First published November 2, 2007

THIS week's column is either a comedy of errors or a cautionary tale - depending on how sympathetic you're feeling.

It all started as I was driving home the other night and felt the steering stiffen up. It was working OK, just not as smoothly as it should.

Here we go again, I thought: I'll have to get the bonnet up in the morning and check the power steering fluid level. Not exactly my favourite Wednesday morning activity, but it's got to be done.

So the next day, with our toddler in tow, I trotted to the car and got the bonnet up.

I like taking my daughter with me to "help" with car maintenance tasks for reasons of convenience (mine) and education (hers).

So far she's witnesses oil level checks, tyre pressure checks, windscreen wash topping-up and even a failed attempt to jump start a car.

Anyway, under the watchful eye of a two-year-old I opened the bonnet, unscrewed the power steering fluid cap and, to no one's great surprise, saw it was very low.

I scooped up my daughter, strapped her into her car seat, slammed down the bonnet and off we went to get some more.

But as we headed home from the shop, a slightly inconvenient situation (knowing I have to get the power steering checked for leaks) turned to downright worrying: As I went round a roundabout, a loud clatter came from the engine.

It only lasted a few seconds but was enough to get car-owner's paranoia (will it cost hundreds to fix... or thousands?) working overtime.

Up comes the bonnet again and - Doh! - all becomes clear.

What's missing from the engine? The power steering fluid cap, of course. In a rush to get everything sorted out, I'd left it resting on the engine and it had rattled through the engine.

Now this story has a bit of a happy ending in that I managed to find the cap in the middle of the road where I'd heard it drop.

But that doesn't make me feel any less silly.