Dick wrote: ↑Sun Dec 12, 2021 2:28 pm
That's a bit of a nuisance...what did the insurance company say??
They were fine about it. My NCD is unaffected too, as apparently I paid an extra tenner to protect it when I renewed my cars policy last year so, although the Disco is on a fresh - single vehicle - policy of its own, cover for that came in at a reasonable £85, but that's helped by its being a Japanese import
and a cherished vehicle on the grounds of its age. The fact that it weighs two tons and only has 113bhp to get it moving probably helps, as does the fact that it had a Thatcham cat 1 security system fitted when it came to the uk, a happy side effect of which being that it's quite possibly the only Series 1 Disco [Clarkson]
in the world[Clarkson] whose doors all lock {and unlock!
) from a fob!
, albeit not the factory one.
The only issue I'm still having to pursue with my insurers is that somewhere and somewhen between being recovered and ending up in its current location, a salvage yard down in Billingham, Cleveland - whose contact details are in the Isle of Man
- my code reader and the old Lenovo tablet that I used as its BT display have "gone missing," which is annoying and clearly, it's a pure coincidence that this kit was the only stuff of any value left in the car, they posted everything else back to me including the toilet and my boot jump, which was in the car at the time, complete with gas bottle.
Not much need for these now, the Discovery doesn't have sleeping accommodation, incredibly practical though she otherwise is.
I've also started the search for a replacement everyday car as the poor old Disco has been pressed into daily service and I'm struggling to keep up with the task of keeping the underside free from potentially damaging chips from the ash that goes down on the roads locally at the slightest hint of frosty conditions. The chassis' layer of Zinc is intact but the sills, body mounts and floors, along with the rest of the steel parts of the body, are not Galvanised and I've already seen some light surface rust on the suspension turrets, which are bolted onto the chassis so weren't dipped as the rest of [the chassis] had been. Sadly (
), this Disco came without any oil leaks (no, the sump isn't empty, before some cheeky bugger suggests that
..) so there's no natural layer of additional protection on the underside. Oh well, at least I have a clean drive!
I'd hoped to find something modern but worn and disposable for around £1000 or below, but all of the automatics that would fit me are way overpriced even though I'd thought that the "Covid Tax" effect was largely over. The daily would ideally be another suitably capacious Toyota but a Transit Connect, Citroen Nemo, Citroen C3, the Fiat equivalent of the Nemo or anything else that has a proper automatic option and is similar in shape would do the job. No MMTs or DSGs though and ideally, nothing with a small fuel tank. I filled the Disco's tank the day it was delivered and have only filled it once since. That'll be 'cos it holds 21 Gallons and the thing does an average 31.7mpg on SVO / DERV at a 50/50 mixture. OK so I have to baby the thing along to do this, but driving at a steady 60 and sitting between the heavies on the A roads is pleasant.
