We sales reps were given the job of putting a few thousand miles on the new cars that weren’t good enough for the showroom, so they could be sold as secondhand. So every 6 weeks I got a new, faulty car to run in and struggle with.
Still, even then they had character – and if I’d been in the market for a new, economy-level car, I’d have bought one.