To ask for your car breakdown stories

[constantlyseekinghappiness]

Currently in the bath trying to heat myself up having spent 2 hours sitting in my freezing car (whilst blocking an entire lane of traffic) waiting for vehicle recovery. Then had to walk to nearest train station and get a train home.

This comes only 2 weeks since another car incident where I had to drive it precariously to nearest garage and pay £££ for a new part.

I’m grumpy.

Please cheer me up.

Sorry, I've just realised that's the least cheery breakdown story ever. I did have a bottle of Oyster Bay in the boot of my car that day, though, that I'd forgotten about til they told me to empty my car out, so I went home and got entirely smashed on that!

God this is a timely thread.

Broke down last week in the middle of a very busy city bridge. Car went from running fine to completely dead. Wouldn't restart. It's a Zafira so no way of pushing it on my own. Traffic racing up behind me and slamming to a stop.

I phoned 999 and two very lovely policeman came and rescued me. Phoned Green Flag who took over an hour to come out. Car started but came up with a sensor fault. Told to drive it to the garage 30+ miles away. Got within ten miles of the garage and it died on me again.

Phoned Green Flag again who refused to come back out because I'd taken too long to get to where I was which left me stranded on the side of the road. My sister and brother in law came and between us we managed to get it through to the garage.

Turned out to be a £60 sensor that had gone bad.

Driving down to guildford and the car was making a horrific noise

Returning home from guildford and the noise was now unbearable, was thinking about pulling over but was on a section of the a3 without hard shoulder when my engine literally exploded, orange flames come gushing out from under the bonnet and bits of metal go whizzing off in all directions.

Lights and electrics failed almost instantly and I somehow managed to roll just to the start of the hard shoulder and get on it

Front of the car appeared to be on fire so I got all my stuff out the boot (loads of expensive climbing equipment) and piled it up about 10 foot up the bank and sat and waited for the car to fully go up.

It didn't, it smelt like it was burning but there was no more smoke coming out

I rang the recovery and asked for a tow "I don't know very much about cars but I'm convinced this one's a goner, please don't send a bike"

2 hours later a bloke on a bike appears, declares it a goner and orders a low loader

2 hours after that a low loader arrives and takes me home

As I was 2 miles outside my allowed radius from home they charged me about 150 quid for the tow

Jesus christ Idontbelieveinthemoon, the twat could have killed you. What happened to them?

Driving down to Wiltshire from the Midlands to spend the weekend at my DN's as she had just moved house and my DH and DF were going to help with putting up shelves &curtain rails and anything else that need doing and DM and I were going to help unpack, clean and generally help out. 9.00pm on a winter's night car completely conked out halfway up the hill to the Air Balloon. Lovely AA men got us and car back home. Car taken to usual garage to repair. Three days after repair (clutch master cylinder). Clutch went again on a busy dual carriage way. Managed to pull over on a retail park and rang garage to complain and was told there was nothing wrong with it and I should get my husband to look at it! I exploded at them, I usually keep my temper quite well but not that time. I was then told to call the AA and get it brought over and they would have a look at it. After I had finished telling them what I thought, they came and collected me and the car offered to get DD and baby DGS home (my df was on his way to collect them), drove me home and delivered a courtesy car the next day.
Dh continued to use the same garage for a couple of years for some reason and if I ever had to deal with them I felt a strange combination of embarrassment (for losing my temper at them) and truculence (because I think they are charlatans).

Was driving to work on my own in the first year of driving. I noticed the steam / smoke from the engine. Stalled at the lights and it didnt restart.
Burst into tears and called my dad while turning the key and 'bouncing' it off to the side.
First question Dad asks is if I crashed it...
Eventually get out through the tears where I am and he comes to rescue.
Called work in tears as well, and they sent my manager out to help.
I'd blown the head gasket, and it had overheated as there was no oil and water due to it. Once cooled down, it was escorted to work. Stayed overnight, filled with oil and water, and escorted half way home. It then spent another night out, at a truck stop...filled up again with oil and water and got the rest of the way home.

My very recently serviced car broke down going downhill and around a corner, was too heavy for 2 of us to push up hill so we had to wait for someone to stop and help.

We eventually got it pushed up and along the road, plenty of distance from the corner, hazards on, both in huge high Viz jackets and stood in the rain for over an hour for breakdown to rescue us, and then an old man drove straight into the back of it!

Wrote both cars off, I got breathalysed as the police had to be called to help direct traffic (Apparently standard procedure as it's a RTC), around the crash, a witness, and the bloody breakdown truck that arrived just minutes after.

Still very bitter about it, car was my pride and joy. Old man tried everything to blame me, and I still have to explain to insurance companies that of course it was none fault as I was not in the car

Last time I'll buy an automatic until I'm forced to by electric cars becoming standard. I hate the 'intelligence' of cars now. A little sensor goes haywire and you're stuck in a bloody dangerous position. At least in an old banger you can pop it in neutral to roll away. These modern crappy things won't even release the handbrake if the computer says no because it's having a hissy fit then costs a fortune to fix because a normal mechanic that can fix stuff needs a computer programmer to sort out the glitch instead of elbow grease and technical knowhow.

So agree with this. I'm hanging onto my 2001 B5 series Audi until it disintegrates around me. DP still regrets getting rid of its 1996 predecessor, "just" because it needed a new driveshaft.

Had a flat tire on very very busy A Road... Pulled off to hard should DH started changing the wheel young woman in brand new car pulls over and jumps out screaming from her car..... Whole thing goes up within minutes... She said to us that she was trying to light a cigarette and dropped the car lighter under her seat ( we suggested she kept that to herself) we wrapped her in a blanket deposited her next to the kids in the back of car called fire engine/police and her dad. DC's were very excited to have met firemen. When wheel was changed police let us drive off after woman's dad arrived by motorbike ( they had stopped traffic due to smoke)debris behind us ;)

Have called the AA twice first time came within 8 minutes, second time 20minutes which is fantastic for me as have children with ASD and they go quickly from panicking to fullblown meltdown.

Always make sure there is a blanket and water/snacks in the car now.

So agree with this. I'm hanging onto my 2001 B5 series Audi until it disintegrates around me.

Me too. Same age, but VW.

Driving back from my dads with DS in the back (12 months at the time). It was around 7pm so i thought i’ll put DS in his jamas so he can go straight to bed when we get back with less faff.

Early october but very cold, the car just lost all the momentum on the m1. Luckily i was in the lane closest to the hard shoulder so pulled over quickly and safely. Then had to get DS out, found a few blankets in the car and wrapped him up in his dressing gown and my big coat too. I was freezing! Luckily because of our situation (no food, milk, only 1 nappy left and no where to change him) they came very quickly

Now i carry a bag in the boot with a big coat and snacks

On holiday a few years ago. Hire car got a puncture about an hour away from the airport on the first day. Phone out of battery. I'm half an hour walk to the nearest houses and don't speak any Italian. Have never changed a tyre and the instructions are, of course, in Italian.

Mine is a rather nice tale...

Back when I was about 18 I'd just passed my test and drove a custard yellow metro. One evening, middle of winter, rain battering it broke down. Outside the local fire station.

Within minutes half a dozen rather nice Firemen had pushed my car out of the way into their yard, ushered me into the station and made me tea. There I stayed until the AA arrived too bloody quickly

I have made repeated attempts to break down there again but alas, I could never be that fortunate twice.

Ours didn't actually breakdown, but was making very distressed sounds on holiday in south France. Luckily she hitched a ride to Calais, ( we came home on the motorail). She limped in to a uk garage where sadly it was terminal ( us and her that is). She was traded in. At least she had a lovely last holiday. RIP Sally Seat.

Mines are all about newbish driver stories but oh so embarrassing! So first one I took my ex to buy a car. Sat in said car whilst waiting for him to take it for a test drive. Hadn’t long passed my test so I thought I was doing myself a favour by turning off my engine but leaving my phone plugged into the radio and everything’s else running. The guy selling the car had to jump start me and the ex gave me a lecture

Second one was recent actually at a total noob move. I was running late for college and left my lights on and was in college for 3 hours in the evening. Tried to unlock the car in the college car park no lights.. thought oh it must be the key cause the battery is running low.. so unlocked it with the key...nope! It wasn’t the key! Got in and realise the twist for lights was still on and the wee light was flashing. Tried to turn it.. dead. So dead. Sat I need the college car park for 3 hours to come rescue me. The stupid car wouldn’t even bump start it was that dead and what was worse.. the security guards didn’t have jump leads but they went on to lock the college gates on me so I was locked in from most sides and my student card wasn’t working to lift the barriers up Panicking cause I needed the car... we desperately rolled it down and figured if it came to it I’d off road the car to escape (considering there’s signs to not park or drive on the grass hahaha!) we rolled it down to the barrier to jump start it off the car and realised the barrier was triggered by you driving up to it yep! Learned a hard (and very cold!) lesson! Oh.. and to add insult to injury... jump starting the car has killed the heater in the car... I am ever so cold right now!

A few years ago I was driving my mom home from church. It was winter time so it was pretty cold outside. Suddenly my car just broke down on the motorway so I immediately pulled up on the hard shoulder and called for help. Several hours later I was home again exhausted. I was pregnant with the twins at the time so my mom made the call for assistance.

A couple of days before parents evening we broke down on the way to my mums. We spent two hours sat under a motorway bridge in the pissing rain, waiting for the RAC man.
Parents evening came and DS teacher showed me his news book.
On Saturday, we went to Egypt
Along with a lovely picture of DS riding a camel past the pyramids.
Got to credit the kid... 😂

broke down in the Rhino enclosure at west Midlands Safari Park - in a big grey car with 3 kids in the back

I managed to climb into the boot and grab the packed lunch which we ate while waiting - with one eye on the rhino's at all times!

About to drive 200 miles to stay in a nice hotel the day before my sister's wedding. We were going to travel up after work and planned to arrive in time for a nice dinner. It was meant to be a big treat. Except my DH arrived to pick me up in his nice big comfortable car which promptly started spewing water everywhere. waited nearly 3 hours for the AA. It seems the radiator hose had given way and wasn't fixable - got the car towed back home and had to transfer everything into my small not so comfortable car. The journey took longer than we had planned (due to the fact my car was not exactly built for speed) and we eventually arrived just before midnight, when the restaurant was closed, having stopped at a garage for a couple of packets of crisps. At least we got there, the wedding was lovely and the journey back uneventful (and slow). We then had to get his car repaired, so it ended up being a rather expensive weekend.

My car conked out in Oxford. Called breakdown people to get me home to Leicester. Half way along the motorway the creep decided 'he had feelings for me'. Got home and the bugger wanted to come into my house. Should have reported him

I have made repeated attempts to break down there again but alas, I could never be that fortunate twice.

Car made an awful noise, turned out to be half a brick wedged under it but I couldn't get it out and if I moved it would cause more damage
So I put hazards on, got out the car, and I was blocking part of the lane on a retail park, so not a busy road or anything
It was after work so I was in full ambulance uniform, with hazards on with an obvious broken car
Stupid bitch was the nicest thing I got called. Ended up getting back in the car with the windows up and music playing on my phone to drown out the abuse. Nobody stopped to offer help  I was really upset that day

My parent’s car caught fire on the way to my wedding ......

So me and now DH were living at the time in Essex , and were having our do at a venue on the Essex /Suffolk border. We go up there separately , me leaving to get there first with my bridesmaids and best friend , as I needed more titivating time , with DH following on with the three DS’s and his best man a bit later . Mum , Dad and brother are travelling straight to venue from Surrey . Wedding starts at 2pm ish .

At 1130 , I get hysterical phone call from Mum . “ We’re on the side of the A12 , and I don’t want you to panic , but the car’s on fire “ “ Wtf are you calling me for , call 999 !” At 1230 I then get a ranty call from DH about how he’s going to be cutting it fine because he’s stuck in traffic due to some wanker’s car catching fire on the A12 ...

At 1pm , a fire engine pulls up outside the venue , deposits Mum, Dad, and brother outside together with their wedding outfits , waves cheerfully and drives off . It transpires that in preparation for the big day , dDad decided to get the car valeted the day before . Somehow , whatever the valeters had sprayed on the dashboard to clean it , had gone into inner workings , and ignited , with smoke pouring from the front of the car . The car was knackered , so bless their hearts , the fire and rescue got them to the do in time .

DH and entourage arrive ten minutes later , swearing about the tosser on the A12 . “Ah , that would be me “ says my Dad , and introduces himself as the same at the beginning of his speech ...

Came back from shopping many years ago to find a fire engine and fire fighters liberally spraying foam over and around my car. The petrol tank had cracked open and emptied itself on the road :(