There had been a worrying time from day one of buying my Lada. The steering was faulty and from the feel of it a major cost to fix.
Every time a turn was made there was a big bump and the steering wheel just bumped and over-steered. This happened in both left and right directions but the main thing here was that the car still went left and right but suddenly! Added to this the steering was very stiff and Popeye styled workouts were had whenever the driving was made. It was especially hard in Yambol town where much steering and three point turns were needed.
Throughout the two years of owning the car this was something I put up and to me was part and parcel of the Lada drive. I even had other Bulgarian assessing the problem and the sharp intake of breath at the thought of the cost of repair always seemed to the assessed outcome. So it was left, as long as the car could steer that was the prime objective.
The last year or so both front types constantly leaked air. Every few day it was a trip to a garage to pump them up again. Getting he repaired was something that was always put off as it cost money. The tyres had good tread and they worked, the air in the garages was free so it carried on. This is how it is in Bulgaria, any way to save money, it is works and is a little inconvenient to keep it working and doesn’t cost anything that’s how it is.
Finally it was time to get the tyres seen to, initially with a view of repairing the existing tyres as we had a little spare cash to see to this brought over from working in England. We estimated that this should only cost a maximum of 20 lv for both, but I knew at least one of the tyres were beyond repair looking at the bulges on the tyre wall. This had been the state of the tyres from day one but again it still rolled on regardless and got us places.
We looked at the cost of tyres many times and that just the though of the cost put us off from doing anything about it, until Galia spotted some very cheap tyres in a supermarket 70 lv each.
So one day we decided to check these out and looked at the tyre sizes we needed for the Lada. To do this we checked the existing tyres sizes on the car and they were found to be 185 (whatever that meant). The equivalent size was found in the supermarket each amounting to 75 lv. Before committing to buy them we thought we would check out whether they could be repaired.
A particular garage opposite the fire station was pointed out and recommended to us by Galia’s son, so on recommendation we checked it out. Dimtar, the owner was fixing a child’s motorbike he had imported from England as he attended to our requests to check out what we should do with the two front tyres.
He took them both off and it was quite obvious these couldn’t be repaired with the state of both of the inside walls. It was no wonder they were loosing air as the rubber was fractured in numerous places and at least three of four nails embedded in the tread. Added to all this they were the wrong sized tyres for a Lada. His recommendation was two new tyres both correctly sized for the vehicle. Was this a Bulgaria classic trick for us to be hoodwinked into buying two new tyres?
We had now breathed a sigh of relief in one hand but held out breath in view of how much he was to charge. Another sigh of relief was made when the cost was 64 lv for each tyre fitted, balanced and ready to roll. We agreed and they were set up within 20 minutes.
What a good deal we got in view of the supermarket prices being asked for without fitting or balancing. And what a close shave it was with is going to buy the wrong sized tyres from there.
The biggest joy and relief after all this was after all this time with the wrong sized tyres on the car and the stress on steering the problem has completely disappeared. It really does feel like driving a Roll Royska compared to before!
Showing posts with label bulgarian ladas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bulgarian ladas. Show all posts
Bulgarian Rats and Ladas in Winter
Winter, Bulgaria, short, sharp and should be well prepared for if you have a car here. Now I have a Lada and very proud of it I am, even though I hate cars. But this is a car with character even though there are elements of embarrassment to many who I tell. Not to me you understand but to many Brits who turn their nose up at owning such a vehicle.
The Lada was meticulously prepared for winter in my farmhouse garage. The battery was taken out and put on a trickle charge via a DIY solar charger designed for AA rechargeable batteries stuck on the kitchen windowsill. Wasn’t quite sure whether it was going to work though but worth a try. In fact the idea is so Bulgarian I was glowing with pride with idea being my own.
The car was packed with blankets underneath the bonnet, over the front radiator grill and on top of the bonnet to insulate against the severe cold that was bound to come. It was as snug as a bug in a rug as they say.
The car was jacked up so the front wheels were raised off the ground in order for the tyres to be laid up to rest. The front tyres both have slow punctures (normal in Bulgaria) so this would insure they are not crushed when totally void of air after a few days. The back wheels were blocked and the hand brake off to avoid stretching the handbrake cable.
The fuel tank was run judged to be almost empty and the gas completed used up as the preparations for winter for my Lada almost complete. It was very reassuring that all this was completed, I was to be away throughout the winter months.
Arriving back at the end of winter the car was seen exactly as it was left. The blankets and sheets were removed in the now warmer weather to reveal the engine after hibernation. The two front tyres totally void of air were pumped up and the car let down onto the concrete garage floor. The battery placed in, connected and with the little petrol that was left in the tank the car sprung to life after about five turns of the engine. The trickle charging system for the battery that was improvised and in place throughout winter worked perfectly. The car was a goer, and within 20 minutes of being tucked away all snug, the car was ready for action.
It was only three weeks later when taking the car out during night that I discovered that the lights didn’t work!
Now here is a warning, because I covered the engine with blankets and sheet during winter, this was nesting material for rats and mice. The next morning I took a closer look at the electrical system. Much of the plastic casing of the relay systems, etc. have been eaten and the wiring stripped of plastic. A fair few of the wires have been gnawed and severed from rat teeth. It is no wonder the lighting didn’t work.
Strangely enough the car would have had no problem with vermin if the bedding material hadn’t been placed underneath the bonnet. This just invited a perfect place for rat and mice nests. Next year this won’t of happen again solely due to me being here all the time this time round. But this is a good tip to remember to other hibernating their cars in garages here.
Don’t make the beds up for mice and rats under the bonnet as it won’t only be lights out before bedtime for the vermin but for your car in the spring.
The Lada was meticulously prepared for winter in my farmhouse garage. The battery was taken out and put on a trickle charge via a DIY solar charger designed for AA rechargeable batteries stuck on the kitchen windowsill. Wasn’t quite sure whether it was going to work though but worth a try. In fact the idea is so Bulgarian I was glowing with pride with idea being my own.
The car was packed with blankets underneath the bonnet, over the front radiator grill and on top of the bonnet to insulate against the severe cold that was bound to come. It was as snug as a bug in a rug as they say.
The car was jacked up so the front wheels were raised off the ground in order for the tyres to be laid up to rest. The front tyres both have slow punctures (normal in Bulgaria) so this would insure they are not crushed when totally void of air after a few days. The back wheels were blocked and the hand brake off to avoid stretching the handbrake cable.
The fuel tank was run judged to be almost empty and the gas completed used up as the preparations for winter for my Lada almost complete. It was very reassuring that all this was completed, I was to be away throughout the winter months.
Arriving back at the end of winter the car was seen exactly as it was left. The blankets and sheets were removed in the now warmer weather to reveal the engine after hibernation. The two front tyres totally void of air were pumped up and the car let down onto the concrete garage floor. The battery placed in, connected and with the little petrol that was left in the tank the car sprung to life after about five turns of the engine. The trickle charging system for the battery that was improvised and in place throughout winter worked perfectly. The car was a goer, and within 20 minutes of being tucked away all snug, the car was ready for action.
It was only three weeks later when taking the car out during night that I discovered that the lights didn’t work!
Now here is a warning, because I covered the engine with blankets and sheet during winter, this was nesting material for rats and mice. The next morning I took a closer look at the electrical system. Much of the plastic casing of the relay systems, etc. have been eaten and the wiring stripped of plastic. A fair few of the wires have been gnawed and severed from rat teeth. It is no wonder the lighting didn’t work.
Strangely enough the car would have had no problem with vermin if the bedding material hadn’t been placed underneath the bonnet. This just invited a perfect place for rat and mice nests. Next year this won’t of happen again solely due to me being here all the time this time round. But this is a good tip to remember to other hibernating their cars in garages here.
Don’t make the beds up for mice and rats under the bonnet as it won’t only be lights out before bedtime for the vermin but for your car in the spring.
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