29/06/2018 - 'We have a little problem ...'

The shouts of joy were absent during the night. The soundless exit of the German national team from the football World Cup in Russia was painful to watch. A (deserved) defeat against South Korea does not reach the quarter-finals. (Germany 0: 2 South Korea) - For this we got up at 02:00 am and paid $5 for the internet?! - At least the lovely campsite owner comforted us the next morning ...
After check-out, we visited a tire dealer. Just under two weeks ago, we bought two new front tires from a nationwide workshop chain in New Zealand. Since then, we have heard a constant clicking noise while driving. To be on the safe side, we had the mechanic check it out. He insisted on a test drive. But because the mechanic did not hear the clicking noise while driving himself, he switched places with Tobi. Then Tobi drove the expert through a residential area to demonstrate the noise. His conclusion was alarming. After he fumbled a small stone out of the tire, he pointed out a defect in the left front wheel bearing. At first, we could make little sense of the information, let alone estimate the effort involved in such a repair. Therefore, we asked for a detailed analysis and a price estimate. After several phone calls, the mechanic handed us his cost calculation: $399. We thanked him and left the workshop. - Whew! We had to let this cost estimate sink in first. We drove to a library to delve deeper into the topic. The symptoms that indicate a wheel bearing damage applied to our car. (Example: loud noises while driving, especially in curves) Since such damage can quickly lead to serious problems and our own safety always takes precedence, we looked for possible options. In doing so, we consulted "Chilli Rentals", a car dealer from Auckland from whom we bought the car at that time. The message exchange was not very friendly on our part, as the workshop visits in the past weeks had annoyed us and frustration had accumulated.
In the end, they gave us a crucial piece of advice: in the membership of the AA (New Zealand's ADAC), an inspection of the basic functions is included. So we made an appointment for the next day. However, we had to travel to "Palmerston North", located 50 kilometers further north. Due to the advanced time, we headed to a campsite halfway there. Just as we were leaving "Levin", the traffic on the state highway came to a standstill. A heavy transport was announced and all vehicles were requested to pull over to the side of the road. It took about five minutes for the convoy to pass us. The heavyweight turned out to be a large concrete pillar, which was being transported in addition to the regular tractor unit by another, very flat vehicle at the rear end. This strongly reminded us of an aircraft tow truck.
After the unplanned stop, we drove to "Foxton". In the small town, we saw a beautiful windmill. Right next door was a Dutch café with all kinds of delicacies on the menu. A portion of fries, with everything that goes with it, could definitely have improved our mood. But how could it have been any different on that day? The restaurant closed its doors shortly before our arrival ... At least we found Dutch walnut gouda in a sweet little shop located inside the windmill. Armed with this little treat, we headed straight to the campsite at "Himatangi Beach". A bowl of rice pudding served as comfort food and ended this not-so-positive day.

After a 30-minute drive, we arrived punctually at 09:00 am at the AA branch in Palmerston North. We handed over the keys, took a seat in the waiting area, slurped a hot chocolate from the vending machine on recommendation (really delicious!) and waited. Half an hour later, the mechanic stood before us with a list of defects. In addition to several minor things like windshield wiper blades and defective parking lights, it was mainly the two wheel bearings at the front that caught his attention negatively. Once again, we asked for a cost estimate. This one was even higher at $742 for both wheel bearings. When asked if we could take a small trip on the weekend, which would cover a total distance of 500km, he emphasized the urgency and strongly advised against it. The shock was deep.
Once again, we found help in a library. We researched on the internet and collected the addresses of all car workshops in "Palmy", as Palmerston North is also affectionately called. Shortly afterwards, we set out to find the most affordable workshop in the city. We explained our problem to seven workshops and requested quotes.

Most mechanics reacted with a frightening "Uhh" when we told them about our concern. Is a wheel bearing replacement really that complicated?

After all the workshop visits, our heads were buzzing more and more. It was annoying and frustrating at the same time. The price range stretched from $500 to over $1000! In the end, we listened to our gut feeling and decided to go with a smaller, privately owned workshop. The mechanic showed us the cost of the spare parts and how much time the repair would take. We will have our two front wheel bearings replaced for just under 300€ next Monday. - Hopefully Sam will have enough of the workshops by then.
Exhausted and tired, we found an affordable campsite in "Ashhurst". There are probably more pleasant places to spend the night, but with a pitch fee of 8€, you can also endure being in close proximity to the cemetery. ;)

Two days must now pass until the scheduled workshop appointment.