Today I had some news that made my heart sink and my bank balance weep! Yep, you guessed it, the car needed major repairs. In total I will be a grand lighter in the pocket but on the plus side I will have nice new shiny tie bars and track rod ends (!) to go along with new discs and pads, cam belt and last but by no means least…new nearside front wheel bearing!! What are tie bars and track rod ends I hear you cry? Well, according to Google they are something or other that helps a car go around corners and over rough terrain…who knew? The handy image below will make it all clear for you.

To be honest we have now had 3 VW cars (2 currently) and until now we have never needed any major work done. That being said it does appear to have all happened at once which in all honesty makes it harder to take. Plans for holidays, birthdays and bar mitzvahs have all been cancelled. The children’s toys have all been put on e-bay and we’ve been out this morning to buy them a hoop and a stick for them to play with- if it breaks we can easily and most importantly, buy a cheap replacement. Furthermore, I’ve even taken the difficult, completely irrational decision to take Lou’s car off the road and the family car will now be replaced by these…You don’t see any tie bars, track rod ends on these so they couldn’t possibly need replacing! I always knew bicycles were better!