How much should it cost me?

[Mk1 Turbo Powered Steve]

As many of you might know,my car is off the road again waiting for a new gearbox.
The problem i have is getting my car to the garage that i usually use,who also have my new but used gearbox.
I can only run the car in 3rd and 4th gear.
I need to get my car from Romford in Essex to Ashford in Kent,which is approx 70-80 miles.
I have been told that this could cost me £150 to get it there!

Please can anyone help,or give me ideas,to what else i can do!

I need the car to get to this garage as they will also be fitting a new clutch...

£150 seems a bit over the top to me but if everyone agrees that is the average,i will have to pay it!

Thanks for any replys
Steve..

[Lauren]

Well you could get someone with a barge to tow you i guess.

If you only have third or fourth and are getting a new clutch anyway, why not drive it there?

This depends slightly on how much of the journey involves stop/start traffic as you will really struggle if you have to continously pull away in third. You can do it as i did once all the way through london with just third and fourth, wasn't pleasant though.

To make it even easier why not take it late at night or really early in the morning you'll have someone following you anyway so just stick a tow rope in the car just in case.

Remind me why you can't get first second/fifth?

[Mk1 Turbo Powered Steve]

Hi Lauren,
The gearbox won't allow me to use any other gears.This happened after a big burnup on the way back from JAE,the box objected to being shoved into 3rd at 90 mph,i should have learnt my lesson because thats the way the last box went.
I have looked under the centre consol to see if the linkage is broken but no.I know i should look under the car on ramps but i don't have any and i don't have anyone nearby to help.
I have been told by the garage that it is probably the syncromesh.
Running the car in 3rd and 4th ,to the garage might be the only other way round it ,as you say early in the morning,the roads should be clear and most of it is motorway.
Why did you have to run your car through London in 3rd and 4th? must have been a knightmare!!

[mr2mk1chick]

is it any cheaper to hire a low-loader trailer and a mate with a tow bar? maybe a handy-hire type of place?

or you could do the dirty.....

quote from green flag bloke:

'if you need to fetch you car from **enter location*** just ring us and say you broke down ***insert own easy mechanical fault*** and got to your destination, but left your car'

If you have the full cover via tesco it only costs £65 quid or something which will cover this recovery.
but this is highly dishonest and very naughty

[Lauren]

Hi Lauren,
The gearbox won't allow me to use any other gears.This happened after a big burnup on the way back from JAE,the box objected to being shoved into 3rd at 90 mph,i should have learnt my lesson because thats the way the last box went.
I have looked under the centre consol to see if the linkage is broken but no.I know i should look under the car on ramps but i don't have any and i don't have anyone nearby to help.
I have been told by the garage that it is probably the syncromesh.
Running the car in 3rd and 4th ,to the garage might be the only other way round it ,as you say early in the morning,the roads should be clear and most of it is motorway.
Why did you have to run your car through London in 3rd and 4th? must have been a knightmare!!

If i was you i'd check the cables are connected at the gearbox end... my car went because part of the shift mechanism on the outside of the box fell off.

Doesn't sound like anything internal to me. just sounds like one of the gearcables is not connected etc..

[Icsunonove]

Well since dishonest Jo has mentioned it, here's a tip (that I learned from my trackday engine disaster) if you do that:

If you phone up the AA (don't know if you're a member), make damn sure you tell them it's terminal and you need a tow truck. When they ask you your profession, just tell them "mechanic" or "engineer" or something technical.

Otherwise they may send a little van out to assess it first and then you'll have to wait again for a proper tow truck.

Best of luck!

Tom

[tonigmr2]

www.cartransportbroker.co.uk

fantastic website IMHO, I've had a broken down SC transported from Portsmouth to my house for £100 notes. Basically there are a network of blokes with trailers, and they can fit you in at fairly low cost with their other deliveries of the day. Worth a try.

T

[pistol supercharged pete]

steve
i told you 150 quid max i oubt it will be that much hence why i tol ya to give him a ring and then see
01233636393 he is there now - i know he is oing my engine
pete

[AW11 Forever..!]

Pete, I've just paid a straight £150 for a MK1 to be transported from Doncaster - Durham which is 95 miles. I only went for this option as I couldn't find anyone who could hire me a trailer.

Good luck

[Mk1 Turbo Powered Steve]

Thanks for all the advise everyone.
I had the car on a trailer yesterday,taken to Kent for 50 quid.
I was lucky that they where doing another pick up in Kent,would have been £95 otherwise.
Thanks Toni for the link !
I have now been told that the gear cable has snapped,thats why it wouldn't go into 1st,2nd,5th and reverse.
He is going to change both cables,if i'm lucky this might cure the problem i had with changing into 3rd.