It's like walking into the hall full of students waiting to write their passing exams, knowing that everything you have spent so much time on will be judged in a quick, thourough proving session. I felt the same kind of anxiety that I'm sure artists feel when they release an album, or a designer pitching a product on Dragon's Den.
This anxiety was justified for a few reasons. If the wagon failed the safety it meant I would have a list of yet more things to fix - to spend money on; not to mention the cost of another safety test. I had never tested the emmissions systems, only fixed what I had found to be dysfunctional. on top of these things was compounded the pressure of getting it certified so I could drive it up north to the waiting paint booth so I could paint it before the weather got too cold. I had booked a week of holidays months in advance so I was locked in; whether I spent them painting or I spent them fixing stuff I missed.
Lets just say the vehicle found it's way to the dealership in an undisclosed, yet fully legal manner. This provided a good test to see how it felt hitting 80 for the first time in nearly 4 years, and allowed the cat to heat up enough for the etest. upon arrival I hopped out, and my brother in law wheeled the big beast into the shop and onto the dyno for it's etest. While I wasnt allowed in the shop for thie following procedures, My brother in law had my camera-phone for some shots during the safety test. much to my surprise it passed the test by the skin of its teeth on the first round. I can probably attribute this near miss to its lack of use over the past few years (as i write this in November, it runs much better)
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| Looking to design a "Back From the Brink" sticker for the window to signify just how close this thing was to the crusher. |
Sitting in the showroom with all the brand new baby Subaru's while my Senior Citizen Jeep towered on a hoist in the shop felt very numb, almost clinical; the way a father waits at the hospital for their child to be born. I was yet again surprised when after maybe 25 minutes my bro in law came out to tell me it was all finished, passed and certified. I was then able to go into the shop and snap a few pictures. I then settled up all the legal stuff and bills and set off in search of a licensing beurau to get some plates (another anxiety inducing task).
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| This thing weeps for paint, though the patchwork effect lets you know this vehicle has seen some pretty significant battles. |
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| Note the orange Brakes for added stopping power |
Apart from the lineup, the MOT deal was pretty uneventful, and I got the industry's only friendly and helpful assistant. I wont say any more about that since it's so boring, but I got a set of plates, Returned to the dealership, and popped them onto my newly legal beast.
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