An easy decision

The choice of dog car was really quite easy. I had considered a Mitsubishi Shogun Mini for a few minutes but my thoughts always returned to the same car – A Land Rover Discovery. Very few cars are better off road and of all the SUVs available only an old Land Rover Defender carried more credibility in the countryside. It was old and slow and had some issues, but it was a good solid car for weekend dog walks and it’s simple mechanical design made DIY maintenance an option; something that was good for the bank balance and a rewarding way to spend my free time.

My Dad likes to remind me of some of the issues we had working on it; such as the several hours we spent trying to replace a light bulb by squeezing my hand into a tiny opening and around a corner. Blind assembly is something you get used to, but it’s always slow and frustrating as you feel around trying to locate the holder and not drop the bulb, all the time in agony as the metal of the bodywork clamps around you arm muscles, and his favourite story – replacing the rear door hinge.

The rear door of  the Land Rover Discovery opens sideways and has the spare wheel mounted on it resulting in a lot of weight on the hinges. Thanks to this, my Land Rover has a door that had to be lifted as it was closed, a good workout but not always convenient.

So I decided to fix it.

You may not know this about me, but I’m quite stubbornly self sufficient. I purchased the two hinges and then carried all my tools out to the street where my car was parked. I figured that with the spare wheel removed and used as a support, one hinge would be enough to hold the door while I quickly switched out the other… I was wrong… as the third bolt came out the whole door dropped by about six inches. I’m an idiot. I grabbed the heavy door and with all my strength lifted it back into position and then closed it. After a few seconds thought I realised I had only one option! I gathered all the tools from the floor and loaded them plus the spare wheel, into the back seat and drove over to see my Dad.

Once he had stopped laughing, we carried out his trolley jack and started the process again. This time, with Dad holding the open door in place on top of the jack, I was able to swap out both hinges. It’s funny how easy things can be when you ask for help!