It’s like power-assisted chess

The TDi Golf I drive has been giving starting hassles. The auto-electrician gave it a clean bill of health, and the agents changed a fuel filter and said it was fine. Still, it doesn’t always start in the mornings. After charging the battery for half an hour everything’s fine, so I suspect an intermittent charging system.

Meanwhile, last week Friday, Tanya phoned to say her car (Opel Astra Classic) won’t start. Jumped it off the Golf and it started easily. Made a note that I need to take the car for a new battery next week Monday (being, today).

So this morning Tanya says I’d better check that all the cars start. Opel, dead. Golf, dead.

So the trusty Rand-Lover gets started up. Hmmm, cables won’t reach. Reverse out the front gate, turn around, reverse in, wire up Opel, get that started.

OK, now the Golf is on the front lawn. And it’s too heavy for Tanya & me to push. Land-Rover out the front gate, around and in the other gate, bit of back-and-forth, get the Golf started.

I proceed to bugger off to work with the Opel, except around the first circle I realise that my work keys are still in the Golf. So I turn around, and the Opel dies. It has an electrical power steering pump, see, and the sharp turn with the engine cold and idling slowly was just too much for the system.

So I call Tanya to bring the Golf, jump start the Opel…