Well!!! Now I need new transport

[Moondog55]

Good trip home from Falls Creek on Tuesday
BUT
I wasn't going to make it home on my remaining fuel so I called into the service station on the Western Ring Road and while waiting until I could put $5- of petrol in the car some young and inexperienced driver reversed into me. While I have his details I was hoping he would call me as arranged and we could work something out so that he didn't loose to much money.
Well as he has provided me with a false telephone number and it looks like he has changed address without notifying VicRoads i'm giving this to the insurance company to chase up'
Ball park figure to fix the damage is ~$2200-
New plastic front bumper [ unpainted] new bonnet [ also unpainted] new headlight assemblies L/H & R/H, new thermofan/ new HD oil cooler and some general pulling and pushing to get the front straightened out
This makes it right-off as an XG Falcon ute is only worth about $1500-
Real shame as this has a great engine and the H/D tow pack fitted
Any-one have an XH Outback ute for sale?
Still goes and drives well but not roadworthy anymore as the headlights point down Almost straight down and the bumper is hanging on by 2 small bolts only

[GPSGuided]

Bummer! All for $5 of petrol...

[Wollemi]

...we could work something out so that he didn't loose to much money.

What does this mean?!

Sorry about your inconvenience. Perhaps you could have rang the number immediately when it was given to you.

[cajun]

Did you take photos when it happened?

[Moondog55]

Did you take photos when it happened?

Indeed I did
I must admit to being a little shaken so I didn't check the quality of my pictures but I have his rego and licence number

[Moondog55]

@Wollemi
I would have just sold him the car, and given him time to get the finance to do so; as it is when the insurance company catch up with him his overall cost will be about double what the old utes value was/is

[walkon]

Doesn't matter, as it's always a drama. All that time wasted running around trying to organize insurance and then actually trying to find a new car, I don't envy you Moondog good luck and good patience

[Moondog55]

As I only have the ute insured for 3rd party/fire and theft we are going to be well out of pocket.
However as we have both cars insured with the one company and the other is fully covered we are using their free debt recovery service to chase the other party for the cost.
Anybody know much about the Ford Outback variant on the Longreach ute?

[Strider]

You have his rego and license number. This should be enough for your insurance company to process a claim on your policy and recover the money from him at some later date. You shouldn't be out of pocket bar the excess on your policy (which still sucks, of course).

[Moondog55]

That's the problem Strider, I only have TPFT on the ute, in case I hit a Roller or Ferrari
The insurance company we are with how-ever has a "Recovery" program to chase up other parties and then charge that party with "costs + " this means I have no immediate money to either repair or replace the vehicle.
We become dependent on our cars so quickly and my GDs school is over 9klicks away, too far too walk and no bus service from here to there without 2 changes and an hours travel

[Giddy_up]

Lodge the incident with the police Moondog, you should be able to expedite an insurance claim if there is a police report with a report number. Insurance agencies can then check with police and pay out whilst they chase the other guy.

[Moondog55]

Police are NOT interested.
First thing I did [ after getting home] was to phone and inquire, totally civil matter as no-one was injured.
Giddy-up TPFT means I have no cover for my car; only Third Party property.
Fully comprehensive was simply too expensive for a car only worth $3k-

[walkon]

Was that your snow trailer tow vehicle

[Moondog55]

Was that your snow trailer tow vehicle

Is was, it's drivable for short distances but no longer roadworthy, also It boiled on the way home from Safeway and that is a 5k round trip. Fan is jammed up hard against the radiator. The kid hit me harder than it seemed at the time

[neilmny]

Hey Moondog, sorry to hear all this.
I was thinking the servo might have some security footage of the guy and the incident that could helpful
in identify the guy.
The @#$%^must have been going pretty hard to do that much damage in a servo queue.

[walkon]

If you need a row pm me with a number and I should be able to help

[Strider]

Police are NOT interested.
First thing I did [ after getting home] was to phone and inquire, totally civil matter as no-one was injured.

This can't be correct. Ambulances are for injured people. Police are to record the incident. I would ring again and speak to someone else.

[andrewa]

Bummer.

You needed a crappy old car like my 23 year old Ford Maverick with bullbar, every panel dented. Hard on fuel, but oblivious to most prangs.

But of course this doesn't help your lot.

Mind you, this old girl sits around in Camberwell as our "spare car"/ taking crap to the tip type car, so, if you're really struggling for something for your trip, please PM me. It uses a *&^%$#@! of fuel though...about 3-400km out of a 90 tank, and the fuel gauge doesn't work. So, for a trip like you are doing, you'd need to refill at Myrtleford, and then refill at Benalla in the way back. But, for 320000km, its been very reliable.

A

[Moondog55]

I should have put a bullbar on the Ford ute, I had one on the old Dyna but it would have been a little big and heavy for this one
Thanx for the offer and I may need help in November to do the revovery
Next vehicle gets a decent bull bar, I think the plastic Smart bar is the way to go ADR compliance and all

[Eremophila]

I thought all incidents were required by law to be reported to the police? This was certainly the case in the NT a few years back.

[Moondog55]

Well I am going down to the local wallopers shop later this AM to have a talk with them, in Victoria they don't want to know unless someone is injured OR the other party fled the scene

[Strider]

Well I am going down to the local wallopers shop later this AM to have a talk with them, in Victoria they don't want to know unless someone is injured OR the other party fled the scene

He gave you false details - find out if this counts as "fleeing the scene".

I've lived here less than a month and am soon realising anything to do with cars is a nightmare in Victoria. Don't even get me started on VicRoads!

[walkon]

Sorry i stuffed the message it should have read. If you need a tow I should be able to help get your trailer up there.

vicroads
VICROADS I've just calmed down from our last episode with them and the crap it caused. At Some stage, on one of my trucks they changed the postal address of it then changed who owned it, of course Rego came due and expired $600 or was it an $800 fine for driving unregistered vehicle, had to get a rwc so lost three days work as well (lots more dollars) and a whole lot of pain sorting it all out. Well *&%$#! me, in the time the mail was going who knows where the truck got a speeding fine, on a day that the truck was parked on our property. The photo was at night so the photo was black except for the number plate, no one I know could read the pic it was that blurred, but surprise they could. By now there were late fees and all assorted extras piled on top of that originally small fine to now make it significant.

The infringement court now got into the act and despite a plethora of registered mail that they said they never received, aus post sent me signatures from them being delivered. I finally got an appeal in, i had to personally take it to them. The infringement court did due diligence and checked the facts.... with guess who, vicroads. Now you may not believe this but vicroads investigation found that the mail was going to a proper address and don't know anything about all that other stuff. So we had to pay up. I got legal advice who informed me to win and be proven right would cost me three times the fine value. So sick of the drama I paid up.

Any mention of the word vicroads is equivalent to dropping the 'c bomb'at our place now.

Ah I feel better for that little rant sorry to bore you all.

[Moondog55]

Heck VicRoads is almost [ almost I say] as bad as centrelink.

[Strider]

I've never had an issue with Centrelink but Vicroads are just pricks.

[north-north-west]

Can't say I've ever had real issues with either; maybe one or two disagreements with whatever existed before Centrelink - DSS?. Couple of missing rego renewal reminders, but that was more likely down to the mail delivery, and as I always keep track of when it's due and pay online, all it's ever required was an email request for a replacement sticker. No stress, no cost.

My bad karma works itself out in other ways.

[photohiker]

The cops might say they have no interest, probably because it is more paperwork for them.

It is in your interest to file a report, and I'd be surprised if they wouldn't do it if you turn up in person. Especially if you think the other party is acting fraudulently.

[walkon]

Can't say I've ever had real issues with either; maybe one or two disagreements with whatever existed before Centrelink - DSS?. Couple of missing rego renewal reminders, but that was more likely down to the mail delivery, and as I always keep track of when it's due and pay online, all it's ever required was an email request for a replacement sticker. No stress, no cost.

My bad karma works itself out in other ways.

Well the less you have to do with vicroads the better, the staff are atrociously inept as are their systems. If vicroads takes over the running of our Bush then I'm off elsewhere or taking up knitting

[Moondog55]

[quote="walkon"
Well the less you have to do with vicroads the better, the staff are atrociously inept as are their systems. If vicroads takes over the running of our Bush then I'm off elsewhere or taking up knitting[/quote]

Partly the keep laying off the experienced people to save a few dollars in wages so no-one who is any good at the job will work there [ engineers in particular I have heard] and none of their computer sub systems talk to each other apparently [ Just like the Coles-Myer chain when I worked there] It used to be that only the best people worked for the pubic service; that has changed for the worst over the last 20 years.
Still we got it sorted in the end. I'll be without transport until I find another suitable tow car, looking at very similar vehicles. They include a Falcon Outback with dual-fuel but that will cost about $7k-.
Today and tomorrow I am stripping all the extra bits from my car as the tow truck is coming on Monday to take it to the insurance assessors
Removing the ladder racks and the new battery and making sure all the coins are out of the cash tray

[Moondog55]

If anybody sees a Ford Outback or RTV ute for sale can you please contact me. These things seem to be as rare as hens teeth Especially if they are in good condition
Mine was an insurance write-off and I'm just waiting to hear from the valuers what I will be offered