Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

XFr Diesel?

Is the correct answer.

Accidentally christened the defender today, had my GPS still set for cycling so I drove down around a mile bridleway before realising I shouldn't be there. Good view though.

Getting some seriously mixed messages from this ad

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201701101189534?onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&postcode=e175jz&advertising-location=at_cars&radius=1500&sort=price-asc&make=BMW&model=M5&page=2

Nah, it's simply a completely stock, highly modified M5 which, from the photos of the interior, appears to have been used as a high volume minicab for the last 5 years.

A bargain at £12k / £10.8k

I just picked the 911 up from Heathrow valet parking- got home and noticed that they'd reversed it into something. Called and they said as I'd left the car park that was that and then put the phone down.

Where do I stand here? The car didn't have a mark on it when I dropped it off, now it needs ~£300 of body shop work.

I think your car is cursed.

Heh!

Go there, stake it out, identify the cars owned by the staff, then smash their windows and headlights with a big hammer.

Or get a solicitor onto it and sue them.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/nov/09/valet-parking-car-insurance-damage
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3215518/Cowboy-airport-parking-companies-Heathrow-Gatwick-Manchester-exposed.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14739305

Basically, never use valet parking.

It was cheaper than the Long Term parking, well- before the £450 worth of damage.

I called the bodyshop, they said £400+VAT (my earlier estimate was clearly optimistic).

I've emailed in an official complaint, I expect that this isn't going to go my way though.

Debit Card I think, I'd have to check.

No - AMEX

Email will most probably be ignored, going by the complaint logging process.

I avoid even leaving Mrs mespilus' '97 Cat C insurance write-off Saab 900 at any airport car park.

Registered letter to registered office,
to named MD, or Company Secretary, giving 5 working days for resolution or promise of legal action.

That was the conclusion I came to after having used Stansted's 'Meet and Greet' service and the thieving bastards cleared out everything from the interior of the car which wasn't nailed down, including about 30 quid's worth of changing the ashtray.

I've used the Stansted service before and it was great - quick, polite, didn't crash the car into anything.

Marked contrast to Heathrow.

Heathrow airport valet parking earlier today

1 Attachment

(actually this did just happen this evening near my house)

So wrong yet...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8131181@N05/albums/72157675771287953/with/32307855511/

Potentially ~£1,600 according to Precision Porsche as they reckon it might need a new bumper.

That's shit, mate... 🙁

Is that a crack running across the top?

I'm just about to get some better pics (camera rather than iPhone) and will find out.

The car was freshly washed before I drove to Heathrow, that the marks in the road-dirt match the damage I am hoping will help my case with them.

That's fucking horrendous, if it would help I can say that there was no rear ending or reversing into anything on the journey back to South London?