A cautionary tale...

[retrogeezer]

Only just read this too and gutted to hear what happened.The only thing I can say is at least it went front first, if it was backwards you would have no bolt-on parts to repair it.Hope you get it sorted without too much outlay Richard.And have a great week off.....shame I won't see you at Wyke Down as I'm at my parents this weekend and will be popping over there.My experience of this happening was on holiday a couple of years ago. I was walking up the main street in Bideford (which is a pretty steep hill) with my girlfriend and my daughter in a buggy.I saw this car coming backwards across the street at us, fairly slowly but picking up speed and then noticed there was no-one in it. A couple of other guys had noticed too and we all managed to stop it rolling back and pushed it back to the kerb. It was all locked up, handbrake not on and owner nowhere to be seen! we had to use a brick to stop it moving.

[Mr Lobster]

Bugger! Sorry to hear that.Only just seen it myself too as I have been away all week. However pleased to see it sounds like there may be a happy outcome. Seems too good a car to scrap just yet.

[r.welfare]

Right, now I am back from France* I have had a chance, this morning with the driving wind and rain, to strip the front end. Both wings and bumper off, up and away.Doesn't look too bad, some localised ripping to the fan panel near the n/s headlight, but I reckon it'll all bolt up.Water leak has been traced to a hose connection up above the thermostat, presumably going to a heater pipe - looks like the rubber hose has twisted out of it's slot.Putting the feelers out as we speak on findapart and eBay, so we will see what happens. Then, it's a case of refitting, and getting the 'screen replaced before the MOT in October. But I am confident! Work appears to have overpaid me this month as well, which may help...* Yeah, France was a bit of a let-down in shite terms hence no pictures. Perhaps this was symptomatic of the location (just south-east of Paris, next to Eurodisney), but I hardly saw anything of note on either the autoroutes down from Dunkerque, or on the Peripherique when we went to Versailles. Seems that Pierre likes modern tin these days - a TV advert for the C4 Picasso thing was plugging a 2200 Euro rebate if you traded in a car over 8 years old.All I have on the camera is a very fuzzy pic of a Talbot Horizon in Paris, taken from the top deck of one of those open-top double-decker buses that do tourist trips. I did see a Chrysler 180, resplendent in black Hammerite, grey primer and bronze paint, but couldn't get a pic. At least t'wife knows what I want for Christmas now.

[Guest]

I did see a Chrysler 180, resplendent in black Hammerite, grey primer and bronze paint, but couldn't get a pic.

Ha ha! That must be the French guy who fights for parts with Vicsmith. Quality.

[r.welfare]

It was sort-of done in a striping effect, like Ford works rally cars of the mid/late 80s - RS200, Sierra Cosworth, that kind of thing. Really most odd.I did see a rather nice 204 saloon on the Peripherique, but I was too busy trying not to crash, so didn't take a pic. Most stuff has lost the characteristic white-on-black plates that all French tin used to have, only a handful are still on them. A pair were attached to an early Mk3 Cav 1.7D (or Opel Vectra, more correctly) that I berated for slowing me on the autoroute - looking back, 130kph was probably top whack for one of those.One R4 spotted, a handful of Supercinqs (no Mk1 R5s to be seen), and an R30 on top of a pile of buses in a scrapyard near Cambrai, and that was about it. Although, the Paris Gendarmerie plainly have no requirement to change their patrol vehicles on a regular basis, as there were original Clios and Mk3 Transits (the original, pre-smiley-face jobs) parked outside their HQ on the Left Bank.I did pick up a copy of Gazoline (their version of Practical Classics) and it's a jolly good read, even if my GCSE French doesn't pick up all the words. And there are at least 2 R15s, Simca 1100s, R16s and R20s in the classifieds. One other great thing is their hypermarkets have a big aisle dedicated to car stuff, so I picked up some oil, wiper blades and oil filters.

[Pillock]

Comiserations Mr. W, what a real bummer A similar problem with parking the KG on the highest point in the county, so I got a Polo to use as a carstop:

Hmmm..... from your location I'd assume you're in Nottinghamshire, as I am, but the highest location is good ol' Mutton Hill on the A611, there's plaques there and everything. And I've never seen your KG as I push my bike up it every morning on my way to work :)You aren't Martin, are you? Forest Town?