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Picking Up The 3rd Vectra!
Well leading on from this... Here's the chuckle brothers version of whats been going on over the last 3 days!
So, I was told Monday we could borrow a recovery truck, hence commiting to bid on the car and pay a deposit (my offer not the sellers) went to pick it up at 10am to find out its not been arrange by my mates "boss" so many phone calls later we finally get the keys at 1pm to be told there's a possible alternator issue wit the truck!
Anyway it jump starts (stood in snow 3 week) and runs so we risk it, gets all way to cheltenham from Leeds area (M62-M6-M5) no issues, just as we pull it up on the truck outside the guys house my phone dies, been using it for nav and even turning it on and off to conserve battery, good news it is SRi full heated leathers and CD70 nav, all for the extortionate price of £345
Anyway, we decided to go the Sheffield way on the way back, due to 1 accident closing the eastbound M62 (air ambulance was there!) and massive tailbacks north on the M6... Half way home my mates phone died but its not too bad as approaching Sheffield, starts the get dark so we put the lights on, thats when it gets really silly...
Kept losing lights and power, dash kept dying as soon as lights turned on (fuel gauge never worked) so mate decides to risk running up a darkened motorway with just trailer side markers on and wont put radio on or charge his phone!! (Didn't have mine), 30+ mins of this was scary enough until, boom, complete failure so we crawl into the hard shoulder (motorway was dead) then sit there stumped for 5 mins before trying to get it started...
So we then had to jump in the Vectra, plugged in his phone and waiting to get enough juice in it to make a phone call or 2, gets one off to a mate who luckily enough has a 4x4 and a mechanic (2 junctions from home at this stage luckily) he turns up, cant get it started so tows us off the M-way and he needs to shoot as off somewhere so drops us back at the garage, we get another battery, more diesel just in case and a few tools, Have to take the Merc ML (as all 3 sprinters have been taken home!) and we thought worse case we'll have to try tow the Vectra...
Gets back down to the recovery, cant get it sorted (air lock in injectors is presumed) so lets tow it to jump start, then realise the detachable towbar of the ML has been taken off and not left in the car!! second trip back to garage we cant find it so call it a night... Straight on beer for me once home...
Second Attempt:
Still cant get a sprinter but we now have an A-frame to use, but ML is now being used also, Mate with 4x4 who originally towed us said he'd try sort it later that evening so to help my mate who drove, I sprayed some wheels while he did one of the campers that turned up, at least he earned a wage lol... Gets to the lads house with 4x4 and he wont go straight away as rear windows jumped of the runner so wasted time sorting that in the dark, by this time my missus was off out so I had to pop home, take kids to my mums and bob back...
Finally we get sorted and get down there, another 30 mins of the mechanic mate playing with it he decides to just try tow the recovery truck, it does bump start quarter of a mile later so we convoy at 9pm with no lights on the recovery like a load of thieving Jipsy's (3 cars) and getting funny looks. finally gets it back to garage and didn't want to take it back to its permanent home due to van and issues...
We though today we would sort it but family stuff and more messing about put a holt to it so its still on the recovery truck at min, cant sort it tomo as my mates driving to brighton and then I'm back at work Tue so he will have to sort it himself...
So the morally of the story, if something seems a bargain and you don't need to part with much money, you will get a nice kick in the nuts by some other method that may not hit your pocket, but still a massive ball ache lol
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Originally Posted by paulvectrac
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