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Help needed - Is it a rightoff?

HauptRenate

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2010
Messages
187
An update

Recovery has now taken ma Beast to a secure pound in Avonmouth, Bristol pending insurance/police/criminal damage etc.
Earlier I wrote, quote below:

"Some T*** broke into my vehicle over night; I don't think they stole anything, but they'd tried to force a way in through the front passenger door lock - Beast didn't budge, so they then smashed in the little side window on rear passenger side and opened the doors from within,they then proceeded to trash the inside and finally, the most horrendous bit, they tried to hot wire it but it failed and in the process they broke the steering column, trashed the front drive, so I can't drive it at all. All the gears are seemingly in working order but it didn't feel right, and when I tried to drive it, it went about two feet than that was it, it was hard to reverse back into the parking place it had just occupied, and I couldn't turn the wheels properly and the steering wheel seems loose, as if its just hanging there unable to do anything.
I think the drive shafts have somehow been disengaged, and the diff is probably so f****d too. Its not so much the breaking in, its the fact that they tried to mess with the igniton and tried to hot wire it and steal it.
Its now going to be towed to the nearest secure AA breakdown compound so it won't be driven (I can't anyway; it is in an undrivable unsafe state) for a while.
Sorry to have to report this, but I was wondering whether any of you have had similar experiences? so by a process of elimination I can maybe work out with you guys what might have been/has been broken? and how much it is likely to cost to fix it? The insurance will pay for some of it probably.
Any advise or help is gratefully accepted.
Regards"
Unquote

It was a bit of a battle to get l'Beast on the truck because the steering has indeed been broken, as too, the damage is evident to the offroad L-N-H gearbox; the normal day to day gearbox seems also to be compromised; are they linked somehow in that damage to one damages the other?
I'm thinking "Diff box, both gearboxes, front drive shafts, and maybe transfer box"
It started okay but we weren't able to do anything with it so its now been towed to the secure pound pending police investigation/insurance claim etc.
Luckily it wasn't stolen, it has full MOT, fully comp insurance, and road taxed, also lucky for me that it was immobilised so those nasty thieves didn't get away with the vehicle.
Its not so much the breaking in, its what they did when they got inside that has made me very cross but there is nothing I can do about it.
So my phone is a veritable hot line of police and insurance peoples.
Apparently the police want to investigate because of the damage sustained

Renate
 
Re: Is it a rightoff?

That's a real bummer Renate :cry: , thankfully you have fully comp ins :cool:
Chas
 
Re: Is it a rightoff?

Hi

Sorry to hear of you plight but there are some right tw**ts out there.

Have they engaged the diff lockers, may why it wont stear ?



Mal
 
Re: Is it a rightoff?

My god Renate, there are some real a**holes out there.
Really sorry to hear your plight and I hope it is something fairly simple to sort. I heard that collapsible steering columns are easy to damage even when just trying to take off a steering wheel. Maybe this is the damage from trying to force the steering lock.

I hope you manage to get it sorted without too much fuss.
 
Re: Is it a rightoff?

Hope ou get it sorted - if they do a write off you could always buy it back and fix it in any case.

I'd be really surprised if they did that much mechanical damage from inside to the drive train etc. might have engage the lockers, might have been underneath and disconnected drive shafts (which you can do in a few minutes).

Worth getting it checked over by a competent mechanic first.

You should be able to get the bits from the breakers like Stef and get most of it back up and running asap.
 
Re: Is it a rightoff?

Hi there all (all ELCO, all Landruiser 80 series people)

Now I hardly ever ask for your help, but please, please, I'm SO asking for help now - I have no one in the Bristol area to call upon to support me when I have to go to the car pound when my insurance company has "independently assessed" whether my car is a rightoff or not - it seems however, that I don't have to have their guys do the work on it and I can get other people to take on board the repair of ma Beast, and what I really need now is a nice, considerate cruiser-head out there in the SW who would be prepared to accompany me to the pound in Bristol - they can stopover at my flat and I'll cook for them for a couple of days or so.
It doesn't have to be a 4x4 garage although someone who works in the field as it were would be an asset to have at my side, as I battle for supremacy with the insurance company...
There are a few of you out there who might know me; if not, you all know who you are and you'll have met me anyway I expect, either at Lincomb Farm or on Salisbury Plain!
I'm asking all of you now, to help me out, so Please, Please, I REALLY need your help guys and gals.
The car is already in the hands of the police and the insurance people, and I'm pretty beside myself, not with grief, but anger that they wrecked my steering column in the process of trying to steal l'beast; this is why the police are classing it as a serious crime incident.
Somehow they seem to have broken my 2nd gear box. I didn't look under the bonnet or underneath so I don't know whether anything was damaged there.
Renate
 
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Re: Is it a rightoff?

I would be happy to help, but my knowledge of cruisers is limited (this is relative to some on the forum). I would however be able to help and diagnose if there is a mechanical fault, not entirely sure about electrical. I have PMed you my number.
 
Re: Is it a rightoff?

Good man Rob

If I wasn't so far away I'd have gone too.
 
Re: Is it a rightoff?

Hi everyone
I've lost contact with the guy I knew who has a trailer, and I must get the vehicle to a place where it is truly safe - I usually use the toyo main dealer car lot and they even said to me this morning to have the trailer bring it in to them, but there was so much going on it never got to the toyo car lot....
I am going to ring them tomorrow and ask for the mechanic that I normally use to go to the car pound with me, so he can do an assessment, but I might have to ask the police to let us in because it is a secure lot; there is stuff in the car that I want, and it is IMPERATIVE that I get it somehow away from that pound because they might not even let me have it back, even though I might have to pay to 'buy' it back, meanwhile in the interim they've scrapped it anyway.....I'm really up against it now, so please, PLEASE, PLEASE if anyone has a trailer attached to their 4x4, get in touch with me immediatly, so we can arrange to pick it up and tow it to the toyo parking lot - toyo expected it this morning but it never got there....hence now I'm REALLY scared that I've lost it for good; thing is the pound don't even tell you where the vehicle is taken for scrap....
Please, PLEASE help!
Renate
 
Damsel in Distress

Hi yall
Hoping there will be a Knight in Shining Armour to help me with this serious Beast problem
I can offer B&B with food, beer/jack daniels and coke for any help in securing back the Beast.

I am already grieving the projected loss of ma faithful Beast through my own fault (not having it towed to toyo main dealer car lot instead of the car pound)..... :(

I can't help feeling I've already lost l'Beast through my own incompetence....
So anyone with a trailer attached to their 4x4 would be SO SO welcome right now and over the next few days

Renate

07554 511325
 
Re: Is it a rightoff?

hi there i would be happy to help out but cant do daytime (flatt out at work)
any time after 600pm if thats any help
 
Re: Is it a rightoff?

I to am happy to help but am stuck with work until Sunday :(

Ian
 
Re: Is it a rightoff?

Good man Mark - I was going to PM you to this mail as I thought you were local & might be able to assist in some manner. I'm good at volenteering other folk liek that ;-)

May I ask why you think l'beast will simply be scrapped without your knowledge Renate? Can Les (as an ex flatfoot as I understand it...) cast any light on how or why this might come about?? Surely they can't do anything without your permission... Mind you, nope - won't tell that story here & now... Its not tthat relevant anyway as the scenarios are pole apart...

Surely l'beast (plus contents) is(are) safe inside a police endorsed compound or am I being the niaevest (sp. AKA dummest...) bloke on the planet?? Probably...

I wish I could assist - hopefully someone from the forum will be able to...

Anyone tried Paul/Busaboy yet?
 
Gav

Never been a flat foot mate, I just work for them in an office.
As far as I know, we produce a release notice once we have finished with a vehicle that goes to the recovery company keeping the vehicle.
The company then call the owner who is either, in this case, Renate or the insurance company. The owner then arranges pick up.

Because the vehicle is in for a police investigation, it should theoretically not be touched by anyone until SOCO have done their bit.
Also all storage costs, which are around £20 a day, are down to police until they have released the vehicle.
Renate could ask the recovery company to cart the vehicle over for her but it will cost. It is up to her to negotiate with the insurance company to buy back the vehicle. With so little damage this shouldn't be an issue IMHO.
 
Hi Les
I want it back, no argument here.
and I will pay for it to come back to me if I need to.
I'm really hoping the police will finish with it soon and I can then arrange to tow it - nothing will happen until this time next week I guess - I don't know how fast the police work; I suspect they will hang on to it for a while.

I can't believe how incompetent I've been today; someone must have rattled my brain.

I guess now I wait....

There is B&B food and beer/JD + Coke at my place (when I buy it...) for anyone who wishes to help

Thank you all so very much

Renate
 
Renate

You will have been given a crime number. If you have been lucky you will also have been told who the OIC (officer in charge) is.
This will be a CID officer. The thing to do is to pester the OIC to give you a release date, the more you pester the quicker he/she will make things happen. SOCO will probably have done their bit by now but they may be holding it for some other reason.
Keep your chin up and stop panicking. The recovery company would not risk their contract doing police recovery so I would say your stuff and your car are perfectly safe.
Just remember that CID officers do stupid shifts so you may have to wait to hear back from him/her.
 
HauptRenate said:
I'm really hoping the police will finish with it soon and I can then arrange to tow it
Hi Renate,
Not sure whether you meant this literally but it's generally not a good idea to tow a permanent 4wd unless you have removed both propshafts. Towing with propshafts intact will mean the centre diff/transfer case is turning but potentially without the necessary oil circulation. That could really cause some damage, which I am sure is the last thing you want right now. On the back of a lorry is the safest way to move your pride & joy!
All the best,
 
there is a blue 80 that drives around bristol with a trailer he has caravan and car deilvery all over it search that on trade it.com or google i would help but dont have a trailer and go on hoilday tommrow hope it helps.
 
Ecky Thump said:
Never been a flat foot mate, I just work for them in an office.

Ooops - sorry for any confusion/embarassment/slander/personal injury/... Well, anything that might upset... Sorry dude - made a bit of an assumption there Les...

But thanks for the words for Renate - they would have helped me out if I were (heaven/whatever forbid) in the same situation.

Hope to hear more positive words from Renate tomorrow...

Va bene
 
HauptRenate said:
Hi Les
I want it back, no argument here.
and I will pay for it to come back to me if I need to.
I'm really hoping the police will finish with it soon and I can then arrange to tow it - nothing will happen until this time next week I guess - I don't know how fast the police work; I suspect they will hang on to it for a while.

I can't believe how incompetent I've been today; someone must have rattled my brain.

I guess now I wait....

There is B&B food and beer/JD + Coke at my place (when I buy it...) for anyone who wishes to help

Thank you all so very much

Renate
I did a search on eBay for 'vehicle recovery' and got this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VEHICLE-RECOVERY- ... 45f1d59d50
try giving them a call or mail, or just google 'vehicle recovery'
Chas
 
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