On the way home from work on Wednesday night the fan belt on the BM snapped and lunched the bearings in the water pump, or the bearings went in the pump and snapped the belt.

Anyway limped the last mile home, no alternator, power steering, a/c, fan or water pump!

Today spent four hours taking the old water pump off and fitting the new one and the fitting the new belt. Christ it was a tricky job, especially when the BMW workshop manual started remove induction system and finished with those imortal words, re-assembly is the reverse. It also refered to several special service tools. However I do now have several large grazes to my arms, a hole in my thumb and a kids plaster on my finger!

Anyway all changed, re-filled with anti-freeze and took it out for a test drive. It works, no leaks, no breakdown.

The roads seem very quiet for a Saturday afternoon.

Water pump £50, new antifreeze £8, new belt £8, missing the first match of the world cup. Priceless.

i watched 5 hours of footie today, and i hate the bloody game!

Went to see my mate Dermot instead of watching the footy. Cost me a fortune.

I'm sure the football was brilliant, I took my wifie and daughter to the seaside, quiet no football and empty roads coming back. Wifie even sat happy whilst I chased (well followed maybe) a superbike at naughty speeds coming home. Shame my cars not finished we could have taken that and her MGF and it would have been even better. The bets are still on which car my little one will go in MGF or MK.