Shit Happens…

When I got back from Indo I decided to pick up the car we had left with work colleagues of friends. It wouldn’t start. Found this guy who figured that the smart lock was on constantly and he showed me a way how to hotwire and basically steal my own car. Since I got quite a few weird looks from passers-by whenever I pulled my little hotwiring trick I thought it’d be a good idea to get it fixed. Then I managed to find three people to share the costs with. On the morning we were supposed to leave Darwin the bloody car didn’t start. Again. Went back to the mechanic and apparently there were ants in the electrics. Got that sorted and we all left the day after that. That was a Saturday…

After 400 km we had our first flat tyre. The thing was completely destroyed. Changed that and then tried to get the broken one fixed. Just in case. But no such luck. Well, we thought, maybe the next day. There’s a few larger towns we’d pass then and one of them was bound to have a spare tyre for us. By then it was Sunday, and in the Outback that seems to mean that most businesses are closed. We made it almost to Mount Isa when the second tyre blew. No spares left! Got the tow truck out and those guys could luckily organize a spare tyre for us. Then the car started to make funny noises. It had needed loads of water and oil, a lot more than ever before and I was a bit worried about that. But it was working, so no problems, right? Wrong! It just wouldn’t start again after we had filled it up at a gas station near Hughenden. After it cooled down we were good again though and settled down for the night close by…

We didn’t even make 200 km the next day. The car just stalled while I was driving and wouldn’t move a single meter. Got a lift with a road train to the next village, called a tow truck and got driven all the way to Charter Towers, close to Townsville. The mechanics there worked for almost 5 hours on it, trying to find out why it wouldn’t start. The bill started to grow with the long hours, but eventually the mechanics admitted defeat and declared my car brain dead at 17.23. Luckily I did not have to pay for repairs (not that I would have, seeing that I still had no drivable car). Called a mate, who knew someone in Townsville, who knew someone in Charter Towers, just to get a second opinion. This mate of a mate turned out to work at the garage where I attempted to get the car fixed and then, finally, I accepted the truth that from now on I will have to take the bus. Took the number plates off and started to look for a way out of town…