How stupid!
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Discussion

TimJM

Original Poster:

1,497 posts

239 months

Thursday 30th May 2013
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start of rant
Well today has started badly. I need to move my Griff out of my garage at home for a few weeks and planned to put it into the council garage I rent 1/2 a mile away. I phoned the insurance company to make sure they were happy with the temporary change of address for overnight storage (classic policy so has to be in a garage overnight) and all set - insurance changed over today. I just emptied my council garage (up at 5am to get it all done). Drove my Griff over and guess what - it is too wide to fit through the door!

How fking stupid! What is the point of a garage that is too narrow to put car in? I didn't think TVR's were particularly large cars but there is no way it it will make it through the door.

Well that has royally fked my day as I am collecting a second car that needs restoration today from central London and is also on a classic laid up policy so has to be in my garage overnight.

What a balls up.

end of rant

Right, feel better for that - off to London I go.


jimed

1,508 posts

235 months

Thursday 30th May 2013
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Hope you do get something sorted. Many garages have not kept up with the growth in the size of cars and I guess that the older council garages will be quite small as most will now be fairly old. When we got our first house (starting to show my age here!) I think they were offered as 15ft x 8ft so many of the current cars would have no chance of fitting in!
Jim

tvrboy55

185 posts

199 months

Thursday 30th May 2013
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what have you done with your tvr then?

swisstoni

23,900 posts

308 months

Thursday 30th May 2013
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That must be one small garage. Perhaps they can find you another one?

TimJM

Original Poster:

1,497 posts

239 months

Thursday 30th May 2013
quotequote all
Well I am back from London nearly 11pm from my 5am start. What a long day. Just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong. After all the messing about this morning taking cars back and forth that didn't fit garages I was 30 mins late to pick up the car trailer supposed to be at 10am. The trailer key left for me was the wrong one so had to wait for my mate to come back from a business meeting with the right key...at 1pm. Then hit heavy London traffic getting into London and was tight fit in just about all roads (it is a huge trailer). Finally managed to get to location but it is a private gated community and once inside the entrance gat had to un hitch and maul the massive 6 wheeler trailer around by hand.

Finally managed to get it up to the car, tilted and lowered ready to winch...the winch battery was flat. Messed about and in the end managed to get a daisy chain of jump leads onto a nearby transit van to power the winch.

Managed to get the car in and all set to leave at gone 6pm. Hit heavy London traffic trying to get out. Had to stop about 9pm to eat (hadn't eaten yet today) and just pulled up home.

tvrboy55 said:
what have you done with your tvr then?
Nothing yet. Still safely tucked up in my garage. I will have to sort something out tomorrow.

swisstoni said:
That must be one small garage. Perhaps they can find you another one?
It is the same size as all of them so I guess they are all small. I will speak to the council tomorrow as I'm not happy I can't fit a car in a garage - even if it is only for a few weeks.



I will add some pics tomorrow if I get chance. Behind at work and had several clients trying to get hold of me all day today...tomorrow will be a better day...

A beer then bed I think.

gutu12

606 posts

305 months

Thursday 30th May 2013
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But at least you bought a TVR today so not all bad. I had to go to work!!

gavgavgav

1,569 posts

258 months

Thursday 30th May 2013
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I don't think he as revealed the make of the new car yet?

Dischordant

603 posts

230 months

Friday 31st May 2013
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Why does a classic car policy have to have the car garaged? News to me!

Chilliman

12,419 posts

190 months

Friday 31st May 2013
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We need to know more about the mystery car, and the restoration 'plan' C'mon Tim, fess up wink

tvrboy55

185 posts

199 months

Friday 31st May 2013
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If you leave it outside then it is pron to damaged or stolen, if you park it in garage then it is safe and secure. pay more for outside, and les for inside, it's up to you.

jamieduff1981

8,092 posts

169 months

Friday 31st May 2013
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Lots of insurers are charging more to park in garages than an off road driveway these days, owing to the number of claims from people scraping the car whilst getting in and out of the garage. Mine is on a classic policy on the driveway outside as there's a plane and an MG Midget sharing the garage which are less weather proof. No insurance issues at all with that.

900T-R

20,406 posts

286 months

Friday 31st May 2013
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How a TVR cannot fit into a garage is beyond me - compared to most cars on the road today they're tiny!

TimJM

Original Poster:

1,497 posts

239 months

Friday 31st May 2013
quotequote all
Update for you - the car issue is sorted for now. I highly recommend classicline insurance, they are sensible and helpful and don't seem to have any of this £15 admin charge bullst every time you call them to make a change.

So the mystery car (as Chilliman put it) is...

My new project

Not the one you were expecting Chilliman? That project is still under wraps...

wedgeinald

1,314 posts

219 months

Saturday 1st June 2013
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900T-R said:
How a TVR cannot fit into a garage is beyond me - compared to most cars on the road today they're tiny!
I have a 280i wedge and that JUST fits in an old council garage (to the point I have to "fold up" the mirrors to make sure it fits width wise) the garage is JUST long enough to get some shelves in at the far end and the door JUST shuts woth the wedge in.

Some of these garages ARE tiny.

TimJM

Original Poster:

1,497 posts

239 months

Saturday 1st June 2013
quotequote all
wedgeinald said:
I have a 280i wedge and that JUST fits in an old council garage (to the point I have to "fold up" the mirrors to make sure it fits width wise) the garage is JUST long enough to get some shelves in at the far end and the door JUST shuts woth the wedge in.

Some of these garages ARE tiny.
The mirrors on the Griff don't fold in (well not more than half an inch). Plus it has a big arse. The front of the car was touching on both sides of the door virtually (1/2 inch either side if that) so no chance the rear or mirrors would get through.

Typical council stupidity really. They can put 12 garages in that nobody can use to make some extra cash renting them where 10 normal size garages would fit.

Short-sighted muppets.

DonkeyApple

69,585 posts

198 months

Saturday 1st June 2013
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900T-R said:
How a TVR cannot fit into a garage is beyond me - compared to most cars on the road today they're tiny!
Although, when you think back to the early 90s they were wide buggers. I used to keep mine over winter in a 60s built garage and I remember getting out was a sod once I'd squeezed the car in.

DonkeyApple

69,585 posts

198 months

Saturday 1st June 2013
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Dischordant said:
Why does a classic car policy have to have the car garaged? News to me!
My policies have always stated that when at home they must be in the garage overnight.

Chilliman

12,419 posts

190 months

Saturday 1st June 2013
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DonkeyApple said:
900T-R said:
How a TVR cannot fit into a garage is beyond me - compared to most cars on the road today they're tiny!
Although, when you think back to the early 90s they were wide buggers. I used to keep mine over winter in a 60s built garage and I remember getting out was a sod once I'd squeezed the car in.
Lose some weight fatty silly

DonkeyApple

69,585 posts

198 months

Saturday 1st June 2013
quotequote all
Chilliman said:
DonkeyApple said:
900T-R said:
How a TVR cannot fit into a garage is beyond me - compared to most cars on the road today they're tiny!
Although, when you think back to the early 90s they were wide buggers. I used to keep mine over winter in a 60s built garage and I remember getting out was a sod once I'd squeezed the car in.
Lose some weight fatty silly
But i like pies. I got a larger garage. biggrin

gavgavgav

1,569 posts

258 months

Sunday 2nd June 2013
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TimJM said:
The mirrors on the Griff don't fold in (well not more than half an inch). Plus it has a big arse. The front of the car was touching on both sides of the door virtually (1/2 inch either side if that) so no chance the rear or mirrors would get through.

Typical council stupidity really. They can put 12 garages in that nobody can use to make some extra cash renting them where 10 normal size garages would fit.

Short-sighted muppets.
When I rented a garage from the council they made a big point that the garage was for the storage of a car. In effect there was also no way a TVR would fit in it, but it did suit nicely the boxes I needed to store smile

In the block of garages I was renting from there were so few that had a vehicle in them, which is no surprise giving the size.