Need car towed!
Need car towed!
Can anyone recommend someone to tow a car from Sydenham to Farnham in Surrey? We have just had the car towed back from m20 by AA, but now need to get it to a garage- can't seem to find anyone who does that on Google! Any suggestions welcome! Thanks
Obviously the car has a fault. Towing to Farnham (about an hour and a half/two hours) is likely to be expensive. There are a couple of options i would explore
1) Wouldn't it be better to get the car fixed in Sydenham and then drive it to Farnham? (Knighton Motors/Sydenham Service Station)
2) join the AA/RAC and then claim you have broken down in Sydenham.
You are going to need a tow truck to go down the A3 to Farnham.
Ali B
1) Wouldn't it be better to get the car fixed in Sydenham and then drive it to Farnham? (Knighton Motors/Sydenham Service Station)
2) join the AA/RAC and then claim you have broken down in Sydenham.
You are going to need a tow truck to go down the A3 to Farnham.
Ali B
Thanks for your comments- jsut to elaborate- the reason we need to get it to Farnham is that my partner's Uncle there is a mechanic, so will let us know what the damage is (AA man told us it would need a new engine), then if it's too expensive to fix he will sell it for us.
The AA will only tow once per problem, and we had it taken back to Sydenham as they would only tow a maximum of 26 miles.
If the towing cost is huge then we will have to re-think so just wanted an idea of who i could contact for a possible tow!
The AA will only tow once per problem, and we had it taken back to Sydenham as they would only tow a maximum of 26 miles.
If the towing cost is huge then we will have to re-think so just wanted an idea of who i could contact for a possible tow!
I've been towed by the AA from somewhere on the M1 in Northamptonshire all the way to West Yorkshire in the past, and that was by one bloke!!
Perhaps you both had different levels of AA cover - there's the basic "Tow-you-to-the-nearest-garage" cover and the all-singing-all-dancing-put-you-up-in-a-hotel-whilst-your-car's-towed-home-and-lay-on-a-chauffeur-driven-Merc-for-you cover, and all stages in between
Perhaps you both had different levels of AA cover - there's the basic "Tow-you-to-the-nearest-garage" cover and the all-singing-all-dancing-put-you-up-in-a-hotel-whilst-your-car's-towed-home-and-lay-on-a-chauffeur-driven-Merc-for-you cover, and all stages in between
If I'd paid for a "warts and all" level of cover, I would expect the AA to tow me more than once if necessary.
Supposing, for example, I broke down on holiday. I would want towing to a local garage. And supposing they couldn't fix my car before I was due to go home? I'd want a tow home under those circumstances.
When I was with Green Flag and brok down on the way from Yorkshire to London, I was towed to the nearest motorway services, given a courtesy car for the weekend, then returned the car to the services and was towed home.
This is not taking the michael, this is taking advantage of a service I paid for!
Totally different matter if you just have basic AA cover - in this case, Eagle, would totally agree with you.
Supposing, for example, I broke down on holiday. I would want towing to a local garage. And supposing they couldn't fix my car before I was due to go home? I'd want a tow home under those circumstances.
When I was with Green Flag and brok down on the way from Yorkshire to London, I was towed to the nearest motorway services, given a courtesy car for the weekend, then returned the car to the services and was towed home.
This is not taking the michael, this is taking advantage of a service I paid for!
Totally different matter if you just have basic AA cover - in this case, Eagle, would totally agree with you.
Barty, i think the harsh comments were directed at me.
To address a few points....I didn't see that the original poster had already been towed by the AA. Call it text fatigue or whatever.
Secondly, I think the level of AA cover purchased entitles you to different benefits.
Thirdly, joing the AA/RAC and asking for immediate assistance is not passing on costs to other members. In fact my own experience of these motorist rescue organisations is that they will willing assist non-members as long as you take out a membership, there and then.
Finally, i can think of no cost-effective solution of how to get the car to Farnham. Tow trucks will not be cheap. I think it will be more financially prudent to explore other options. Did the AA man tell Pocketpip what the precise diagnosis was? Engine seizure, big end bearing failure?
scrapping the car or getting a second-hand engine from the Sydenham area will surely be cheaper and easier in the long run?....
Ali B
To address a few points....I didn't see that the original poster had already been towed by the AA. Call it text fatigue or whatever.
Secondly, I think the level of AA cover purchased entitles you to different benefits.
Thirdly, joing the AA/RAC and asking for immediate assistance is not passing on costs to other members. In fact my own experience of these motorist rescue organisations is that they will willing assist non-members as long as you take out a membership, there and then.
Finally, i can think of no cost-effective solution of how to get the car to Farnham. Tow trucks will not be cheap. I think it will be more financially prudent to explore other options. Did the AA man tell Pocketpip what the precise diagnosis was? Engine seizure, big end bearing failure?
scrapping the car or getting a second-hand engine from the Sydenham area will surely be cheaper and easier in the long run?....
Ali B
The AA man said that a belt had snapped, and may well have irreparably damaged the engine (although he couldn't tell just from a quick diagnosis).
Certainly not meaning to slight local garages by taking the car to Farnham, it would just mean that a family member could ensure that we were given the best advice possible, and then sell the car on (and store it in the meantime) if we cannot afford to have it fixed.
Of course we will use a local garage if necessary, and I have already spoken to a very helpful forum member about this.
Certainly not meaning to slight local garages by taking the car to Farnham, it would just mean that a family member could ensure that we were given the best advice possible, and then sell the car on (and store it in the meantime) if we cannot afford to have it fixed.
Of course we will use a local garage if necessary, and I have already spoken to a very helpful forum member about this.
the belt the AA man was referring to was the cam belt. A bit of technoblurb explanation:
The cam belt ensures that valves in the top of the cylinders come up and down in the correct sequence with the pistons. When the cam belt snapped, it meant that the pistons were probably colliding with the valves. Any damage should be isolated to the cylinder head which may require new valves and guides. This should be somewhere in the region of £300-£400.
Damage to the pistons and con-rods cannot be ruled out without actually looking at the engine. Therefore i would suggest giving Dartmouth Road service station or Knighton motors a call. They will come up with cost-effective suggestions for diagnosis that will cost you far less than towing the car to Farnham.
Ali B
The cam belt ensures that valves in the top of the cylinders come up and down in the correct sequence with the pistons. When the cam belt snapped, it meant that the pistons were probably colliding with the valves. Any damage should be isolated to the cylinder head which may require new valves and guides. This should be somewhere in the region of £300-£400.
Damage to the pistons and con-rods cannot be ruled out without actually looking at the engine. Therefore i would suggest giving Dartmouth Road service station or Knighton motors a call. They will come up with cost-effective suggestions for diagnosis that will cost you far less than towing the car to Farnham.
Ali B