Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 6319 Location: Derby

The difficulty I have with my car is that I can't get it from the lane to my garage so I would have to work under the car on the grass verge.

With the P 38, the petrol pump is inside the tank which would need to be dropped down. Frankly, I am past doing that sort of thing on my back these days so I have handed it over to a local Land Rover specialist. Even using pattern parts it is an expensive job and I don't know if the car is worth it but the garage will call me before doing anything...

ukdave2002 · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 4105 Location: South Cheshire

Fuel pumps in many moderns can be accessed quickly by cutting an access hole in the boot floor, massively speeds repair times up, although I'd still bet fuse or relay!

Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 6319 Location: Derby

Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 6319 Location: Derby

As I type this, the P38 is still marooned in Derby City Centre with no chance of recovery today. Even if they wanted to collect it tonight they wouldn't be able to get the key from Machine mart who shut up shop at 6.00pm. Shocked

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At the last minute Louise at Machine Mart has called to say the car is being recovered. Also, there is a parking ticket on it.

As the garage will be closed, the Recovery people are keeping the car at their depot overnight and deliver it to the garage in the morning.

PHEW! Very Happy

Bitumen Boy · Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2024 5:27 am Post subject:

Recovery services are getting beyond a joke, had a few bad experiences with work vehicles lately with long long waits. Next time I think Iĺl just hide the keys and start walking, had a few train and bus marathons to get home and the sooner you set out the better!

Mind you, I think demand has gone up - there seems to be a ridiculous number of moderns broken down on the hard shoulder, certainly on M4 and M5, far more than you used to see. I would put a modest wager on it being the electronics playing up rather than a mechanical fault in the majority of cases, thatś certainly been the case with the breakdowns I have had.

Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 6319 Location: Derby

I expect there are lots of electric cars that have simply run out of sparks. The RAC boast that their recovery vehicles are equipped with a battery booster that will give electric cars an emergency 10 mile range...something that the AA have yet to do.

I will be changing to the RAC after this fiasco with the AA. I would go to Green Flag... but they have 16 years age limit for cars. Shocked

Rootes75 · Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2024 10:48 am Post subject:

Not a good endorsement for recovery services...
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

alastairq · Joined: 14 Oct 2016 Posts: 1954 Location: East Yorkshire

I have a subscription to Autoaid.

As a result of being a dilatory fool, I allowed it to auto renew....it's now over 80 quid, a lot on a limited pension...Plus, I haven't used it in years now.
I also noted that they had inserted an age limit on vehicles they attend, so I emailed them demanding cessation of my newly acquired subscription, because I have either [a] no intention of, or {b} being able to afford to, obtain a much newer vehicle! So their policy no longer fulfilled my needs, through no fault of mine! [I had always had the same, now 21 year old, vehicle]..
I have now received an email informing me that my policy now has an add-on clause allowing me to have cover on ''any age of vehicle''....
I think I still have to find ?25 to pay the driver if I ever break down...in my old Suzuki GV....which I never used to have to do.

What peaves me more is that, on doing a bit of research, I find that Autoaid's sister operation do the 'vehicle specific' recovery section [used to be all one, with a choice of vehicle, or policyholder, having the cover]

For my vehicle [age irrelevant ], it would cost me under ?30 for recovery cover.....

I am considering whether to suck up the ?15 admin charge to cancel my policy, and take our their vehicle-specific cover instead?

{ I had policy hilder cover originally because I had more than two daily drivers.....each used for a brief spell of time, so I hd personal cover instead.}

In fact, over the years, I have recovered more vehicles for friends & neighbours than have needed it myself...

Also, I am not afeared of getting my hands dirty & oily, but nowadays struggle to stand up from the kneeling or laying down position...
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Dellow Mk2, 1951 built, reg 1952.
Fiat 126 BIS
Cannon special [1996 registered. Built in 1950's]
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Ford Pop chassis, Ashley 1172 bodyshell, in pieces.

alastairq · Joined: 14 Oct 2016 Posts: 1954 Location: East Yorkshire