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![]() | Home > Photos, Videos & Media > Our Breakdown Recovery Nightmare - We Broke Our Freelander 2 |
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Dean1234 Member Since: 18 Jan 2022 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 302 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Jagracer Member Since: 22 Feb 2019 Location: east anglia Posts: 246 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Hi, I blew an engine at Castle Coombe, in 1995, in my BMW Alpina, on a track day. I phoned the RAC, and two hours later, I was on my way home. The driver said that he often took cars home after track days, and hung about near a circuit when he knew an event was on. He said that he was not really supposed to now collect within twenty miles of a Racing Circuit, and take home blown up, or damaged cars. He thought that unfair, and gave him an income as well. He said that, in future, to get the car towed ten miles or so from the circuit, then phone for assistance, and act dumb about being near to a circuit, if asked. Ten years later, I was lucky to get a fellow competitor ferry a disabled racing car back home, without having to hire a private recovery company. So perhaps you found out the hard way, of company policy, not in the small print. |
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Dean1234 Member Since: 18 Jan 2022 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 302 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Hi Jagracer |
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Jagracer Member Since: 22 Feb 2019 Location: east anglia Posts: 246 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The rest of the story, as I remember it. The reason was that apparently after track days, a certain national mini club had members queued up at circuit meeting car parks after breaking engines, and in many cases rolled cars. Sometimes twenty or more cars. This meant the rescue companies had to bring in Lorries from all over the country to cope, hire extra companies to help, and subsequently, their Lorries were in the wrong part of the country, miles from popular tourist areas and Motorways, where statistics said that they normally had to allow for. Drivers were out of hours, no accommodation, lost, no return loads. When I used to travel into Cornwall, when I lived there, the same thing happened with the annual Mini Rally and Run to the Sun at Newquay. Cars parked up waiting to be collected on a hot day, convoys of loaded Lorries returning failed Volkswagens and Minis all over the country, sometimes requiring relays of hired drivers. I spoke, over time to companies involved, and it was big business, and convoys of recovery vehicles were parked in all the hidden lay-bys around High bridge and Bridge water, in Somerset. One could of course hire a Lorry for oneself, if at all possible. In 1999 an Artic from Redruth to Norfolk cost £320 with driver. So summer weekends could be a nightmare if one broke down, and needed to get past Birmingham. I used to organise deliveries for the company I worked for, and if the M5 or A30 had bad accidents (frequent), travel became impossible to organise. So count yourself lucky you did not have to wait two days, and a sick woman or child, taking priority. Try getting a Just-in-time Aircraft-on-the-ground part to Ir Shannon Airport, in western Ireland on a Sunday Lunchtime. Guaranteed delivery of six hours from receipt of order. It males one think, does it not? |
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Dean1234 Member Since: 18 Jan 2022 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 302 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
I am so jealous of you Jules. I'd love to have the mechanical mindset that you and a lot of others on this forum have. Not only that, but I wish I had the tools or could afford the tools to at least give jobs like that a go. |
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Jagracer Member Since: 22 Feb 2019 Location: east anglia Posts: 246 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Like you Jules, I have always tried to fix on site. A pair of pliers, wire cutters, roll of fence straining wire, a roll of duct tape, roll of insulation tape, some pieces of 4 x 2 wood, a torch, and for the rich, a 200 piece Halfords Professional toolkit. This was the 1970's standard toolkit. |
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jules Member Since: 13 Dec 2007 Location: The Wilds of Warwickshire Posts: 5452 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
I started young; from about the age of 12, first helping my dad (who was a first rate DIY-er) then being given a Haynes manual and told to get on with it. Mum had an old MGB. By the time I was old enough to drive I had replaced the dampers, exhaust pipe, rear axle and rear springs, fuel tank and radiator and did all the routine servicing. At the same time my dad was converting an old barn and the family was expected to get involved - so I picked up a lot of tiling, painting, plumbing, woodworking and electrical skills. So it just became second nature to do most things oneself. Im currently installing a new bath for her ladyship. Jules |
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Dean1234 Member Since: 18 Jan 2022 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 302 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Isn't funny how some of the old school toolkit still carries over to this day, but has slightly changed with more of a focus on sensors and OBD2 diagnostics. |
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