Live Out Nannies and Car Troubles

[nannynick]

As my car has been causing issues this week, I was wondering how other nannies and their employers cope with situations where the nannies own car plays up.

The short version:
Day 1
My car took a few seconds longer than usual to start... like 2.5 seconds, rather than 0.5. I therefore booked it into the garage with the plan of walking the children to soft-play whilst the garage checked the car.
Garage found what they feel is the fault, a small leak in a fuel pipe and ordered the part. Due to it being a fuel issue I am not able to drive the car. The garage had run out of their loan cars. So the garage got their driver to drive me and the children back to the children's home. My boss then kindly drove me home at the end of the day.

Day 2
I got a taxi to work. The part was supposed to arrive at the garage - it didn't turn up. I managed to get a hire car, but the hire company could not drive the car to my work. So the children and I got a taxi to the hire company and then drove back home.
I think the oldest child has quite liked going in all these various cars, it's an adventure. The youngest seems a little confused - though is still always in his usual car seat.

If I had been working for the Civil Service (a job I have done in the past) quite frankly would have taken a day or two off work 'sick' to sort this kind of thing out. But as a nanny I don't do that, as that creates problems for my boss.

Ideally it would be great if the children didn't have to be taken with me when I go to/from the garage, to/from hire companies... but when you nanny 8-6 and the garage and hire company are open 8-6... it's a bit tricky.

What would you do in this sort of situation?
What would you want your nanny to do in this situation?

My boss has been great about things so far, though if the saga goes on much longer I'm sure it will begin to annoy her.

Luckily I could use the work car [hopefully]

Have done previously for two days.

You are lucky your boss has a car you can use - I expect many families would not have a spare car laying around.

i could also (and have) used my boss's car (though this doesnt help you nick)

also borrowed my dads car (retired) when both mb and db needed both their cars for work

I have left my charges with a friend (with mb knowledge&permission)- she trusts my judgement - to collect car from garage (tho again this prob doesnt help you Nick, as seem to remember you saying you dont have a huge network of local friends/nannies near you)

i assume you now have the hire car, so hopefully saga is over till you need to pick up your car from garage

how much have you spent in taxis?

£40 so far in taxi's - £30 to get to work (07030 is still night rate), and £10 to get to the hire company. £100 for the hire car, though needed that so I could have my weekend away at my usual favourite place!
I hope that on Monday the garage will call me saying my car is fixed. Then Tuesday morning it's drop hire car back at crack of dawn and get taxi to work and get garage to deliver my car (or send a driver over to pick me and the children up).
It's all a bit of a mess but at least my boss has not had to take any time off work.

if garage is only open times you work, i would be inclined to ask for day off to sort it out- might offer a hol day for the inconvenience, or just ask to come in late and hope employer would give hmmm...compassionate leave.

its good you are considering your boss's needs. really it might be annoying for her but it is not your fault. stuff like this happens to everyone and others just have to sacrifice sometimes.

is it for your convenience, the childrens or your employer's perception/convenience that you think it would be better doing this stuff without taking them along?

£30 to get to work - ouch - how far away are you from where you work>

could you get someone from garage to drive car to you, and then you drive them back?

and sounds to me that you havent been late for work/made mb take time off so tbh you havent inconvienced her iyswim

About 8.5 miles.

I feel it would more convenient for the children not to have to come with me. But if I took time off work that would be inconvenient for my bosses... so pros and cons to it really.
It has messed up our usual activity routine but the children don't seem to have minded staying at home a lot, in fact they seem to be playing together a bit better and also I've been able to spend some 1:1 time with each child while the other child entertained themselves (in close proximity).
Suppose I just feel a bit bad trying to sort things out whilst at work... would be ideal if this all happened during my days off, but it hasn't.

i was thinking that it might be good for children to have this different experience. Prepares them for unpredictable faffy reality- coping mechanisms, making sense of their changing environment etc.. Similar to encouraging tidying/washing/sweeping up even when they don't want to rather than just having the fun bits of play.
It won't be for long.

I'm lucky that my boss provides a car for work purposes so one is always available if mine went on the blink.

I'm not within easy transport access so I dread to think. Would take an hour there and back every day and I start early as it is.

Oh, and an hour would be depending on how well public transport is running

It's all about attitude isn't it. You got to work on time, your employers were able to get to their jobs on time. Therefore you done good
We had a huge saga with a previous nanny who had an unreliable car (we had broken clutch?, missing spare wheel and then a puncture, oh and the day it was 'stuck in some mud') and each time she didn't come to work and didn't fix the car for ages because she was waiting for 'a mate of her brother's to get a part dead cheap' etc. I lent her my car for a few weeks because her unreliability due to car problems and other problems (taking days off sick because she was 'tired') was jepodising my job. So, it could be a lot worse than the kids getting taxi rides to see garages (surely garages are educational places to visit )

Yes they can educational. 4 year old now knows what the Letters mean on the charts they display in the new cars (fuel efficiency if you didn't know).

i live about a mile round the corner so worst case scenario = i walk...

i am lucky and work 4 days a week so my car is ALWAYS serviced / MOT'ed in my day off.

But there was a problem about 2 years ago and i had no car for 2 days.... as im only about mile my boss collected me and dropped me off at the end of the day which i really appreciated!

In my old job my charges grandparents (who lived round the corner from them) had a chauffer if my car was in the garage he would have willingly driven me. It was always offered

Previouse job to that was less than a mile away so i would have walked there too.... and they have at least 5 cars at any one time so could have always used one of theirs!

my 3yr loves going to the garage to get punctures mended

we had building work done at work and unfortunally works car kept getting nails in tyres bloody builders not sweeping up etc

must have gone to that tyre garage about 8 times in 6mths and 3yr got very excited about seeing car being lifted in air and wheel off

such simple pleasures but it really made his day

millarkie - your nanny sounds a nighmare and tbh very unprofessional

when should your car be def ready nick?

Regular servicing, MOT that kind of thing isn't a problem - as I also work 4 days a week. It's the unexpected that causes issues.

If Citroen UK deliver the part on Monday morning which they were supposed to deliver on Friday morning, then my car should with luck be ready Monday afternoon or Tuesday late morning - depending on how long it takes do fit the rubber tubing (garage reckons that it may be a couple of hour job, give the tubing location). So I am back at work on Tuesday, so plan is to drop hire car off very early morning, get taxi to work, then the children and I will have an outing to the garage to get my car.

It depends on how the route is, weather and whether you are into it but for that distance to work could you consider cycling to save on taxi money?
I did this one week when my car failed mot. (5 miles) and it was quite enjoyable and liberating. Just left plenty of time cos hadn't really exercised for a while!

Cycling is a bit dangerous on the roads I would have to use... cars typically doing 50-60 mph down them. Plus my bike has a flat tire which I've tried to fix several times and still goes flat - new innertube didn't fix the problem either. Think I may just sell the bike!

Apologies if I'm stating the obvious Nick , but when you fitted the new inner tube to your bike you did think to check the inside (and walls) of the tyre for sharp objects/thorns, didn't you?

Yes, I'm not a complete idiot
Didn't find anything, yet it still goes down. I think a completely new wheel may fix the problem. I can't be fussed with it though, may just put the bike on FreeCycle and someone can take it off my hands.

i dont own a bike, plus dont think my little legs would make it up the hill where i work

hope car is fixed today for you

As a working parent, Nick, I'd be quite happy for you to lug the kids round to the garage. Me going to work would be the priority. Also, in veiw of your expensive taxi rides, I'd also be quite happy for you to sleep over (if you wanted to) until the car was sorted.

If you called me and said you wouldn't be at work for two days because your car broke down, I'd be a bit annoyed.

Another option might be for me to drop the kids round your house in the morning and pick them up -- obviously if this could work around my work schedule...

or...

I could put you on my car insurange for a couple of weeks (if you wanted to pay for it) and let you use my car so long as you dropped me off and picked me up from my work.

any news on car?

They fixed the fault they found. But the fault it went in with is still there.
Anyone know a mechanic who knows about Citroens? If so, get them to watch this and see if they have any ideas of what the fault is. I'm suspecting something to do with central locking, as that will sometimes activate on engine start.

I'm just aghast that the op states that in a previous job, they souls have taken a couple of days off sick to get their car repaired!
Hardly a good work ethic in my opinion!

depends on situation- if you just can't get to work and you live far, what are you supposed to do? not everyone can afford taxis and you can't book a holiday day 2 weeks in advance to fix a car you need.

At various times tube strikes, snow, entire train lines down have meant i could have spent 3+ hours trying to get to a long day at work (and then back). Sometimes employers just have to cope with things affecting employees.

I always raise the tube strike/delay issue at interview as it happens way too much and every single one of them has always said well if you can't get in at all/on time then you can't. Its been same with car troubles- they know where i live. Nannies can be great but they're not superheros (except blondes as i understand it).

i think its reasonable to consider taking time off to sort car/wait for plumber etc. Some parents i know wouldn't want their children to go to garage/break routine. Depends on employer's situation/attitude; NN considered it and didn't do it.