Oh no....not again

Hark back to Australia and the day the wheel parted company with the caravan, well it nearly...but not quite...happened to the motorhome!

Having decided we wouldn't do work party Friday for ECP&DA (well apart from my usual loo cleaning duty of which I did in record time) we headed off in the car to collect the motorhome from the storage yard. A considerable time was then spent on trying to figure out how to put our two bikes on the bike rack. A moveable arm which attached the second bike to the main frame just wouldn't reach but finally, after having taken the bikes off three times and moving the bikes positions every time, we got it to fit. So a good 90 minutes later we left the site for Langley Mill. Now this is where the problems started

About 2 miles from the storage yard a squeak developed. Seemed to be coming from the nearside back wheel. Every time Ian braked it disappeared so the assumption was the brakes were binding and it would eventually sort itself out. But when a rumbling also sounded at the same time as the squeak, the worries set in. Flat tyre maybe??? Ian pulled in at the weighbridge, got the van weighed (3.5 ton and our limit is 3.7 ton) and had a good look around all four wheels. No flat tyres so off we went again. The rumbling got louder but when the van started vibrating real concern set in. This time though, we had just entered the A610 from the slip road (dual carriageway) with very few places to stop. Lucky for us a right turn toward the sewage works came into sight so we made an abrupt stop beyond the junction. A loud expletive came from Ian when he looked at the nearside back wheel. Not only had we lost one of the five bolts holding the wheel onto the hub, but the four remaining was within a few miles (estimated) of also departing company with the wheel. Another assumption, had the garage servicing the motorhome failed to tighten the bolts sufficiently? Cant be proved of course but strange that this only happened after the brakes had been checked. Anyway, we limped back to Langley Mill after Ian tightened the remaining 4 bolts. The plan was to still head off to the New Forest but via a tyre and servicing garage to have the wheel checked and to see if another bolt could be found. What we were told was not what we wanted to hear. Firstly no bolt could be found to fit the alloy wheels, secondly, the damage done by the loosening bolts was extensive, so much so that the hub was damaged beyond repair and thirdly, only a Peugeot dealer could do the job. Back we drove to the Mill, very slowly and carefully I might add, tried numerous Peugeot dealers all of which were closed and wouldn't open until Monday. So now we have had to postpone the holiday and have moved back on board FS, which was now in the basin wedged between two other boats. It's a good job we have the means to run the electric on the motorhome otherwise I would have had to empty the fridge.  Monday we hope to find a dealer to replace the hub (which no doubt will cost big bucks) and to resume our plans even though they will be cut short. No pictures unfortunately as for once I left my camera behind in FS but look at the Oz post and you will see what we nearly went through.