to think I am jinxed when it comes to cars?

[TheArmadillo]

cos every car I own develops a (different) intermittent fault that means it keeps breaking down.

No garage or mechanic (and I have taken each car to several) will be able to find the fault, even the breakdown people will be perplexed. I am sick of hearing 'well it shouldn't do that'.

The latest one keeps cutting out cos of the electronics. It has had every diagnostic test known to mankind. No one can find a fault. They have tried everything. We are now down to not using the key that does the imobiliser in an effort to see if it is that. But it started cutting out again tonight.

The breakdown men know me by sight. They comment when I change my car. (They are very nice by the way).

They have all hated heavy traffic so I have to leave before/after the rush hour to make sure I can actually get somewhere without breaking down (which is still quicker than the buses ).

The current car was checked over by 2 different mechanics (one of whom had serviced it for several years).

Dp keeps reminding me that at least as we progress through cars, then they are breaking down less. And yes I know I am lucky to have a car.

I have decided tonight that I must be jinxed.

what you need is an OLD car that doesn't have all this fancy electronics and crap.

i never had a problem with my old beetle.
well, ok, I never had a problem my dad couldn't fix

Lol this car is my newest at about 10 yrs old. And it's an Astra - not exactly high tech.

It does work more reliably than the last 2 (the oldest was about 20 years old - it spent more time broken down than working).

They all have completely reliable histories as well, never had any unexpected probs, v. good condition etc.

See I am jinxed.

my old astra used to cut out, just used to suddenly die whilst driving along. think it was a design fault. about 10 years old too.

mechanics couldn't find anything wrong either. i got so fed up i sold it on ebay for £120

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
don't say that.

Was it the orangey engine light thingy suddenly flashing followed by cutting out?

Hopefully will move in jan and will be closer to work so won't be relying on it as much.

the orange light didn't always come on and i could normally re-start it quickly. though wasn't good when it suddenly stopped when i'd exited a really busy roundabout

if you google astra cutting out, you get quite alot of hits. it really frustrated me as it was a nice little car

that sounds terrifying!

I had near crashes with one of my other cars that had weird behaviour. It is horrible.

I tend to avoid motorways and busy traffic if I can as suddenly cutting out worries me.

With my last car I got rid of it cos I ended up so anxious with the thought of driving it. The final straw was when something happened to the accelarator cable and the car got faster and faster and I coudln't stop it or slow down. I managed to pull over and switch the engine off in the end.

I didn't know that about astras. I thought they were reliable - hence getting one

Petrol Vectras do that cutting out thing too, (I think).

You need a diesel car, much more reliable IME

If you turn round and say they were diesel cars ... Well, then you are jinxed

they are petrol but did I mention the amount of probs my dad has had with his diesel

oh god this is a family thing isn't it

must be genetic

CAR ONE : head gasket blew up on a busy duel carriage way at an island after I'd had it two months
CAR TWO : gear box went
CAR THREE : dh wrote this one off
CAR FOUR : terrible electric problems. brake problems. needed a new windscreen the day I purchased it as chipped it and it had a horrible crack.
CAR FIVE : front passenger seat fell out
CAR SIX : am keeping my fingers crossed

Perhaps you are one of those people with a dodgy electrical field around you?

Do you have problems with electrical appliances in the home?

Maybe your anxiety affects them too. I don't think it's a coincidence that photocopiers always break down when you are copying something really important that should have been done an hour ago. I think the electrical pulse given out by the anxiety buggers up the machine. And I am not a tree hugger.

I can relate.I have yet to own a car i have not had to peel to get inside.

I have just sold my shitty car for a pittance - it was an automatic and it had 2 different faults in the 2 years since I bought it that made it stall - automatics should never ever stall.

To make it worse dh is a usually fab husband, but seems to think this is all down to crap driving - even though faults have been found. I even overheard a man he was talking to last week persuading him that it really couldn't be down to me because automatics don't stall.

I even had to pull off the dual carriage way near us with my hazards on as it was losing power - only to discover uber bloody alpha mummy from school gates had been driving behind me!

lucky - car 1 was auto that stalled, regularly. Until the gear box gave up suddenly. I too was told the 'autos can't stall'. That was a very old, nearing scrapyard car though.

Lemons.They were all lemons.

okay

do you find you often get pieces of machinery mixed up with fruit?

Is it something you want to talk about?

of course not, im not insane ffs.
anyway im turning off my satsuma cos i want to watch Bones on the watermelon.