Tyred and Emotional (again)

So... the old fuel cell is in the Beast, suitably plumbed in.  The brakes were knackered too, so a new set of pads went in as well. The power steering was leaking a bit, but that seemed to just need a union tightening up.....or maybe not.

Friday I came to pick up the trailer and the race car from work - and the trailer had a flat tyre.  Bugger.  Race back home, pick up the compressor, race back, blow up the tyre - and discover the tyre valve has failed.  Bugger, bugger. 

Saturday morning, and the tyre shop next door replaces the valve, hurrah.  Saturday afternoon - quick shakedown just off Al Qudra Road - and the race car dumps all the power stering fluid in the desert.  Bugger and more bugger.  Back on the trailer.

Sunday morning - all set to take it back to Saluki on the trailer, to sort out the power steering - except that another trailer tyre has gone flat.  Another valve failed.  Bugger.  OK, take off the wheel and get it fixed by our friendly neighbourhood tyre shop - but I can't shift the damn wheel nuts, they've been rattle-gunned to hell.  Damn, blast, buggery and buggeration!  So get on the phone to ZDegree, who allegedly do mobile tyre service.  But do they answer the blasted phone?  Customer service?  NOT COMING IN DUBAI.  Finally I drive round to their office and give them the benefit of some well chosen thoughts on the state of their customer service.  But sir, they say, we arrange our schedule for the mobile service the previous day, so maybe not possible today, sir.  So in future, I reply, should I give you 24 hours warning of an impending puncture?  And how exactly would you like that message delivered, seeing as telephone is clearly not your thing?  Carrier pigeon?  Native bearer with forked stick?

Anyway, they must have taken the hint, and at 2.30 they called to say their mobile service would be there at 4.30, and the conversation went something like this.

'Sir, what type of car is it?'  'It's not a car, it's a trailer.' 
'But that must be very big?'  'No, it's a car trailer, it has 12" rims.' 
'What make is it?' ' It's an Ivor Williams'.
'Ivor....?' '...Williams, probably the largest trailer manufacturer in Wales, surely you've heard of them'.
'What tyre size is it?'  'It doesn't matter, you're only changing the valve.' 
'But sir, I'm not sure if the mobile service can do that.'  'Well, you do that every time you put a new tyre on, so I'm guessing it's not a problem'.
'Well, I'll have to check......' 

And, mirabile dictu, joy of joys, Mr Mobile Service turned up as promised.  And he fixed it.  And I beheld it, and saw that it was good, and I was so happy that I told him to keep the change. 

By this time I'd pretty much forgotten why I wanted the trailer fixed.  But by Monday morning I'd remembered, and by Tuesday evening Lerick at Saluki had sorted it - turned out the rigid pipe taking the return line to the reservoir had actually fractured. 

Tomorrow we shall discover how lenient (or not) the scrutineers will be.  Watch this space.