It’s Monday afternoon, and we’ve had a fairly eventful 24 hours.
The van was getting through water at a rate of about 10 litres every 20 minutes, with steam coming out of the exhaust like Stephenson’s Rocket. It wasn’t looking good, but at least it was still running. Progress was slow though, and the BMW went on ahead to check in to our hostel in Innsbruck (Austria). The van and the Jag arrived an hour later at around 9.30 pm. It had been a long day – much of it spent by the roadside.
After much discussion over a curry last night, we decided to make two calls this morning. One to the American car specialist in the UK for some advice, and one to the breakdown service in the UK to put them on standby.
The news from the first call wasn’t good, and the over-the-phone diagnosis was that one or both cylinder heads would most likely be cracked. Getting parts and getting the repairs done over here is something that would take days if not weeks. We discussed all the options, including taking the engine apart to check the damage, and even buying another old banger over here and continuing in that. With a heavy heart, Quent phoned the breakdown service.
Within the hour, the van was on the back of a truck, and most of the kit transferred to the two cars. The insurance company have confirmed that the van can be repatriated back to the UK, and so today at lunch in a café in the centre of Innsbruck, we raised a glass to the loss of our dear Chevy Van.
We’re now heading through the Alps for Trieste in country number nine – Italy. Spirits have only been dampened slightly, and we are all still on good form and looking forward to the rest of our trip. The BMW and Jag are running smoothly, and are admirably coping with the extra responsibility resting on their shoulders.
The van was getting through water at a rate of about 10 litres every 20 minutes, with steam coming out of the exhaust like Stephenson’s Rocket. It wasn’t looking good, but at least it was still running. Progress was slow though, and the BMW went on ahead to check in to our hostel in Innsbruck (Austria). The van and the Jag arrived an hour later at around 9.30 pm. It had been a long day – much of it spent by the roadside.
After much discussion over a curry last night, we decided to make two calls this morning. One to the American car specialist in the UK for some advice, and one to the breakdown service in the UK to put them on standby.
The news from the first call wasn’t good, and the over-the-phone diagnosis was that one or both cylinder heads would most likely be cracked. Getting parts and getting the repairs done over here is something that would take days if not weeks. We discussed all the options, including taking the engine apart to check the damage, and even buying another old banger over here and continuing in that. With a heavy heart, Quent phoned the breakdown service.
Within the hour, the van was on the back of a truck, and most of the kit transferred to the two cars. The insurance company have confirmed that the van can be repatriated back to the UK, and so today at lunch in a café in the centre of Innsbruck, we raised a glass to the loss of our dear Chevy Van.
We’re now heading through the Alps for Trieste in country number nine – Italy. Spirits have only been dampened slightly, and we are all still on good form and looking forward to the rest of our trip. The BMW and Jag are running smoothly, and are admirably coping with the extra responsibility resting on their shoulders.
4 comments:
Some more German for you...
Wie komme ich am besten zum Bahnhof/flughafen, bitte?
I fear you may be needing this...
We are delighted that the Chevy is alive, though sick, and look forward to seeing it again. Where are you sending it and do we need to arrange a welcome home party for it?
Keith
I am sad - my heart is so heavy,
It's a bad thing to part with the Chevy,
When driving round Italy
If you're missing it bitterly
Just pull over and go for a bevvy.
Hi,
£200 for the van was offered to me, is that acceptable?
Keep it going. Wish I was there !
Mari
PS Great Ditty Helen
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