Going nuts

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The possession of which I most proud is my BMW, christened Priscilla after a role I was playing when I bought her. This week I took her for her six-monthly WOF; she is after all 20 years old. She failed.

It was a small matter, of sorts; a nut was loose in the left-front bearing which, I was told by the inspector, would be catastrophic if it fell off. He urged me to take it to my mechanic immediately as it was “dangerous”. I did so. My mechanic, a dour German, who says little but is very good at his job and has a real affection for Priscilla, took the inspector’s report, shook his head, reached under the left-front wheel and as far as I could tell tightened the nut with his fingers. No tools. And no charge. He told me to take it back to the WOF station and I would get a warrant. I did and I did.

Now, that raises a question: if tightening of a nut (with the fingers) was all it takes and the situation was dangerous and potentially catastrophic why couldn’t the inspector have done it?

Yes, I know there is apparently a protocol in WOF stations that they don’t do repairs—and that is part of their advantage in that they are truly dispassionate and not touting for business—but really? To tighten a nut? Is that a repair? Seems nuts to me.