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Post by mopedmark on Jul 8, 2015 12:38:05 GMT
Had a young couple bring me their VW Camper in for some Welding.Looking at the Chassis i wondered how it had stayed together. There was nothing left. The cross beams etc had rotted away to nothing. Had to point out to them that if they look at it from a distance it is sagging in the middle and probably will just collapse on itself before long. I think the most annoying part was when i asked them about the past M.O.T tests and pointed out that this camper would have never past a test for probably the last 10 years on structure alone. They said they just paid a Friend who works in the trade to take it away and do the test and charge them for any jobs needing doing. As i said to them the camper probably never got near a test station and the test papers were just printed out as a fail/work completed then Test pass to keep the system in order. Anyway the short fall is unless they have a full Chassis rebuild it is a death trap. Shame as they are on their travels around the South Coast.Like them i get attached to vehicles and their characters. Explained to them that i would do the work but we are talking Thousands money wise if they want me to do the restoration work as a daily 9-5 job work sheet. Or if they can find other transport and leave it with me i can do a few hours a day over a couple of months for nothing more that the cost of structure parts/welding gear costs and maybe a few hundred pounds Labour. Gave them a lift back to their campsite and told them to make a few phone calls and have a think about it.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2015 16:57:43 GMT
How easily people get taken in. It's scary to think of the lives put in danger by such vehicles! I think the MOT is great for making sure vehicles are basically safe to be on the road. This is the whole thing of keeping things properly maintained. If you keep on top of it then hopefully you won't get to many (expensive) surprises! Of course finding a good garage to do the work is another thing! No one likes to be taken for a ride! We have a very good garage near us which whilst it's not the cheapest (or by any stretch the dearest) they give good service and value for money and would recommend them to anyone! They don't do bikes or scooters though! I have no idea about somewhere locally that I can trust to repair my scooter or MOT it when needed. Basic servicing is one things, but I'm no mechanic really! Hope you hear back about the camper, sounds like a great project for you and would enable the couple to carry on enjoying their camper SAFELY!!
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Post by mopedmark on Jul 8, 2015 19:39:59 GMT
Think the softer side of me when it comes to people travelling has raised it's head. Had a call from a guy who is involved in Dorset VW campers who the couple have got in touch with who said he could strip the camper down to the Chassis with help in a day and would i be willing to rebuild the chassis at a good cost in a few days to help them on their way.Can i say no...cause not few hundred pounds plus steel and floor panels and they will be good to go. Just hope they learn the lesson of keeping an eye on what people say is done in the future repair wise.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2015 20:02:50 GMT
And everyone will be happy. That's the proper way to do things. A lot of people seem to want something for nothing these days, but life really isn't like that. A chap I know always is on the look out for something for next to nothing. I would never recommend any tradesmen that I use to him as no matter what price they gave him he always wants to pay less. One of our young lads who used to do private work gave him a "mates rates" price to do some wiring in his new kitchen, but when he did the job he wanted this and that done as well, all in the price! "Never again" he said. People are entitled to make a good living for doing a good job. I'll get off the old soap box now shall I? Hope your not to busy to get out for a CZ or Symply spin mate, bit blowy on the way home today but still very pleasant.
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Post by mopedmark on Jul 8, 2015 20:21:32 GMT
It's a funny old world when it comes to a trade. Sometimes it's a burden doing something that is not what you can get from a B&Q help leaflet. Thought to myself well in realistic terms if someone else is doing all the work gutting the camper down to the Chassis and going to put it back together after, for what is a days cutting and a days welding i'll take £500 for that.Gave the Symply a run to the shops this morning but thinking about dragging the Skoda 105 out the barn and getting it back on the road.A bit of a following now they are pretty rare on the roads and looks like the fan base have a few good Summer Camping weekends which is right up my street so to say.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2015 20:42:11 GMT
My Dad had a Skoda 120. Not the most refined car on the road, but it certainly served him well!
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Post by mopedmark on Jul 8, 2015 21:01:24 GMT
Yep refined is not the word i would use for the 80's Skoda though considering at the time of purchase new from a showroom you got a fiver change from £3000 for a new car you got what you paid for. Now if you want really bad i once owned an a Polish FSO pick up. Now that was at the bottom of the 'food chain' :-)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2015 21:31:34 GMT
Fiat Polski, what s..t heaps they were. Old Danny at work had one years ago, worst car ever. He had 2 Ladas after that, the second one was a Samara and that was in another league, he had that for many years! Oh my all this " Ostalger" . I've always had socialist leanings but I'm sounding like a full blown Communist here! Hahaha!
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Post by mopedmark on Jul 8, 2015 21:45:15 GMT
2 things i remember most about the FSO was you constantly thought you had a puncture in the front wheels because of the old fashioned worm and roller steering rather than rack and pinion and it was so heavy on the steering wheel and the other was wondering when you braked which direction the vehicle would head to because it never pulled up straight :-) Worrying thing is if i saw a cheapo one for sale i would buy it just for the memory lol
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