….and second than you think! Right?

Well, in our case, we had planned to spend New Year’s Eve 2024/2025 in London. The accommodation was booked, the car was registered in London (what a disaster – but that’s another story!) and the anticipation was great. But there was one thing that was bothering us – even before our last Balkan road trip in 2024.

Because when we were out and about in the Südheide nature park, the clutch squeaked strangely, but worked normally. It was just a bit annoying. So I just asked Sergej, who took the opportunity to have a look. And that’s what started the whole drama: Because the squeaking wasn’t actually a problem at all, but something else, much more dramatic! The car has a noise from the engine compartment when stationary (when cold) which disappears when you depress the clutch. We never noticed it ourselves before, but if you pay attention, you can hear it clearly. Well, what could it be? Sergej suspects the release bearing or something in the gearbox, but unfortunately didn’t have time to look himself. Admittedly: Removing and dismantling the gearbox is no easy task. The next step was to find a dealer who had the courage to do it. Not so easy, three rejections. Even Suzuki told me they didn’t have time at the moment. Disappointing! But when I spoke to Alexandro about it – our window cleaner (from Romania, by the way 😁🇷🇴 🫶 ) – he told me about his cousin. His name is Adrian and he’s a screwdriver – and what a screwdriver he is! So we quickly made contact and were soon able to bring the car over. Shortly afterwards, the gearbox was removed and dismantled. See for yourself:

The clutch: burnt (blue)
The release bearing: defective
The gearbox bearings: four defective

In addition, some shaft seals (oil seals) need to be replaced. Originally, the car was supposed to be ready before Christmas. But there was a problem: the gearbox bearings cannot be found. Last resort: ask Suzuki. 650 later, they were ordered, but it took about a week for them to arrive. Ergo: Our adventure in London is canceled. Our little Vitara is now at Adrian’s, who now has all the time in the world to repair the gearbox and clutch.

Due to the high repair costs, we have now decided to only set off a small adventure rocket on New Year’s Eve. 🚀🤏

Stay tuned for more adventures soon! 🥳