Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

... in your oldie?

Clearly a thread like this could be tempting fate .... the one that sticks in my memory is the timing chain letting go in my Devon, just as we were leaving the Tatton Park car show some years ago. That was a tad embarassing.

RJ
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[mikeC]

I've used AA Recovery quite a few times!

The first time was when I broke the crankshaft in my Austin Nippy (and split the crankcase in half!), leaving a trail of oil down he road. At that time the AA only offered a recovery service for breakdowns, so I was asked if it was an accident ... my reply was that I hadn't done it on purpose!
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in the garage: 1938 Talbot Ten Airline
Recently departed: 1953 Lancia Appia, 1931 Austin Seven, 1967 Singer Chamois, 1914 Saxon, 1930 Morris Cowley, 1936 BSA Scout, 1958 Lancia Appia coupe, 1922 Star 11.9 ... the list goes on!

[peter scott]

No, and our oldie was only something like 10 years old, but many years ago we had spent the week between Christrmas and New Year in the Lake District and were traveling home to Edinburgh in the late afternoon of New Years Eve.

By the time we had traveled up as far as Moffat one of our rear wheel bearings was so noisy I thought we'll never make it to Edinburgh. Fortunately as we drove into Moffat my wife spotted a light on in a car rental office. We abandoned our car in a car park and bundled all our luggage into the hire car. This was great because I wanted to get back in time to see a film on TV (I think it was 2001 A Space Odyssey).

We arrived home in time for the film but when I got out of the car I realised I had left our house keys in the glove box of our car in Moffat!

I tried battering down the front door but to no avail but fortunately I had more luck with the back door. We settled down to watch the film and then the door bell rang. It was our next door neighbour who had noticed that my wife had left her handbag on the front garden wall. Needless to say I couldn't open the front door so the conversation took place through the letterbox.

A ridiculous farce but it ended reasonably well with a garage in Moffat replacing the bearing.

Peter
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https://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[D4B]

Great story Peter

[Ronniej]

On the way to a show in Dumfries on the old A74 my Singer Roadster's cooling fan shattered and minced the radiator core.
I called the breakdown service and explained the nature of the problem to a helpful young woman. I remarked that there was no question of a roadside repair and she agreed that this would be the case.
After half an hour by the roadside a little van drew up and a man in overalls got out.
He had been instructed to attend the breakdown but had not been given any information on the nature of the problem.
He saw at a glance that the car could not be repaired at the roadside and said he would arrange a recovery truck. There was no point at sounding off to him as he had only done what he had been asked to do. However, I was most annoyed at having my waiting time extended by someone in the chain deciding to double check the nature of the breakdown before dispatching a recovery truck.

[peppiB]

These days I, and my cars, are well known to the RAC. If local, there seems to be a scramble amongst the older engineers to work on what they call 'a proper car'

Recovery/repairs from memory

Trunnion giving up on Minor on a show field, new pulley exploding and shattering the radiator of said Minor, bolt somehow (still not worked out how) getting in and jamming a valve in Landcrab, front wheel dropping in over on Merc (they sent a van to that one before dispatching a recovery truck as they wouldn't believe a wheel could come off a Merc).
I was using the Landcrab to tow another car from Falmouth to Durham when clutch slave ran dry (my fault, I should have checked it) and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get the woman I am carer to, to press the clutch pedal at the right time whilst I bled it, so had to call for help. I was in a services near Tamworth when the engineer came. We bled it and he decided it was best if he followed me for a while to make sure all was OK. He was still behind me at Sheffield!

[baconsdozen]

I owned two breakdown vehicle over the years,a three penny bit Austin with a long flat bed and a fold down crane on the end,and a transit with crane. The Austin mainly earned its living collecting scrap cars and the transit for breakdowns and recovery/towing.
The transit had a very powerfull winch,12 volt electric and made by a firm in canada,I can't remember how I got it. I drove past a anglia one day that had started doing a three point turn on a narrow country road but had dropped its back wheels in a ditch. I stopped and offered my services to the driver who seemed a wee bit the worse for wear.He agreed on a price (about a fiver from memory,this is a long while ago) he paid and I hooked on and the winch hauled the car back on the road. The driver suddenly got very angry saying Id only taken a minute and it was an easy job and he'd been ripped off. I explained the winch and truck were designed to do exactly what they'd done and it had cost a fair few quid to build it all. I said I could take longer if he wanted but the price would be the same .He walked to the front of the truck and wrote the name and number down off the marker board saying "I'll phone your guvnor and get you the sack".That was in fact my name and number I'm self employed.I didn't tell him and he never did call.
(Sorry this is a bit off topic,but no,I've never needed a breakdown service but have provided one many times)
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Thirty years selling imperial hand tools for old machinery(Now happily retired).

[roverdriver]

After spending many weeks getting our new purchase (1950 Rover 75) to run properly, my wife and I decided to attend our first P4 Driver's Guild outing. We loaded the car on Thursday evening ready for an early start on the following morning- we had a journey of about 300 miles ahead of us, and wanted to arrive fairly early at the destination for the weekend event.

We set off in good time, but about ten miles from home, just as a large truck passed in the opposite direction, there was a loud bang, the ignition light came on, and the engine temperature rose alarmingly. I rolled to a halt, and checked under the bonnet. Broken fan belt.

We are members of the RAC(Vic) so rang for assistance. Here in the country the RACV send out a local garage to assist. When the mechanic turned up, he said that he could not help us, but would send a recovery truck. This he did, and in due course we arrived back home with the car on the back of a tilt-tray truck.

I quickly started to strip off the items that were in the way- air filter etc., to get to the belt and its pulleys. Oddly, the belt seemed to be cut rather than a simple break. Using another car I raced into the nearest town, and bought a replacement belt, raced home and set about fitting it. It was then that I came across a jagged piece of metal caught on the chassis. I believe that the passing truck had flung that metal off the road and it had entered the engine bay as we passed, thus cutting the belt.

Reassembling was not straight forward as I found that the adjusting bolt for the generator had a stripped thread. An expedient was to wedge a piece of wood between the generator and the engine block.

Finally we were able to set off again at about 12.30. We managed to arrive in the destination town just in time to join the other P4 people for their evening meal. It did turn out to be a most enjoyable weekend in spite of the early troubles.
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Dane- roverdriver but not a Viking.

[alastairq]

Oddly, in recent times , I haven't had to make use of breakdown/recovery for my daily driver. {When my Volvo 740 decided to have its battery explode.....due to an overcharging alternator....a chum towed me home!]

Neither have any of my 'classics...aka, really old cars, ever broken down 'on the road'...
But, over the decades I have competed in classic reliability trials..especially those organised by the Motor Cycling Club {MCC..the proper MCC, not that lot who wander around in white flannels!]...the Exeter Trial especially.

The 'Finish' was usually at Babbacombe in Devon....in those days, at the old Trecarn Hotel, which was, effectively, taken over by the MCC.

Usually the first Saturday in January, too....and, having completed the entire route, with marginal success...it always amused me to see, on approaching the town [usually dark by then]...all the layby's out of town jam packed full of recovery trucks...all waiting for the inevitable phone calls on the following Sunday morning.

Bear in mind, there may have been upwards of 300 competitors in cars, bikes & 3 wheelers of all descriptions.

Most would have actually 'made it' to the finish, to 'sign off' for the 'Finishers Certificate'...[probably the most prized of the awards?}

After a good meal, bed & hearty breakfast, an awful lot would wander out to their vehicles, to find they were totally incapable of moving one inch further..hence, the queue for the telephones to call the various breakdown services!

These people knew what was going to happen, so, prepared for it!!

On one occasion, my Skoda Estelle had managed to have its clutch thrust bearing machine its way through the clutch fingers..[probably my fault, I used to dribble engine oil down the clutch lever to lubricate the bearing..not mentioned in the owner's manual after diaphragm clutches were used]

We had managed to get to the finish following loss of clutch action after the final Observed Section [usually Slippery Sam, for those in the know]....despite not wanting to come to a complete halt at road junctions.......so, on the Sunday, I made the call.

It was the AA at the time.....and that year, they had decided on a policy of attempting roadside repair with gusto, before using recovery.

The AA man new of a Motor Factors who would be open..who even had a Skoda Estelle clutch in stock! I was fine with repairing it at the roadside, outside the Hotel.....as the car was altered [by me] to make quick engine removal, using a trolley jack [which I carried anyway] a mere one hour job. A simple case of, quickly detach rear panel, wires and cables off, undo rear cross member, support engine, undo the gearbox end, , and pull!

All of which was outside the experience of the AA patrol!

Thus, recovery was called ......and my erstwhile passenger and I were recovered all the way back to East Yorkshire.


Which was all very pleasant, as fatigue was always an issue on MCC trials...even the day afterwards.

Plus, the AA membership had cost me around £50 at the time....and I estimated the fuel to get home would cost about the same, if not more [the Skoda averaged around 20 MPGs...it was a well-tuned engine, after all, and huge sidedraught weber carbs are not known for economy]...so, win-win all round?

Edit..forgot to add, the clutch was replaced ...I usually had several in store.....in time for the Skoda to take me to work for late shift, Monday afternoon.

[Rick]

The shame, the shame, the aforementioned reliability wobble back in 2009 ...



By this time the public car park had emptied somewhat.

RJ
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[Bitumen Boy]

Had to be recovered with the Herald a couple of times. Once from Bristol when the clutch hydraulics let go, but at least I avoided paying for the Severn bridge! The other time was when the engine started making expensive noises on the M50, especially memorable as I assumed the recovery driver knew where we were headed for - resulting in him nearly rolling the truck on the A40 slip road at Raglan

There was another time when I needed assistance with one of my dad's Acclaims, usually very reliable but for some reason - I never did figure out why, and it never happened again - the main fuse blew at Tesco's petrol station in Abertillery. I had no tools and not only had to wait an hour for assistance but had to hike up to Woolworths in town for a card of fuse wire.

Incidentally, it looks like I'm going to be needing standalone breakdown cover again soon as the modern will be considered "too old" to roll it in with the insurance at the next renewal, due May. Any recommendations for roadside & relay type cover with no vehicle age restriction? I was warned about it last year and had a look then but there didn't seem much choice in the market for older moderns, silly really as vehicles of any age can break down.

[alastairq]

Somewhere on the A49, many years ago, someone, somewhere, acquired on of my trailer wheels.

It was very dark, quite wet, and I was on my way from a Clee Hills Trial, northbound towards Shrewsbury and the A5.

Tow car was my trusty Volvo 740, with a rather large [Volvo size] 4 wheel trailer, on which was my ]later] Skoda Rapid trials car.

On arriving at a service area, prior to getting towards the motorway..I did my usual quick check, to find, one of the trailer wheels was absent.

I honestly never noticed anything untoward occurring...but it appeared a stud had sheared, and on the twists & turns, the sideways pull on a 4 wheel trailer was too much, and I suspect, somewhere in the darkness, the other wheel nuts came adrift, and the wheel possibly went into somebody's front hedge?

Fitting the spare wheel wasn't on, because of the absent stud[s]...

Thus, I called recovery.

I explained over the phone the problem....the trailer needed picking up.

I could drive the Skoda, my trusty passenger, who was in his 80's, didn't feel comfortable following in the Volvo. The Skoda was a bit of a beast to drive, so he wasn't comfortable either with that!

Eventually, two trucks arrived..one, the duty driver, the other, his boss.

After a conflab that was joined by a couple of local traffic Police, it was decided to winch the trailer onto one of the flatbeds....then put the Skoda on top of the trailer.

The other flatbed had a sliding bed, so, I drove the skoda onto the sliding bed, and the boss backed up to the other flatbed, which had my trailer secured on it. The sliding bed was then extended to a point just before it would tip....the gap closed up to my trailer, and I drove the Skoda across from one to the other.

One of the TrafPol kindly guided me over in the process.

Once safely esconced, the Skoda was tied down, and off we went.

A few hours later, we arrived home, & I didn't have to wait long for the flatbed to arrive.

However, when the driver got out, his face went pale [it was 3 am!]...as we realised half of his ratchet straps had come undone, or busted...all down one side!!!

Still, the whole shebang was winched down, the Skoda driven off, and the 3 wheeled trailer towed onto my garden! A replacement hub was fitted which it has to this day...

[Rusty]

Lost the keys to my Lancia Fulvia in a train while doing the Christmas shopping in the city one year !

Ever tried to find a locksmith at 5.30 on Christmas Eve !

[emmerson]

Of course I've used recovery - I drive a Range Rover!
Biggest one was in France when I bust the transfer box, resulting in no drive.
I called ADAC, but said to leave it until next morning, as we had just set up the caravan, at the start of a week's stay.
Out came the recovery truck next day, winched the car on the back, then wanted to hook up the caravan to repatriate the whole outfit. He could not understand that I only wanted the car taken home, as I hadn't finished the holiday! Eventually, off he went, after explaining that it could be three weeks before the car made it home, as they needed a full load of broken cars.
Anyway, at the end of the week, having continued the hols in the free hire car, I phoned a mate in Wales, and he came over and collected us and the caravan. As we arrived home in the village, here comes my car, the last one on the ADAC truck!
To cut this long saga a little shorter, a few weeks after all was sorted, I had a phone call from ADAC asking if all was satisfactory, as they had not yet received my request for payment for the recovery of my caravan I tried to explain that it had been done as a favour by a friend, and had not incurred any expense other than fuel and ferry fares. They were absolutely insistent that they must pay me, so I asked for £200. The money was in my bank next day, with an apology for the delay in payment! Well done ADAC.
I've also used the RAC in this country a couple of times, and must extol the virtues of their agent Lixtoll Garage in Killin, Scotland. Their operator treated my Range Rover and Classic Caravan as though they were made of glass!
Bitumen Boy, I believe that the age limit only applies outside the UK.
My car is way over 11 years old, but ADAC cover it anyway, but the major British companies don't.
Also beware of the "value" trap in Europe, where if the cost of recovery exceeds the value of the car, most companies will refuse it.

[Rootes75]

In a word no but cast my mind back 12 years to the day I bought my 47 Minx, we were driving her home on the A303 when on a hill she ran out of fuel! The gauge was stuck on half! Luckily my old man was following on behind in our modern so a quick lash up if tow ropes and we we off again!
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Various Rootes Vehicles.