2 more days until Oscar gets an expensive taxi up to Dartford. I will be heading up in my other Range Rover as well as I need 1 little thing checked on that one.

This week just seems to be going backwards

Got so bored that I decided to run live data on the air suspension, the compressor is now reaching an eye watering 89 degrees celcius according to the diagnostics, while trying to raise the suspension on the front before it shuts off.

So now I just need the insurance saga finished with, so I know what to do next. It is really me off seeing it sat there, knowing I could have that all fixed in 1 weekend and back on the road. And it is sat there doing nothing.

Can't wait until I can drive it again. I have even just renewed the tax on it for the year. Shows you how much I love it.

I am going to buy a water sand blasting kit that attaches to my pressure washer so I can blast all the old paint off of both sets of sport wheels that I have. So I can at least start making progress with them. But my progress is going to slow down a lot from Thursday, as I finally got the green light for my workshop, only having a small temporary one until next summer which will help me get on with my projects, but got to get the ground dug out, base put down and then build it.

For most of this I will be supervising like a boss

But for now, Tank is really taking up the slack for the mileage.

what size workshop are you building, is it high enough to put a hoist in
you can buy a Bradbury 4 post 4 tone hoist second hand in the UK for less than a thousand pound
i bought one new, over fifty years ago, the best hoist you can buy in my opinion
i recently bought a second hand three tone one, been looking for a four tone one for a long time but no look
now all i have to do is extend my shed RR 2005 4.4 petrol
Any spelling mistakes are the fault of spellchecker
Previous MG J2, CITROEN light 15 x 2 gone unfortunately
Present MERC 180e, RANGE ROVER L322, JAGUAR XJS, MERC 280SE, MG F, JAGUAR S-Type 6v 2003, jaguar s-type 8v 2004, Ford Cougar

Unfortunately, I am not blessed with a property that has off road parking or access to the back to get cars in, so just a small workshop I can take parts in and work on. For now I have to park on the garden when it's dry for jobs I can do at home, and currently building a relationship with a very local garage who are willing to let me rent a ramp from them after they get to know me Not sure they will like me once they know me

Throwing them a bone this coming Monday. A job I can do, but can't be bothered to at the price they are charging is re-calibrating my other Range Rover's suspension. Saves me some time with all the other jobs that need doing at the moment.

But this Range Rover sitting outside with me not being allowed or able to use it, is me right off.
In the time it has taken my insurance company to think about dialling the recovery companies number, I could have had it fixed and even covered at least a few hundred miles on the road enjoying it.

But at least I only have to wait until Friday morning for process to start with a trustworthy garage.

good one RR 2005 4.4 petrol
Any spelling mistakes are the fault of spellchecker
Previous MG J2, CITROEN light 15 x 2 gone unfortunately
Present MERC 180e, RANGE ROVER L322, JAGUAR XJS, MERC 280SE, MG F, JAGUAR S-Type 6v 2003, jaguar s-type 8v 2004, Ford Cougar

Well...……………………

Where do I start. The car being delivered very nearly didn't happen

It was agreed at the beginning of the week that my car would be collected about 9am today, and I would get a call 30 minutes before the recovery truck (Hi-Ab) was due. 9am came, 9am went, no call, no nothing. Rang the recovery agent who informed me that no such booking had been made, but that it was still on the system as needing to be booked in, So while quietly steaming at my end, the agent quickly arranged a recovery company to come and get my car. 1 hour later, Oscar was loaded and on his way to Dartford.

I will say, NO HI-AB, so the car had to be driven onto the recovery truck with one corner on its bump stop. At least the guy took care whilst doing it though.

I stalked the truck as it left Tunbridge Wells, then blasted past on the dual carriage way and met him at the garage.

I only went to the garage as I had both fatties booked in.

But the story doesn't end here...
The garage then rang my insurance company to confirm that the car had arrived and for the assessor to go ahead and pop by as agreed between the garage and insurance company at the beginning of the week. Would you believe, the insurance company FORGOT that my car was going in today and therefor my car won't be independently assessed until Wednesday or Thursday next week. I couldn't help but laugh when the garage owner told my insurance company on the phone that they can pay £15 a day storage fee then

But I suppose the short of it is, Oscar is now in a garage I know and trust, who know my car and me, and I no longer feel the immense stress that has been getting me down.

I may have insulted someone on the phone at the insurance company too as I may have said, the staff at your firm would make great candidates for shows like Love Island and The Only Way Is Essex etc... So don't know if they took that as a compliment or insult. It was meant as the latter

But the plan is, if it's written off, then I am buying it back and doing the repairs. If it is repaired, it is repaired. Either way, I plan on getting it home and keeping it. I really want to start using it again. I have really missed the V8 growl and grunt.

Here are the pictures from me stalking the recovery driver while he had my car

Missing this beast lots. Can't wait to get it home. But the final independent assessment which is being carried out at the garage it's at is happening later today, so I should know by the end of Thursday or Friday if my car is a write off.

I am hoping it is, so I can buy it back and get some of the work done by a garage to a good standard and the rest done at home, and get it back on the road asap.

The garage took a photo of several Land Rovers that were parked outside on one of the days, and my poor baby was in the corner.

Nearly forgot to update this diary....

I went up yesterday to the garage where the car is as the independent assessor left a message saying he would be there and would be happy for me to attend.

I showed him the extra damage caused by the accident repair centre, and he tried desperately to get the air compressor to work, but couldn't, in all honesty, clueless, I couldn't be bothered to correct show him what he had done wrong as he was a muppet. Had he shut the door properly, the compressor would have kicked in. Then he said the compressor wouldn't have gotten damaged while being driven on it's bump stop as it stops itself after a set time, I was mad at this point and forgot to pipe up and say, but once it has cooled down, it tried to kick in again, this will be sent by email.

But apparently it will take up to about a week to finish investigating and getting all the information he needs, as they have to put the allegations to the accident repair centre. I can guess what they will say.... Didn't happen.

But we shall see.

The picture shows how the car sits now, and this is how it was driven from Tunbridge Wells, to Maidstone by the idiots.

So 6 weeks on and the case has gotten more complicated and more ridiculous as it has gone along.

Saga is still on going. Oscar is still stuck at the garage in Dartford left in limbo.

But on a positive note, my latest project, a 7ft trailer, needed wheel trims. Ok didn't need wheel trims, I wanted to fit them to make it look a little less crap. So I figured I could replenish the stock of alloy wheel paint aside for the alloy wheels I am long term refurbishing for Oscar, and so glad I decided to use some to tart up some wheel trims. It is just a bit glittery

Finally seem to be making progress with my insurance company. Received a surprising email today to say that my V8 is getting ALL the repairs done

It was vague in detail, so have asked for them to clarify everything that is being done.

Hoping to get it fixed and home before the LRO Show as I was hoping to go in the V8.

at last RR 2005 4.4 petrol
Any spelling mistakes are the fault of spellchecker
Previous MG J2, CITROEN light 15 x 2 gone unfortunately
Present MERC 180e, RANGE ROVER L322, JAGUAR XJS, MERC 280SE, MG F, JAGUAR S-Type 6v 2003, jaguar s-type 8v 2004, Ford Cougar

Deleted

Last edited by ur20v on 4th Oct 2021 3:32pm. Edited 1 time in total

Let’s hope they do a proper repair and not let the monkeys who drive it on the bump stops repair it! 2004 Autobiography TD6 Java Black

Deleted

Last edited by ur20v on 4th Oct 2021 3:33pm. Edited 1 time in total

I think my insurance company have realised just how badly that they have messed up with this case. Not only have they agreed to repair everything, but it is to be done through the garage I chose who have currently got my car, and even better, instead of having to pay double the excess for going to my chosen garage, they are only expecting me to pay the excess. So battle 1 won. Next fight is to get the liability changed to non fault. Now got to wait for them to negotiate the bill with the garage.

And on other news, my tracker might be a little bit over sensitive, damn thing alerted me to movement and vibration at night, and because the tracker showed where the car was at that moment, I went for a road trip just to make sure the car was ok. I could only see the drivers side of the car, so hope that the passenger side was ok.

Click image to enlarge

We have a verdict. CAT N write off as of Monday. However my story with Oscar doesn’t end here. The buy back price was too close to what I was thinking anyway, so Oscar is being fixed.