Beware recovery vehicles

[gareth h]

I had to use RAC recovery after the car expired this morning, engs diagnosis was possible crankshaft sensor, problem came when the recovery vehicle finally arrived, no towing eyes and an hour of umming and aahing, meant the ro couldn't be loaded onto a conventional vehicle without damaging the front valence.
Worth mentioning this if you need to be recovered, apparantly they also have vehicles where the whole bed drops to road level rather than just tipping.
Still I was only stuck by the side of the road for 6 hours!

[V8HSV]

Been recovered a few times, if you stand at the front of the car you can lift it as it is winched onto trailer thus allowing the front valance to clear enough to get it on board, sounds mad but it works - you are not actually physically lifting the car just taking some of the weight of the front suspension for a few seconds, not much help now I know but worth remembering should it happen to you.

[woody vt]

V8HSV said:

Been recovered a few times, if you stand at the front of the car you can lift it as it is winched onto trailer thus allowing the front valance to clear enough to get it on board, sounds mad but it works - you are not actually physically lifting the car just taking some of the weight of the front suspension for a few seconds, not much help now I know but worth remembering should it happen to you.

I did exactly the same thing when the clutch went. Not ideal but it works. No damage at all

[gareth h]

I've just fitted coilovers so car is 20-25mm lower than standard, springs are a bit stiffer too, so might have worked but could have been expensive if it hadn't quite cleared. I've heard that the cars are fitted with towing eyes which are removed when the cars are pdi'd.

[AM04ARO]

What was wrong with the car?

[bovered79]

gareth h said:

I've just fitted coilovers so car is 20-25mm lower than standard, springs are a bit stiffer too, so might have worked but could have been expensive if it hadn't quite cleared. I've heard that the cars are fitted with towing eyes which are removed when the cars are pdi'd.

You obviously haven't seen how low Wills car is then....

[gareth h]

Problem was angle of cable from winch, would have had to support the front end half way up the bed, I haven't been in the gym for a few days so it would have been beyond me!
Alan, car is at Pics, Rac guy suspected crank sensor, but didn't have software to read Monaro fault codes so will have to wait and see. Frustrating because was just getting suspension set up about right.

[eliot]

Did he consider winching it up the ramp backwards ?

[well_fans]

eliot said:

Did he consider winching it up the ramp backwards ?

I was going to suggest that then thought about it - the front splitter would probably have dragged on the road surface that way round.

[gareth h]

Yep, that was the problem with dragging it on backwards. There also wasn't anything obvious to shackle the cable to.