Hi everyone, my name is patricia originally from Ireland. Myself and my husband have recently relocated to an area close to Comares. It is a very beautiful spot, we are just renting, I am wondering if there are any English speaking people in this area? We are pretty isolated and although I am trying with apps to learn some Spanish it's difficult without practice. We also have a problem with the brakes on our Irish car, (we are using it for now) as we are still insured, but we do not know where to bring it to try to explain to a garage without Spanish. If anyone near us would know of a garage with English speakers we would be grateful. My husband is fluent in German and some Italian, so he can manage a bit better than me. Are there any get together groups near us that we can attend. Phew! That was a lot of waffling from me!
Introducing myself
I guess you are aware that if the brakes are defective then not only might that be a traffic offence but you may not be covered by your insurance company. For that to be effective you must maintain the vehicle in a road worthy condition
I have no doubt you could make yourself understood at any garage
Hi Patricia
Whilst we live near Salobreña, some distance from Comares, I hope the following information from our experience may be helpful. Initially, we lived near Jete (a small village about 9km from Almuñecar and our casa was about half a kilometer along a rough track; so quite isolated. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of a thoroughly road worthy vehicle. We bought our car from a garage in Velez Malaga (Miguel Campos Motor, Avda. Juan Carlos I, No 41, 29700 Velez Malaga). One of their salespeople had excellent English as did their office manager. When it is time to look for another vehicle, they may be worth your consideration. We have had our vehicle for nearly three years and it has been very reliable. The garage also offers lifetime servicing with no labour costs, so you only pay for parts.
If you plan to keep your current vehicle for the time being, we have found the Euromaster group of garages (google Euromaster Spain for their garages around Malaga) to be efficient and reliable. We have our vehicle serviced at their Almuñecar branch every year. They offer a 'menu' of servicing and checks, including brakes.
We have taken Spanish lessons which have been very helpful, particularly with grammar; however, we have found the best way to improve and gain confidence is to get out and about and chat to the people we encounter in supermarkets, restaurants and bars. Everyone we have encountered has been unfailingly tolerant, patient and helpful and I'm sure you will find the same. We still make lots of mistakes, but nobody seems to mind as long as you are trying.
Sorry this is a bit long! Good luck.
Please can you check the brakes - Por favor puedes revisar los frenos.
Hi there, thank you for your message. It was very helpful. We have sorted the car, it was A.B.S, system. So all good we do try to get out and get some practice, although regularly going out to pubs is not our thing. I guess I want to be able to speak Spanish fluently, yesterday!! So I just need to take my time. We both took Spanish lessons before we left Ireland as I believe it is important to at least try to understand the country we have chosen to live in. Our internet is not so great here so apologies for the delay in replying to you. By the way Almunecar is a beautiful place we have visited it a couple of times.
Thanks again
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