u/IKIGUY87

I am attempting to locate a very old crossword puzzle published in the UK newspaper The Guardian circa 1980.

The reason being my Father recently passed away and my Mum fondly told me a story of how when they first met she impressed him by completing the final clue in a cryptic crossword that was left out on the side.

The answer she filled in was EASTER ISLAND.

Basically I want to attempt to track down the puzzle and make a print out of it and frame it etc.

So my question is, is there an archive where I could even look? And also of course ideally be somehow able to scan by clue answer and narrow it down to puzzles containing that answer!

I am attempting to locate a very old crossword puzzle published in the UK newspaper The Guardian circa 1980.

The reason being my Father recently passed away and my Mum fondly told me a story of how when they first met she impressed him by completing the final clue in a cryptic crossword that was left out on the side.

The answer she filled in was EASTER ISLAND.

Basically I want to attempt to track down the puzzle and make a print out of it and frame it etc.

So my question is, is there an archive where I could even look? And also of course ideally be somehow able to scan by clue answer and narrow it down to puzzles containing that answer!

Apologies if this isn't quite the right sub, but I'm looking for some impartial views from people who know more about garages and vehicle repairs than I do.

I have a 2017 Ford Kuga diesel which suffered engine failure. A local garage quoted £2,300 all-in for a replacement engine, including MOT work, 2 tyres and a 1-month warranty on the repair (I think the engine work itself accounted for £1900 of this if i remember correctly). The expected turnaround was around 5 days to 1 week.

(Yes I know its an expensive job but with the current mileage and the repaired value of the vehicle it actually made good financial sense to do the works).

The work was authorised on 14th March.

The vehicle is still not back with me nearly 3 months later.

During the repair process there were various electrical issues. Initially I was told there were compatibility issues, then ECU issues, then wiring issues. The garage eventually admitted that during the repair an operative accidentally put 12V down a 5V circuit, creating a "high circuit" fault. On a recent phone call the manager described that as "completely on us".

The car has since been to an auto electrician, a Ford specialist and had an ECU tested. The latest update is that a complete engine wiring harness has been replaced because there were concerns about wiring damage and future reliability.

My frustrations are:

• Nearly 3 months without the vehicle
• Around £300 of hire car costs incurred
• Having to share a vehicle with my wife
• The piece meal version of events where each time an update has been requested its almost always seemed like we were close to the car being returned, which has made it difficult to plan the contingency of 3 months without the vehicle.
• Very poor communication throughout (I have had to chase every update myself and several promised callbacks never happened)
• Reduced confidence in the repair going forward
• The original 1-week estimate turning into nearly 3 months

On the other hand:

• The garage does appear to have finally identified the root cause
• They have accepted responsibility for the wiring damage
• They appear to be trying to fix it properly rather than just patching it up
• The latest update suggests they expect the car to be ready within a few days

Assuming I get the vehicle back fully repaired and working properly in the next week or so, what would people genuinely consider a fair final outcome? It has already been agreed much earlier on in the repair that a reduction in price of some sorts would be due. They have been a bit distant about agreeing this in full, so I am trying to get prepared for the inevitable awkward conversation on pick up.

Would you expect:

• A modest reduction?
• A substantial reduction?
• An extended warranty?
• All of the above?

I'm not looking to take an unreasonable position, I just want to know what would be a run of the mill outcome in this situation as I have never been down this path before. I am 38 years old and owned my fair share of cars but repairs have thankfully been very simple: quote > works > payment.

Interested to hear views from mechanics, garage owners and anyone who's been through something similar.

Much appreciated