60 I HEAR YOU KNOCKING...

After much delay and messing about, today was the day the car got new rubber all around.  I took it to the tyre fitter, and the whole process was completed in 15 minutes - I swear they went full F1 team on my car - very impressive.  

Abbie is now planted on four Uniroyal RainSport 5s, which are quieter on a limited runout and provide a softer ride than the mix-and-match tyres it came with - brilliant.

While the tyres were being swapped, I told the garage owner I heard a faint knocking coming from somewhere at the back. Their website says they do basic checks on exhaust systems and suspension, so I thought I’d chance my arm and see if, while the car was jacked up, they would rattle the back wheels and exhaust to see if they could locate anything obvious. 

One of the mechanics came out for a chat and asked what the issue was. I explained about the knock, and he instantly said, “Exhaust that.”  He said he would go and have a look. Five minutes later, he returned and said, “There is good, bad, bad, and good news.”  I braced myself and asked him to explain.

“The good news is that your wheels won’t fall off, and the shock absorbers and springs are fine. They are a bit corroded, but they are fine.” Phew!  “Bad news is it is your exhaust; the outer skin is corroded and is clanging against itself; that is the knocking you can hear”.  Grrr…but not unexpected; the poor state of the exhaust was mentioned in the AA report.

“The other bad news is that a new exhaust is massively expensive”.  I know; I saw a second-hand part for a whopping £600!  “But the good news is that it still works, so if you can put up with the knocking, it is fine.”

Okay, it is a relief that there isn’t something structurally wrong with the car. Turning the stereo up fixes the issue, but a replacement exhaust has now been added to the shopping list. The good news is that I’ve found an aftermarket unit for £250, and the garage will fit it for £150. My sanity could be restored for £400. It's worth it.