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Carried home on my shield... again

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drooartz

drooartz

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It's been a few years, but last night I got to give my Hagerty roadside assistance a try. Drove the Maggie the Morris Minor to a gig not to far from home and the drive there was uneventful. Smelled a bit of coolant when I parked it, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Car was not overheating at all, just figured a little burp when it was shut off after a few miles through town.

During the gig my music partner mentioned that he had seen a little puddle under the car...

Took a quick break and checked it out. Sure enough, coolant on the ground. NOT on the side of the car where the overflow tube is. Popped the hood and sure enough, coolant is puddled in the engine bay. A quick look with the flashlight and I can see that the header tank is empty and there is an obvious spot in the fins where the coolant is leaking out.

So after the gig a quick call and a tow truck on its way. Luckily not a busy night for them, so the truck was there in maybe 10 minutes. Loaded up the Morris and my partner gave me a ride home.

So Maggie is now down for the count while a new radiator and hoses are on the way from England. I really can't complain, as I've had her on the road for 5 years and this is the first real issue and only time she's not gotten me home -- and she got me to the gig just fine, waiting until I was there (on time) to have her issue. Good old girl.

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condolences - and I suppose congrats. always glad when the road assistance plan comes together quickly!
 
It was my first try with Hagerty for roadside, and it worked just fine. Parts are all ordered, and the radiator replace on the Morris is easy (just 4 bolts plus the hoses) so it's an afternoon job once the parts come in.
 
yeah, congratulations on noticing it in a parking lot and not ending up on the side of the road. congratulations on knowing where to find the parts. congratulations on it being much cheaper and easier to fix than a modern car. congratulations on being patient with Maggie.
 
JamesH said:
yeah, congratulations on noticing it in a parking lot and not ending up on the side of the road. congratulations on knowing where to find the parts. congratulations on it being much cheaper and easier to fix than a modern car. congratulations on being patient with Maggie.
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I really can't complain, the little car got me to my gig and then had the issue. I am glad my partner noticed it, as I may have just driven on home and caused real damage by overheating. As it is, just a hiccup.

We took her on an 800 mile tour back in May, so I'm just fine that she waited until now
 
Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Was it a pin-hole in the radiator?
 
Basil said:
Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Was it a pin-hole in the radiator?
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That's what I'm thinking. Haven't pulled it out yet, but the leak was about dead center in the radiator. Fedex willing the new one will be here later this week
 
drooartz said:
That's what I'm thinking. Haven't pulled it out yet, but the leak was about dead center in the radiator. Fedex willing the new one will be here later this week
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Hope you have better luck with FedEx that I've had recently.
 
Fingers are crossed
 
Parts arrived yesterday. Ordered Sunday, at my door Wednesday from England to Utah. Can't complain. Hoping to get the radiator installed tonight if all goes well.
 
drooartz said:
Parts arrived yesterday. Ordered Sunday, at my door Wednesday from England to Utah. Can't complain. Hoping to get the radiator installed tonight if all goes well.
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Dang, that was fast! I'm still waiting for the inner wheel shield I ordered back on Aug 30th!
 
drooartz said:
Parts arrived yesterday. Ordered Sunday, at my door Wednesday from England to Utah. Can't complain. Hoping to get the radiator installed tonight if all goes well.
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They must have used DHL. Those guys know how to deliver fast, unlike the USA based shipping companies.
 
FedEx actually. I've had this happen before, where shipping from the UK was faster than from across the USA. Who knows.

Radiator on the Morris is just 4 bolts plus the 2 hoses. In reality should take less than an hour even with replacing all the hoses.
 
RickF said:
They must have used DHL. Those guys know how to deliver fast, unlike the USA based shipping companies.
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A couple months ago I ordered a part from the USA - $26 USD part with $25 USD shipping (it would fit in a small envelope) and when it got here I got a $23 bill for taxes and duties - of which $3 was tax and duties and $20 was DHL's admin fee - I find DHL the wrost fro cross border shipping for gouging.
 
That really is excessive. My only experience with DHL was good. About 2 years ago they delivered a bumper for the Prefect from Ireland to here in 6 days for $68 USD.
 
Bayless said:
That really is excessive. My only experience with DHL was good. About 2 years ago they delivered a bumper for the Prefect from Ireland to here in 6 days for $68 USD.
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wow! next time I'm having it shipped to your house šŸ˜ - cross border is a big deal but normally the gubbmint doesn't go after duty and taxes for less than about $100. But DHL seems to be the worst of doing it anyway. For us in the frozen north the USPS is typically the best way to go.

Oh and, fun fact, the Canadian gubbmint under pressure from the retailers has a quite low (less than $100) benchmark for not collecting duty and taxes - much lower than other countries, This means that Canadians use ebay and mail order much less than other countries - and that the gubbmint spends 23 million dollars a year to collect 11 million dollars of duty and taxes. :rolleyes:

back to Drew's tale of woe
 
Hard to explain government thinking isn't it? Oh, if you shipped it to my house we would still have to find a way to get it across that same border.
 
JPSmit said:
A couple months ago I ordered a part from the USA - $26 USD part with $25 USD shipping (it would fit in a small envelope) and when it got here I got a $23 bill for taxes and duties - of which $3 was tax and duties and $20 was DHL's admin fee - I find DHL the wrost fro cross border shipping for gouging.
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Shipping from the USA is very different than shipping to the USA. And the duty and taxes are thanks to your government, not DHL. DHL charges you a fee because of the trouble they have to go to to collect the tax and duties and then pay it to your government. I ordered a transmission gear set from MiniSpares on a Tuesday afternoon and received them on Friday before noon. Shipping was about $30 and there were no extra fees, taxes, or duty. I have never had to pay "duty" or any extra taxes on anything I've ordered from England. :smile:
 
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