Renovation project - Is the trusty Volvo going to die?

Renovation project - Is the trusty Volvo going to die?

Our air conditioner in the car has stopped working, the system is just blowing hot air, not a problem in cold wet England, but a major problem for when we are driving on the continent and for our French MOT when we get home.

We have arranged for a car mobile air conditioning company to come round and refill the air conditioning unit. This is great he turns up at the house and connects his machines and the job is done, the company we used was called CoolCar and the guy was called Paul, we end up chatting about France for a while and what we are doing.

As he leaves the air con is working fine, but the next day it stops again, we now think that the problem may have something to do with the fact that John had a cup of coffee in the cup holder and went over a speed bump! The coffee spilled everywhere.

But Paul from CoolCar comes out to check anyway. It is not a problem with his work and he tells John what the problem maybe, I am all for lets just get it into a garage but John believes he can fix it.

We order a pollen filter as this has never been changed, we also try to buy an air conditioning control panel ((the bit in the car with the dials on) we contact the Volvo breakers we have used before and they tell us there is an independent Volvo specialist in Stockport, it's 4.30 and he closes at 5.30 and we leave for France in the morning, John gets there and he does a full diagnostic check, we do need a new control panel. 

We manage to find one at a breakers near Derby, we order it and go to collect it on our way home.

We can't believe our luck as we have found out that our Volvo was a change over model. So the part we need is rare, but Salvo Group has one. We arrive and he lets us try it before we buy, it works!!!!!!!!

We are on our way, we also collect some other parts from Euro Parts (who do not have any shops in France)

we are so relieved as if the parts had not worked we may have lost our trusty Volvo, it is getting to old to spend a lot of money on it, but it has been so reliable w do not want to replace it, the total cost was only £250, and this includes new brake discs as well as diesel and oil filters.

It's a good day, the trusty Volvo lives on and we are on our way home. The only downside to today is leaving the family behind again, this part never gets any easier!