test please delete

**WTFH** · 29 October 2016, 08:20

Morning all

**SueEllen** · 29 October 2016, 09:37

Morning

**NickFitz** · 29 October 2016, 09:42

Morning denizens

Up earlyish today, meaning I got the Sainsbury's and M&S out-of-town shop done in time to drop it all off at home on the way back into town to collect the new iPad Pro

I made it to the car park of the foul mall wherein the Apple Store resides. It was almost empty at that time, so I found a convenient corner near a lift on one of the lower floors. But when I reversed into the parking space, the car's steering suddenly started grinding and juddering slightly, and making a horrendous grating noise

It only seemed to be happening in reverse so, hoping it wasn't as bad a problem as it sounded, I headed off and got into the Apple Store about three minutes after it opened. It was already getting busy, but I was quickly able to collar one of their nice ~~robots~~ people and collect my order.

Back to the car and I'd decided to see if it was OK going forwards; if so, it was only a short drive to the place that tends to my cars, so I could get it looked at. But when I started to pull out of the parking space, once again the most appalling noise and vibration came from the steering

I backed back in, noticing that it seemed to be when the wheels were turning that there was a problem. I tried pulling forward and back a couple of feet in a straight line, and that seemed OK. So, suspecting there might be some terrible problem with the steering rack, I phoned the breakdown service.

They took ages, but finally let me know that somebody should be turning up within an hour or so; and I settled down to wait.

I got out and had a look under the bonnet, just for the sake of appearances. Just then, a car came and backed into the space a couple down from me. As he turned in reverse, an unpleasant rumbling noise came from his tyres…

He got out and immediately turned to me and said "What is it with this floor? Did you hear that? I thought something was wrong with my car, with all that vibration and that rumbling noise!"

Yes: it was the weird moulded rubber floor of the car park that was the problem

I told him and his lady companion that it had freaked me out so much I'd called for a breakdown truck, and mentioned that I'd only ever parked on the roof here before, never on one of these lower floors with the weird flooring. They looked at each other with a "light dawning" expression, and said that they'd only ever parked on the roof too. Just then a car came past and, as it turned at the end of the aisle, once again we heard the graunching noise.

I decided to try to get out and, if the car worked properly on normal surfaces, cancel the breakdown truck. (I'm not sure how it was going to get in there anyway, or get me out.) I also noticed that the bit I was in, being slightly off the beaten track of the main route through the car park, had much more of the texture left on the floor than the more heavily-trafficked areas. Sure enough, once I'd driven out of that area, the noise almost completely vanished even when turning; and once I was out on the street, it was fine

So I drove to a nearby bit of on-street parking, and called the breakdown people to let them know I didn't need them. Now I'm home after a wasted hour or so, and can finally unpack my new iPad

But be warned: if you ever visit the Shires shopping mall, parking at the far end of floor 2 can seriously confuse you about the fitness to drive of your car, if you're as easily confused as I seem to be

**barrydidit** · 29 October 2016, 10:01

A cautionary tale indeed. The kind of thing local news was made for!

**mudskipper** · 29 October 2016, 10:22

Originally posted by NickFitz View Post