[Smokey]

Well finally arrived home and will give a quick explaination without getting angry lol.

All was going well until nearing Gretna when the engine light came on. First though was the decat (which is very new) had triggered it but to be safe pulled on to the hard shoulder to quickly check.

Then the car didn't start again. Battery dead!

Phoned Dumfries and Galloway police who couldn't send out a traffic unit (probably in a field with the sheep!) and didn't do anything for an hour 'til I called them to say WTF.

They then sent a Recovery vehicle (not at my request but was in dangerous position, ie hard shoulder where they'd left me for an hour!) who planned on seizing my car, taking it to Carlisle and leaving me in Gretna with no transport. Cost: ?150 for call out and ?40 per day storage!

Paid the ?150 (wish I'd planned AA or something, hindsight and all that) and got him to dump me and the car at Gretna Service Station where I waited for Kat to arrive and, my saviour, I got the car jump started instantly.

I thought the alternator wasn't working but the car started up when I arrived home and switched it off then on. But then I didn't have on wipers/satnav/fogs/stereo/AC etc etc running on the final journey.

Early diagnosis, the car was sat for weeks and struggled to turn over initially. I guess I just put too much strain on the battery before it got a chance to charge.

I will test it out more tomorrow in the day and will fit VIS kit too as I think one of the motors are not functioning but easy fix, did my last one too.

At the end of a slightly more epic journey than planned, the Zed is home and running pretty well. Door handle needs fixed but other than that it is in excellent nick for 10 years old. No rips on bolster, new decat, alloys have no, and I mean NO kerb marks whatsoever and the belts were done 4,000 miles ago with reciept for ?550 to prove it!

The future is bright, the future will be xpower green.