Back in my youth...
...I used to work for a Ford dealership, my role wasn’t anything special I was simply an admin monkey at everyone’s disposal. Not fun, but I got to drive new cars which I liked, because I didn’t have one.

So, one day I’m asked to walk down to the valeting department to go and fetch a new Focus ST170 for the showroom. Now this was on the same day that we were having new signage applied to the dealership. You might be able to see where this is going….

…I walked from the admin area, down the stairs, across the showroom, though the open showroom door and the to the valeting bay. I hopped in the car, drove it up the ramp and looked for anyone to give me instruction as to where to put it. No one about, I thought “I’ll put in the showroom then”

Urm…not clever.

I reversed, then hit something. The something was the freshly cleaned, awaiting new signage window which had been closed between me getting the car and driving back up. It cracked, slowly, like they do in the movies. Then it simply gave way, showering the car in glass. The back window exploded, the glass showered in, the parcel shelf gave way, the leather of the rear seat was cut to ribbons, the backs of the front seats were just as bad, the roof was scratched to hell, the rear lights and back bumper all destroyed.

The best bit? Well, even though the car was subjected to some £4500 worth of damage I got away with it, scott free. Whoop. They decided the glazers were at fault for not sticking something to the glass, so as to show it was there.

I even got lent a courtesy car over the weekend as a sort of ‘sorry’ as the whole thing ‘must have been quite traumatic’.

Brilliant.

Length, Girth...i should say 15ft by 15ft. The Focus wasn't so lucky though.
( The Pollitt chooses to listen to Enya on, Tue 30 Oct 2007, 15:59, Reply)