So I mentioned in my last post, My Daily Driver, that I have another car. Well, now that the first 14 months of the winter are nearly over, it will be coming out of hibernation in the next few weeks. During its hibernation period, I have been checking on it every so often in the garage and on the odd occasion, have been unable to resist a quick rub down with polish.
The weather was kind, so after washing the two cars on the drive, I decided I wanted to wake the car from its slumber and pull it out of the garage into the warm sunlight.
The engine howled into life and after a minute or two of high idle speed, settled into a silky straight six purr. I sat there for a bit – conscious that the car had not been started for about six months – as I gave the oil a chance to warm through and circulate the engine.
I selected first gear and lifted the clutch to the bite, but it did not budge. Bother. The brakes had seized. I added a little throttle, but still nothing. The rear of the car was hunkering down into the garage floor as the rear brakes would not release their grip. I squeezed the throttle a little more and eventually the brakes gave up and the car rolled forward.
The car won’t be taxed, tested and serviced for another few weeks but will need a little work when it does go into the garage. Just before I put the car to rest last autumn, an amber exhaust light showed on the dashboard. I think this is likely to be a lambda sensor as this is a component which commonly fails.
Next up will be rear tyres. I replaced the front set last year with Hankook Ventus Prime 2s. After covering approximately 2,500 miles on these last summer, I am really happy with their performance and response so will be getting a set for the rear.
I only use the car on the finest of days and try to combine these with a day trip at every opportunity. My girlfriend and I cannot wait to be out again with the roof down on hot days. We made so many happy memories last year and have a few more ideas to make this summer a blast as well.
One of our favourite places, the Lake District in Cumbria, was absolutely battered with severe winter storms and I am told some of my favourite roads are still closed due to the damage that was caused. We might have to wait a bit before we pay a visit, but the excitement of returning and trips elsewhere will keep us going for now.
Stay tuned for the first drive of the year.
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