Constant dripping ... gets on your nerves!
08/31/2024
Even the unforgettable Heinz Erhardt (1909 to 1979) knew how to rhyme about the versatility of the wet element. And indeed, water is also ambivalent in the automobile. It can be used to cool the engine and clean the windshield - but it can also penetrate unintentionally and cause damage. In this case, it is simply annoying.
In connection with classic cars, the reader may have spontaneously thought of the unflattering term "Aquabella" (instead of Arabella), the truth of which, however, remains to be seen. At least water ingress in cars doesn't seem to be a modern problem - albeit a dispensable one.
The author would not have written these lines if a droplet had appeared on the inside of a window after washing his 42-year-old coupé, because even seals don't have to last forever.
What is annoying, however, is that his still quite young example of the volume model from a well-known manufacturer is obviously not completely leak-proof, which is why the spare wheel well is under water after a rainfall.
You would think that, given the complexity of modern cars, watertightness should no longer be a problem. But it is. If the not-so-rare YouTube videos in various languages are to be believed, you are not the only one suffering from an involuntarily watered trunk in this model. That may at least provide some comfort.
Some time ago, there was talk here of a classic MG that could be restored after the devastating flood disaster. It therefore made sense to visit the workshop that was successful at the time. There, the still-youthful car was partially dismantled several times, artificially watered and even flooded with pink liquid for marking purposes. And, of course, the potential break-in points - such as the apparently neuralgic forced ventilation in the area of the rear wheels - were also sealed. All this was done in the hope that the fault had now been eliminated. But so far without success, because a few hours after a rainstorm, the trough filled up again.
In the last few days, the author happened to find himself humming the song "Ein Tag zum Verzweifeln" (A day to despair) by Austrian musician Wolfgang Ambros. The chorus contains a hopeful line. It reads: "...But I won't give up".
So resignation is not an option, it should be possible to drain the car! Even if water is a very special element... We'll keep going! Maybe the car will dry out before it matures into a classic car ...
