From the exterior sticky tape marks, I'm guessing the van used to be a frequent visitor at car boot sales. That doesn't bother me. What does bother me is that I am now charged with clearing out this c**p. Oh well! Just another twist in the challenge to beat Postman Pat (Will and his half shiny red LDV) and "zero carbon footprint" Collin.

Before I take the van to get it fixed at a local garage, which I will most certainly have to do, I want to try and fix it myself. When I picked the van up the fan belt was screaming for a couple of minutes and then stopped. With no warning from the battery light I assumed that it had dried up and found some more grip. Anyway, as you already know, the battery is not getting any charge.

I uncovered the engine (which looks like a bit of a beast - though it's not) and took a look at the alternator and fan belt. I did not have the correct tools with me at the time, but checked the tightness of the belt. From my early driving days I remembered that the fan belt should give no more than 1cm (my Vauxhall Astra was fan belt happy), and this one does.
So my next step is tighten it and see what happens. I am praying to the French van gods that it works! Wish me luck.

One last thing. My rear windows are covered in black plastic bin liners and I found these "tools" in the back. This might turn into Desperate Forensic Investigation Challenge!

Next blog - It's a miracle!