Fiona recovers from her winter in Pothole City

Fiona came back from her annual service and MOT last week. There was a lot of work to be done, and the bill was significant. She was with the Volvo dealer for eight days. This is what I paid for:

Service £355

MOT £55
Loan car for one of the eight days £20

plus

Nearside front driveshaft replaced (the clicks heard on full lock) £809
Nearside top suspension mount bearing and spring seat replaced (the creaks and groans) and a new clip for the offside driveshaft boot (leaking some grease) £373
Full wheel alignment £114
Two new front tyres £447
Rocker cover gasket replaced (it was leaking some oil) £483
New batteries for Fiona's radio-controlled 'key' £11
New rear number plate bulb £3

Total £2,662

Most of that £2,662 related to putting right the accumulated wear and tear on her front suspension, steering and transmission, all of which had taken a terrible punishment for a long time from the awful roads in my part of Sussex. This winter's bumps, cracks and potholes were the last straw! I had worrying creaks, groans and clicking noises, plus disturbing front tyre wear. If I wanted Fiona to carry on to 2030 fully roadworthy, and still completely safe to use for towing a caravan, then I had to get these defects seen to. I'd already, in recent months, spent money on:

Replacement front-to rear propshaft £1,624
Replacement steering track rod ends £324

And now this latest list of things as well. But I gave the go-ahead cheerfully. I knew it all had to be dealt with, and I had the necessary money put by. 

I've spent the last week and a half assessing the result. And I think I can say, hand on heart, that Fiona's creaks, groans and clicks have been fully addressed. She is now much quieter, feels tighter, and her handling and ride are as good as I remember them three or four years ago - say as much as 50,000 miles back. It's such a relief. 

I will definitely keep her going now until forced to buy a new car. She still looks good, inside and out. The posh interior hasn't become grubby with long use, although I'm tempted to pay for a proper professional valeting (it'll be Fiona's first) sometime in 2023, partly as a reward for my faithful friend, partly to cosset my passengers.  

Of course, I'm expecting all sorts of things, major and minor, to give trouble and require replacement in the time ahead. My car has, after all, covered over 184,000 miles already; and at 15,000 miles a year will surely now go to at least 275,000 miles during the next half dozen years. Volvos are known for their longevity and high mileages, so I'm confident I can run my car until diesel fuel becomes inconveniently hard to find, and unreasonably expensive. It wouldn't surprise me, however, if I have to shell out £2,000 or so in replacement parts every year from now on. But then, when I consider what I'd have to pay to have a new car of the same size, power, and comfort, the cost of keeping Fiona in fine fettle looks cheap.