54 replies to this topic

[The Matt]

Hmmm, what to do?

Firstly, PM Barnett and ask him to have a look at this thread.

We are going over there in a little over 4 weeks. I know it's a long time away yet, but I'd be happy to take a load of parts over with me and try to get it running. If it was closer to the run, you could've hopped in acar with one of us, got the ferry over (which is already booked and paid for), then driven it back. In fact, there is a definite solution there, it's just a pain that it's 4 weeks away from happening.

The only solution would be to try and find local storage there, get a local to look after it and wait the 4 weeks.

I'm sure itsbit much help, but the offer is there if you need it.

[Louise]

afternoon!!

Thanks everyone for their ideas and offeres of help, we are very grateful.... having spoken to them all at home, the common consensus seems to be to carry on arguing with RAC, it appears its only one french guy who thinks the car was being raced on the ring... which is wasn't....

so if thers a way of proving it wasn't then we might get somewhere.... If not we have a private guy lined up who will pick up the car and tow it back to somewhere near Newbury, so my dad to pick up when hes next off work. what we now know is it is definatly coming home


As for spare plates on the ring... agreed, there are ring photogrpahers out taking and selling photos, they are uploaded online dated, and also named with the cars reg plate.... so all it takes is a quick search to bring up some nice photos.... a second set of plates would sure fool the photogrpahers, though given its a road rather than a track youd have to be a bit careful with that one

[Alburglar]

http://www.lizardlog...s.com/page2.htm - brit ring addicts who specilaise in in ring recovery

post on here too, someone will always be able to help.

[Gexx]

http://www.lizardlog...s.com/page2.htm - brit ring addicts who specilaise in in ring recovery

post on here too, someone will always be able to help.

x2 for Lizard Logistics. Alex is a top bloke.

Met him last year and went round the ring in his stripped out Golf a couple of times

[Southy]

Oh dear Louise can't believe Ben has his car still over there, RAC are being complete tools hope you manage to get it all sorted out and get his car back asap.

[Ethel]

I had a punch up with the RAC in France many years ago after we got overtaken by a wheel off our canoe trailer. Dunno if it was just a French thing or because they weren't able to make "executive decisions" being too low and too far away from those who could. Our dispute was over whether the trailer was covered as fully as the tow vehicle. They were prepared to fly 15 of us home, but not rent us a replacement trailer

Threatening to sue 'em in the UK for breech of contract seemed to do the trick.

How much are you getting stung for storage? You should dispute that if they didn't tell you they weren't going to repatriate the car when they took it, they misled you so don't have your consent.

Tell them they are in breach of section 16 of The Unfair Contracts Terms Act, should give 'em summet to think about.

[Alburglar]

http://www.lizardlog...s.com/page2.htm - brit ring addicts who specilaise in in ring recovery

post on here too, someone will always be able to help.

er i meant to say

post on here too, someone will always be able to help: www.northloop.co.uk

I had a similar issue with the AA. they said the car was old and not worth bringing back, I argued that because the car was over 10 years old I had to pay an extra fee when I took the policy so that got them to bring it back. It's so dumb, it's not as if they give you the market value of the car to replace it, so what's the point of having the policy in the first place? Adac were even worse, as we found out when stig broke down on the way home - in england!
I use Adrian Flux rescue because I have a modified policy with them and so they could never argue about market price of my car.

- The racing thing or driving in a racing manner is BS tho. It REAAALLLY is legally a toll road, so legally all they have is pictures of you on a toll road and of course you only went on as a tourist and drove responsibly and not in a racing manner! If you threaten to take them to court, there is no way they can prove your driving style from a couple of photo's. There policy has to specifically say "no recovery from nurburgring" and seeing as they don't know you broke down on there it wouldn't make a jot of difference - especially as it's electrical so that also makes driving style irrelevant. If you didn't overheat or crash or bearing failed or something, then the ring is totally irrelevant!

- now get back on to a manager and don't take no for an answer! Then start the fight with the market value thing. If it's modified and worth more, then that is great. Assuming they didn't ask anything like that when you took the policy out. I f they didn't ask you about mods and reckon they are excluded - then they have mis-sold you the policy which makes everthing else irrelevant and you can sue them for that too. Or at the very least threaten to so they bring the car back.

Edited by Alburglar, 31 July 2010 - 05:12 PM.

[Dan]

Sorry Al and the rest of you but the 'Ring is not a road, toll or otherwise. It is a race track, it was built as a race track and it is operated as a race track. The one way toll road nonsense was made up by someone to try to claim on their insurance, which is why all policies now include that clause. That claim doesn't hold water legally though, for several reasons. Not least of which being that it doesn't go anywhere. Yes road law applies on it during tourist sessions, but road law applies everywhere unless the owner of the land specifically exempts you from it. That's why you can be nicked for speeding in a car park.

You can't claim to your recovery firm that your car is worth more than they think it is AFTER you have broken down. If you have a classic or special car, you must inform the recovery firm of the value before you travel. The easiest way is to have agreed value insurance and tell them about it, but you must do that before you leave. Otherwise it's you that's in breach. They all say that they will not recover a car to a cost greater than it's book price. They are completely in the wrong about voiding your cover completely simply because you've been on the track though, providing you didn't actually break down on the track (you said at the start that the car was towed off).

I wouldn't worry too much about taking common parts with you, you can get parts for almost anything in Adenau or nearby within just a few days. Including a front oil seal for a Sierra automatic transmission, if you don't mind waiting. It's not like you're going into the heart of Africa, it's right in the centre of Europe. There's a massive city just an hour away. It's worth taking a few odd or hard to come by things but don't get carried away.

[Louise]

Oh dear Louise can't believe Ben has his car still over there, RAC are being complete tools hope you manage to get it all sorted out and get his car back asap.

hi Adam, its not Bens, its my dads and brothers, the red one....

And Dan, we've spoken to the RAC, they class it under their contracts as a toll road , the car initial had issues on the track and was pulled off to reduce danger etc. The car then broke down at the hotel and was therefore recovered from the hotel, not on the ring. As for taking the parts... the whole reason the car wasnt fixed there and then, was simply because, with a whole group of RAF engineers and electricians, and all these places to get car parts from... the correct parts couldnt be sourced anywhere, and with time restrictions it wouldnt be possible to wait a few days and to fixc the car. Thats why the car got left there alone .

Whats happened now, after various heated conversations and phone calls pointing out how RAC are the ones in breach of contract, not ourselves.... RAC have decided to tow it back or get it fixed, seems as the cost of getting it fixed will a nice big sum of money, the garage have said they wont fix it so they expect it home in a few days( I belive).

All of this was simply because one person thought that car had been used as part of a race, which it hadnt... it had been used jsut to go for a drive round the ring. But hopefully all sorted now.

[mighty_mini]

talk to crocks, he had this problem. and he had to pick it up himself.

also ted (pug205) who came with us 2 years ago had that issue, and he sorted it with threats to get his missus on the fone

Edited by mighty_mini, 01 August 2010 - 09:49 PM.

[Kam]

Whats happened now, after various heated conversations and phone calls pointing out how RAC are the ones in breach of contract, not ourselves.... RAC have decided to tow it back or get it fixed, seems as the cost of getting it fixed will a nice big sum of money, the garage have said they wont fix it so they expect it home in a few days( I belive)

So its coming home then? If so

Simple and straightforward aint it?

[Louise]

Whats happened now, after various heated conversations and phone calls pointing out how RAC are the ones in breach of contract, not ourselves.... RAC have decided to tow it back or get it fixed, seems as the cost of getting it fixed will a nice big sum of money, the garage have said they wont fix it so they expect it home in a few days( I belive)

So its coming home then? If so

Simple and straightforward aint it?

yepyep it is now that wasnt the case a day ago

[Alburglar]

Well done! It worked for me so I had confidence for you!

[Kam]

Went and saw my cousin the other day, he got back from his 'ring trip last week.......without his car!

Anti-roll bar snapped on his audi trackday car whilst doing 70mph couple of corners before the adenau exit, he took out about 24 meters of armco and his audi is written off! He's okay but his finances aren't......nice 1900 euro bill!

Car is still out there, he managed to find a local known guy who's holding it in storage for him for minor costs, he knows I'm going in a few weeks so he may drive "alongside" us with a trailor, sods law, he decided not to take his trailor this year

He told me to get some ADAC cover (just incase) as car gets removed from track and taken home if they can't fix within certain amount of days, its not the basic cover I think this ones around 70 or 80 euros? Will look into it....

All fun?

[Alburglar]

adac cover is B***S***! Ask stig. They will only recover 15miles! on that policy. And I still have it, because i cancelled it after the stig episode and they have T&C's in german ofcourse, that say you have to give a years notice! So I had to pay again too.