Mr S's race to the Euros

       This week we see the kick off of Euro 2012 and I am rooting for our boys to bring home the gold. As an avid sports fan I am looking forward to watching the match and seeing the patriotic wave of pride continue after the Jubilee. I would also like to mention the French Open and the historic win of Rafael Nadal. A record seventh win at Roland Garros is certainly impressive and I am excited to see more tennis this summer at Wimbledon. Maybe even Andy Murray could claim his first grand slam. Whatever happens it is going to be an exciting summer and I can’t wait to sit back and enjoy it all.

    

Now back to the football as this week’s diagnostic mystery was very much centred on the beginning of the Euro 2012 championships. It was on Saturday that our Beeston depot received a call from an irate Mr S. “Kev I can’t believe it, why does this have to happen at the worse time imaginable? Seriously what is going on?” Mr S seemed angry and confused, which was the tone of many of our customers whose cars have experienced problems. Mr S continued to tell us that the problem lay in his Volkswagen LT35 Van, which he was now sat in, in his drive way. “Kev I have turned the key and it is turning but the engine is not starting. It’s just not firing. Please say you can help.”

It was Saturday afternoon and the workshop was bursting with cars, I was worried that we may not be able to fit in Mr S straight away. That was until he made his final plea. “Kev you know there is an Ireland and Croatia game tomorrow? Well I have some people staying over at my hotel and I need my van to the cash and carry so everything is set for tomorrow.” Mr S further explained that the hotel he ran had recently had some Irish visitors who were very much looking forward to watching the Sunday night game. Mr S was responsible for getting food and beer and so was in desperate need of his van, which was currently out of action. This was a real emergency and Mr S needed our help, we could not let him or his guests down.

We immediately set of in the ‘truck wid da fwashin lights’ to rescue Mr S and a short while later he was in the warmth of the waiting room, seemingly worry free. “Kev I have read your newsletter and your Good Garage Scheme page and so I am confident you can find the problem. You’re the best in the Midlands aren’t you?”

We assured Mr S that we were and that any faults that lay within his car would be found and fixed immediately. We then dispatched him off in one of our courtesy cars promising to keep him updated. 

As this was an emergency we would need to put our best man on it and so Diagnostic Dan got armed with his multimeters to get to work. He hooked the car up to our state of the art machines and they showed that the fault lay in the timing belt. But where? Dan got straight to work stripping back the timing belt covers and after a little time exploring, the infamous words rang out. “I’ve got it Kev.”

This may have been a new record for Diagnostic Dan and we waited to see what the diagnosis was. It so transpired that some of the teeth on the timing belt had been stripped off due to wear and tear. As a result the engine timing was thrown out of sequence and this had been the reason for the van failing to start.

Now this was just one possibility and if the car still didn’t start with a new timing belt then the diagnosis would be a much more serious one. You see faithful reader if there was engine damage this would result in a large bill for Mr S and the possibility of no van for at least a few days.  The new timing belt and kit was fitted and Dan reassembled the covers. Now came time for the test.

  Dan anxiously got behind the wheel as we all waited with baited breath. He turned the key in the ignition as sweat dripped down his forehead and… There was a few seconds of silence and just before exasperation was about to set in the car purred back to life. “We did it Kev.” Shouted Dan unable to contain his excitement. The KAM team had done it again and thankfully for Mr S the fault had been easily found and fixed. We do offer timing belt checks and so if you think yours is faulty make sure to bring it down to KAM so we can get your car back to its best.

Mr S arrived later and was overjoyed to have his car back in such a short amount of time but also at a fantastically low price. He said: “Wow Kev that’s great. I am really happy I came to KAM. You really can fix any faults. As for it being a minor fault well I guess it’s just the luck of the Irish.”  

You can leave your comments, questions and queries at www.twitter.com/dr_kev and our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kamservicing. 

   Remember faithful reader, our team of dedicated and hard working staff at the branches in Sutton, Long Eaton, Bulwell, Beeston and Belper along with our bodywork shop are open every day of the week, EXCLUDING Sunday’s, while the lads at our Sawley and Heanor workshops are at your service seven days a week, keeping your car where it belongs. ON THE ROAD.

So until next week faithful reader, drive safely and keep it shiny side up.

Dr.Kev.