THE TRIBULATIONS OF A LANDY DRIVER IN EENDEKUIL

I should have been north of Windhoek by now, but I’m stuck Eendekuil, a little dorpie in the Swartland, not far north of Cape Town.

Why?  Well the easy explanation is that my Disco Tdi overheated north of Citrusdal, blew a gasket and inflicted some collateral damage in the process.  As to why it overheated?  That is a tougher question to answer.  Probably because my regular mechanic didn’t do a proper job at the last service.  Either the a welsh plug wasn’t inserted properly, and it popped out while driving, or because 4 head bolts weren’t tensioned properly, which caused the gasket to blow and which in turn caused the welsh plug to pop out, which drained the motor of it’s coolant.  The latter scenario however leaves unanswered the question of why the engine overheated in the first place.

Whatever the answer, it’s resulted in a unscheduled stay in Eendekuil Hotel for the last 3 nights with another one to come (at least).

Thanks to the AA I located a tow-in service and a local mechanic to help with the task of replacing, pistons, bearings, gaskets and skimming the head.  Happening on a Saturday as it did, made the sourcing of replacement parts impossible.  So after catching a lift to Cape Town on Sunday and purchasing parts from LR Service Centre, my schatzi drove me back to Eendekuil, only to discover after a few hours that the pistons were the wrong size.

In order to make up for the mistake, Chris the local mechanic undertook to hop on his motorbike early on Tuesday morning to be at LR when they open at 8am.  I should have know that it wasn’t going to be quite so easy (although I hesitate to use that word).  First of all, he gets lost and arrives at only 10.30 then LR doesn’t have the oversize pistons that we need.  Then the only pistons we can find are double the cost.  An additional two grand later, I make an EFT and anticipate the mechanics return.

I hope and pray that this is the end of the mechanical issues for the next fortnight, but if the last two days are anything to go by, I may not be that fortunate.

Is it all worthwhile?  Should I still go?  Should I just go home and sell the landy?  That is the question(s).

Meanwhile, Arthur, Andrew and Ross have been in Windhoek since Sunday.  Arthur and Andrew have moved on this morning, but Ross has been forced to wait for me because of his own mechanical problems.  Just guess what he drives!?

I have tried to make the best of the stay here, with wife and youngest joining me yesterday, and we took a drive earlier today to Clanwilliam to buy some Rooibos tea and generally just potter around.  They have left for home now, and I’m left with myself and my thoughts and questions and the occasional ring of the Eendekuil church bell.

I can just hear every non-landrover driver shouting ‘I told you so’.  So with my bank balance dented, my pride injured, and well a general sense of feeling sorry for myself, I’m off to read my book, wait for the mechanic and possibly consume a moderate amount of alcohol, to numb the senses a little.

Until the next episode of the wannebeebushwackingadventurer.....