IN OUR GARAGE

Dead as a Dodo, Radio No-No & a Wheely Good Birthday

As usual, due to a constant stream of press cars being delivered to Muddy Towers, Deux Smurf has been sat outside on the street looking forlorn and abandoned. I’ve even got some small shrubbery growing from her running boards.

At the end of March, the Kia Sorento press car was collected, and I suddenly realised that I hadn’t organised a replacement. Amusingly, this isn’t the first time this has happened.

Anyway, enthused at the thought of driving Deux Smurf again for a month or so, I decided to drive her around the back and treat her to a thorough wash. Of course she had other ideas, her battery was as dead as a Dodo.

Fortunately, as you will have read a few months ago, I have the brilliant battery pack from Britpart, and after connecting it up, within seconds Deux Smurf was running again. After a quick spin I parked her in the back street, connected up my old CTEK charger and left her on charge for the day.

About 6 months ago the stereo in Deux Smurf decided to give up the ghost, so after listening to the radio through the tinny iPhone speaker Muddy Madam decided she’d buy me a new one for my birthday, and get it fitted along with the CB fitted to Deux Smurf.

Everything was arranged, however the bloke, who we’ve always used in the past, never bothered to show up on the arranged day to do the job - he didn’t even phone me either to explain. Ah well, his loss, but now we've got to find someone new.

I did manage to spend some of my other birthday money on her though - I bought a spare set of wheels. You see, I’ve been promised a set of all terrains to review soon, and I don’t want to keep spending money swapping the tyres over, so a second set of wheels was decided to be the best option (though not by Muddy Madam as, she isn't that happy about looking out of the kitchen window at a big pile of tyres).

The wheels were advertised on Facebook Marketplace and only around 10 miles away. They were originally bought as a spare set of wheels for a Toyota Colorado that’s been in the same family for over 20 years. When I arrived to collect them, I was told that the Colorado belonged to the seller's Dad, and many years ago they drove to Russia in it. I'm sure there's good story there.

Despite being grubby, and a bit pitted in places, overall they’re in great condition, and at some point soon I’ll get them refurbished and painted. I'm not sure what colour yet, either gloss black, graphite grey or possibly even bronze, we’ll see.