Day 59: Thu 16 May 24 - Rockingham - @KJ's (Chris's Birthday)

Thu 16 May 24 - Rockingham - @KJ's (Chris's Birthday)

16 Deg C, clear with a light to gentle E to ENE Wind reaching 26 Deg C, another glorious day of weather.

I was awake early to take a 0645 call from Uncle Helmut's GP in QLD, mainly to close the loop on a planned surgery that will no longer go ahead. I then went for a short walk, followed by a call to Chris for his birthday. At about 08:30, KJ and I rode along Warnbro Sound to meet Noeleene, Edna and Nikon for breakfast at Pengo's Cafe located at the Penguin Island Visitor Centre. It was a great location for breakfast on a stunning morning, unfortunately the coffee and breakfast left a lot to be desired. Nevertheless, it was very pleasant sitting and chatting in warm sunshine beside a beautiful beach. After breakfast, the ladies returned home via the bakery, while KJ and I rode back home along Warnbro Sound again. Waiting impatiently for a call from Ford to say my car was ready, I logged on and did some work, before giving up at midday. Eventually at 1:18pm, as I was about to go for a walk to the beach for a swim with KJ, I received the long awaited call say the car is ready. We continued our walk to the beach and had a swim which was very refreshing. It was a little fresh getting in, but once in it was very enjoyable. After our quick dip, we returned home to get changed and collect the car. Firstly though, I called Rockingham RV to confirm if they had received the replacement circuit board for the fridge. Coincidentally, as I called, a courier was dropping it off. They asked me if I could bring the van in on Monday to do the replacement, but fortunately, when I asked (may have sounded like I was pleading) for it to be done tomorrow, they kindly adjusted their work schedule to fit me in at 08:30 in the morning. Feeling like I was on a role, KJ drove me in to collect the car. The notes on the report read: The Viscous fan hub carrier bearing was removed and replaced. The Crank Pulley was removed and replaced and confirmed the one way bearing had failed. Drive belt was also replaced. Importantly, it also stated Tested and OK.

They also carried out a scheduled service which was the only cost to me - all other work was covered under warranty. Unfortunately, they would not remove the after-market water filter / sensor that I wanted removed (it has slight leak), because it wasn't installed by Ford. So I need to make a decision on whether to have it removed by someone else, or try and have it fixed. I'll phone the manufacturer in Canberra tomorrow for advice. Back at the van, I turned my attention to preparing the ute and the van for towing the van in for the fridge repairs tomorrow morning. All going well, we may leave Sunday, but Saturday departure is also a possibility. 

A stunning morning ride along Warnbro Sound

A stunning morning ride along Warnbro Sound

A stunning morning ride along Warnbro Sound

The most important photo of the day - Our sparkling clean car reunited with us and our van. 




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