Ambrose Finishes Third in NASCAR Bud Shootout at Daytona
22.05.12
“I saw pretty much every spin and crash; I was either in it or around it or just dodged it.
“I’m just really proud to run fast tonight. We’ve got a lot of steam under the hood this week, which is great.”
Lining up from 21st position after a random draw determined the starting grid, Ambrose watched the opening exchanges from the rear of the pack.
The inevitable ‘big one’ multi-car accident struck on lap eight, with excellent spotting seeing Ambrose avoid the carnage.
Despite not picking up any damage in the incident, the hard application of the brakes boiled the brake fluid, which was seen to under the ensuing caution with swift repair work completed by the Richard Petty Motorsports crew.
Ambrose restarted the race from 18th on lap 16, and hung back in the pack for the opening segment of the nine-lap run to the mandatory mid-race break.
With the caution looming, Ambrose made his move, charging from 11th to fifth position in one lap, with the crew using the 10 minutes in the pits to once again attend to the brakes on the Stanley Ford Fusion.
UNOH DIRTcar Nationals: Dollansky Powers to Victory at Volusia Speedway Park
22.05.12
There was only one caution during the main event and Dollansky capitalized. After driving from eighth to second in the opening nine laps, Dollansky restarted behind polesitter Daryn Pittman on lap 10. By the time the duo reached the flagstand on the ensuing green-flag lap, Dollansky rocketed to the lead off turn four.
“I just should have known with Dollansky behind me, he’s probably running the top,” Pittman said. “I just probably should have gone ahead and moved up there myself. But when you’re leading the race you hate to change what’s been working without knowing that something else is better. Sometimes it’s a disadvantage to be leading and an advantage to be second, and I think that was one of them.”
After the restart, Dollansky led the final 21 laps on a track that became slicker each lap. Pittman was unable to close within more than a handful of car lengths as Dollansky maneuvered throughout traffic without much difficulty.
Car Insurance Is Breakdown Cover Included in Insurance Poli
carsinsuranceireland.com Car insurance Ireland - is breakdown cover included in all insurance policies? Free videos & eBook answers the top 20 ...
Can anyone give any advice on breakdown cover and people who try to rip you off?
Sep 29, 2009 by laura e | Posted in Maintenance & Repairs
My car broke down 200 miles from home in Beds. on Sunday afternoon. I called my boyfriend who i'd just left who came down to help me and then we called Direct Line breakdown cover who sent a vehicle out within an hour, the guy looked at my car and diagnosed that I have a ruined head gaskett. He said that obviously there were no garages open in the area and it would cost near to £400 to tow me home but they could take it back to their depot which is a 'police maintained safe storage facility' and then said for me to ring up first thing Monday and they would give me numbers for local garages.
Sure enough they took the car away and I spent £52 to get the train home. Then I called up yesterday morning and they gave me the numbers for 2 local garages who I called amongst some others that I found online. I recieved quotes from £350 to £1200 'plus diagnostics'. My cousin who is a trained mechanic then got in touch and said he could fix it for £150 if I can get it home so I contacted some vehicle transport companies and was quoted £150 at the cheapest which was a pretty good improvement!
I spoke to the breakdown company again earlier and told them I have decided to get the car brought home and then fixed here (half of my belongings are still in the car and I want it home asap). the company said oh we can do that and quoted me £380 plus VAT so I told him that ive had quotes for £150 and all of a sudden he declares that i will have to pay a £92 storage charge (£80 + VAT!)
At NO POINT on Sunday or when ive spoken to them on the phone was a storage charge ever mentioned!! If it had have been then id have just arranged for it to be towed to my boyfriends (which wouldnt have been ideal as its an Army base therefore it would be tricky getting people on and off base but still preferable to paying that!)
I was absolutely fuming and called Direct Line straight away and explained this whole situation, and said that it is their job to pick my car up and take it to a garage where it can be fixed but it is not my fault that there were no garages open on the sunday. Also the fact that i am up north doesnt help as i could do is ring around garages on the monday to get quotes, and most of them took all day to get back to me. I couldnt just go and collect the car myself.
So then I was on hold for ages whilst the claims people contacted the recovery company who told direct line that id not contacted them at all (not true), they also told them that their charges were £20 a day plus VAT and that they would not release my car until it was paid.
Direct Line then pretty much washed their hands of me leaving me to deal with the recovery company (who was commissioned out by them). Also I cannpot understand how they can justify charging me £80 plus VAT if it is £20 plus VAT a day... the car hasnt even been there for 48 hours yet.
It seems like my only option is to pay this charge and get the car collected and out of there ASAP and then complain again to Direct Line. Ive been their customer for 9 years, car insurance and breakdown cover. I like how they are keen to take your money off you but im not quite sure what exactly ive paid for here apart from to be completely ripped off.
Has anyone ever had any dealings with this type of scenario before? Or does anyone know where I stand if I want to complain because I really cannot stand being ripped off like this. Is it legal for a company to charge you and keep hold of your property without telling you beforehand they are going to charge you for it, and how much they are going to charge you? I have a little slip they asked me to sign reporting the collection but absolutely nothing mentioned anywhere verbal or written about 'storage charges'. The said charges were only brought up about an hour ago when I said i wanted to use another company to transport my car home!! Bit fishy...
And surely it is direct lines responsibilty as they are the ones I pay for my breakdown cover? I've spent the last 2 days at work not DOING any work cos im trying to get this sorted out ASAP. It drives me mad how so many people in this country are out to rip people off, its already happened to me once being ripped off by a car garage when it went in for its annual service, they carried out a load of work after they caused damage to my car and refused to give me even a rough idea how much it would cost until they had finished 9 days later and slapped me with a bill of nearly £900. then refused to even budge in dropping the price. im not prepared to get ripped off again!!!! My cars only worth £1000 at MOST.
Thanks in advance for any answers, sorry its long!
Thanks, good advice, its crap cos if theyd have told me about the charge then id have certainly sent it back to my boyfriends.. and they knew we had that option too but we just said it would be quite awkward. He could see me umming and ahhing to make a decision as i wasnt sure but not once said we can take it but we'll charge. As for charging me for 4 days when its been 2... just stupid :(
Yep I think thats whats happened... if id have asked them to ship my car theyd have probably waived it.
its so unfair not to mention it though. Im currently waiting for a guy to get back to me who may be able to collect it ASAP... got my fingers crossed..!!
I DO have breakdown cover however its done absolutely NOTHING for me.
I do not have an attitude problem I just appreciate honesty.. not being ripped off with 4 days worth of charges when my cars been in 2 days, and charges that i was never told about.
Unfortunately times are hard for all of us but we dont all go around deceiving people who pay for a service they dont recieve.
Charges paid (funnily they have been reduced to what they should have been now...)
And i've found someone to collect AND deliver my car today for £145. Excellent :)
Black Panther - I think it is you that has the attitude problem. Or maybe ive just hiot s sore spot somehow. Im not blaming anyone NOR am i saying that the car breaking down is not my fault NOR am i saying that i shouldnt have to pay ANYTHING, i am saying that if i had been properly informed beforehand then i would have made totally different decisions as to what happened to my car and that i appreciate upfront honesty and fair service. not being ripped off.
they know they were trying it on as the charge has been reduced to the CORRECT daily amount after direct line spoke to them and ive found someone to bring the car home for £145 which just goes to show that £450 is a rip off.
thank you.
ive spoken to many people also in the same industry who have also agreed with me.
Add to the costs of this lesson joining the AA or RAC before you go anywhere again. Only about £80 for the first year.
Timbo is here | Sep 29, 2009
Well, the best advice I can give which unfortunately won't help now is to never have it towed to a towing company lot. They always charge a storage fee. Always have it towed to someone's house. If that's not possible, then that's what the storage fee is for, because they know you have no choice but to put it there. Yeah, it's crummy, but that's supply and demand.
Ivan Herndon | Sep 29, 2009
In my experience, I have seen this happen before and it is legal.
You have your car towed somewhere and they have storage fees.
If you let them fix your car, they usually wave the storage fees.
If you fix your car elsewhere, they will charge you the storage fees.
Same holds true for most garages Diagnostic fees. If you agree to let them fix the car, they usually wave the Diagnostic charges. If they didn't do this, they would lose money in the long run.
That's the way it usually works here in CT, USA.
I would pay whatever you need to ASAP to get the car outta there. Worry about who owes you what later....because before you know it, the storage fees amount to more than the car is worth. It's not fair, but life rarely is. Sorry for your current situation.
BrianCMM | Sep 29, 2009
I'd agree, your first priority is to get your car back and fixed. Then sit down to write a cool, calm and collected letter to Direct Line, listing what happened and how you feel you were misled and over-charged..
Unfortunately, like most insurance-based recovery arrangements, they use sub-contractors and not all of these are as helpful as might be expected.
Bardic | Sep 29, 2009
I have been working in the recovery business for 20 years and although
I am a time served mechanic I would never consider going on a long journey without any breakdown cover.
I would seriously consider your attitude problem as it is a very expensive business and the fee's bloody frighten me.
Sorry but if you had full breakdown cover you would not have been facing a £400 pound recovery bill.
The storage charges cover Sunday,Monday,Tuesday and assuming you stop bleating soon enough Wednesday!
Running round the country in a banger with no cover is false economy but people with attitude problems don't learn.
Obviously you need to be told everything and spend your life blaming others for your problems!
Black Panther | Sep 29, 2009
Hi
One word.....PRIORITIES
Unfortunately, if you want your car back, you're gonna have to pay up front, or the charges are going to mount up. You can worry about filing a claim afterwards.
Get your car back, get your cousinn to fix it, and take some free legal advice from the CAB.
Very best regards
Geordie
Grizz | Sep 30, 2009
What do you do if you breakdown and can't afford a garage bill?
Nov 21, 2009 by Joe W | Posted in Maintenance & Repairs
Stupid question maybe but if you living on next to nothing but have managed to buy an ultra cheap £300 car (with some tax and mot) and insurance etc well if you breakdown you are pretty stuffed right, even if you have RAC / AA then you if you couldn't afford a garage bill then no point, so i guess just don't run a car unless you have enough to cover a breakdown, anyone been in this situation would your car just get towed away and you would be fined?
You couldn't leave the car where it broke down as you would be charged by someone to tow it away. You would be best having a friend tow it away.
You maybe able to find a garage which would allow you to pay in instalments, but that is probably unlikely and would be worth you saving up to get it repaired first.
If you have an idea what the problem could be, or search for ideas what it could be from the internet, you could get cheap parts from a motor factor and change the bits yourself...would be a lot cheaper.
scruff | Nov 21, 2009
This may seem cheeky but it sounds as though you cant afford a car. One of the main expenses with a car is maintenance and if you cant afford that then there is no point in having it. Cars are a costly thing to own with Road Tax, Insurance, Fuel, MOT and all the rest but the main cost is looking after it. The older the car the more likely it is to have things go wrong and if it breaks down on the public roads and you are not a member of AA or RAC then you would have to pay to be towed from danger.
bty81216349 | Nov 21, 2009
I have been in that situation, luckily i knew how to mcgyver something together to get me home. If you dont have a truck bed full of tools and materials, you can always push the car somewhere off the road (so it wont be towed) and call someone to pick you up, later on you can post a "parts car for sale, take whole car or pay for parts YOU REMOVE" that way you at least have money for a new car or a bus pass.
Brandon | Nov 21, 2009
You are absolutely correct. It seems you are smarter than most of the youngsters who ask questions on this board in realizing that just because you can afford to buy a car doesn't mean you can afford to drive it. Cars cost a lot of money to operate. Ordinarily if a car is towed away you have a limited time to pay the towing and storage charges and the fines or the car will be sold at auction. The buyer gets a new title and you get nothing and sometimes still owe the fines.
Howard L | Nov 21, 2009
Breakdown cover can be included in your insurance, really cheap. I can fix most things. Buy a Mercedes 190E, they are cheap and ultra-reliable.
Please punctuate properly folks. | Nov 21, 2009
Not a stupid question at all,some folk out of work right now. If you know some one, who can do it better still
Quofan | Nov 21, 2009
If you abandon the car where parking is not allowed it would be towed away and you would be fined and charged storage - if you did not pick it up within a reasonable time it would be crushed.
If abandoned elsewhere eventually it would be moved as the tax would run out etc and you would be fined for that in a similar way to above.
Car ownership has to be considered with the maintenance costs included or you are just wasting money that you could have used on taxis and Buses.
Timbo is here | Nov 21, 2009
Good question and this situation is on the increase. Next year will be even worse. I have already mentioned insurance and the difficulty of buying even the minimum, seems the government is 'comfortable' with the situation!
Many say you can't blame the government - it's a free country for companies to charge what they want! In my book the more companies charge the more tax the government collects. End of story.
inquisitor | Nov 23, 2009
car insurance quotes?
Aug 30, 2009 by jim p | Posted in Insurance & Registration
I have just spent an endless amount of time on various car insurance sites, which start of with reasonable quotes then you add the bits and pieces on and you end up with ridiculous final costs.
I am not insuring a 0-60 in 5 seconds type car but a small 1.4 Honda
I am fully aware that any car can cause damage,my wife drives the car,has had no claims or convictions.
I have a larger car and the insurance is £50 cheaper than all quotes received so far,which includes breakdown recovery,protected no claims and legal cover.
anyone with car insurance advice would be appreciated, these car insurance sites are a pain
Two real choices, you can look up various insurance companies and either call or go to their on line presence and compare rates.
Or you can find an independent agent that isn't tied to any one company, give him your information and let his search his data base for the best deal for you and your situation.
oklatom | Aug 30, 2009
Call an agent with a local office and a person who you can actually speak with
entidtil | Aug 30, 2009
More than were best for me. Only £400 for a BMW X5. It of course depends on the driver history. if you dont want to go through all the website typing. Go to your local broker.
Mark B | Aug 31, 2009
i would recommend using site like:
compare.com
my supermarket
for cheaper insurance
sh | Aug 31, 2009
like oklatom, I (as an agent) strongly suggest you find a local agent that has a good reputation, and talk to them about the factors. Yes, it can get ridiculous with all the add-ons & ET CETERA. (most unneeded).
ravenjudge | Aug 31, 2009
Ring them up do not rely on the websites.
Timbo is here | Sep 01, 2009
Should I sell my Corsa or not?
Nov 29, 2007 by annabel d | Posted in Maintenance & Repairs
Hello all
Bought my first car a 1994 Corsa for £430 3 weeks ago, brokedown 3 times, I thought it was battery but turns out it was cam belt that had caused damage to engine pistons/valves that are now bent and need replacing at a cost of £350 as well as the cam belt at £125! Now, considering I am still paying £67 a month for insurance and breakdown cover, should I cut my losses and just sell it for cheap to a mechanic who may be interested, or should I fork out the money and hope the car is worth it??? Now, I know the car was dirt cheap, but it was all I could afford at the time and YES i should have taken a mechanic with me, but all these lessons I have learnt, so please no lectures or rude comments! I just dont know what to do? Ps, have been told these cars last a long time, although it 13 years old already.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Thanks for your responses but even now the responses are about 50/50!!!!!!! Might just pull it out of a hat.
First get as many quotes as you can, do not tell them you have been in any other places just ask them how much to repair damage, also ask how much a new engine would be cos it might be cheaper, second see what cars that are ok are selling for similar to yours but working, therefore say if it cost to £300 with some haggling to get the work done + orignal cost of car it is £430 even if you can get £600 for the car boosting a new engine you are only down £130, all i am saying is work it out, not sure how much you will get for the car scrap. You may also get some money back for for the tax. Sit down do not worry yourself and review all options.
h1ten | Nov 29, 2007
Are you with Quinn Direct? Need help!?
Jun 24, 2008 by Answer Guru | Posted in Maintenance & Repairs
I'm 20 years old + bought my first car today. It's a little 1.4 Rover Metro.. I'm on Confused.com + Moneysupermarket.com trying to get the best insurance quote.. Both come up with Quinn Direct as the cheapest by over £100. However it doesn't give you details as to what the breakdown cover entails! There phone lines closed an hour ago + I'm eager to know.
For anyone who's with Quinn, what does the breakdown cover actually offer? If it's not great, I have no problem getting seperate cover with the AA as it's only £12 a month.. But I don't want to pay out with them, if Quinn offer a good enough breakdown package.
Basically my Dad said some companies he's seen, have such crap cover, they'll liturally come out, stay for 30 mins, if they can't fix it, they'll leave you. I don't want anything snazzy, but need to know I'll be towed to a garage if it's not fixable, or home.
I've also opted in for windscreen cover.. The website isn't very informative!!
Someone please help :o)
I just had a look at what other people asked about Quinn + someone who claims to work for them, said that they'll only give you break down cover if the car is 15 years old or younger.. Mine is 14 years old.. Does this mean next year I wont be able to go with them?? Is this even true?
Thanks guys.. Going to go with Quinn for 1 year (as next year my car will be 15 years old) + get AA cover as well :o)
Hmm I have used Quinn Direct. Before I go any further I would like to say that I used money supermarket and confused and both came up with Quinn as cheapest. I then phoned Quinn directly who gave me a cheaper quote than M.S.com and Confused. On my paperwork Quinn state on the policy summery that if you are 3rd party fire and theft and fully comprehensive 24hr roadside assistance, homestart, vehical recovery and journey completion (vehicals upto 15 years old) it doesnt state anything after this. Windowscreen cover upto £350 optional for comprehensive and 3rd party fire and theft. I advise you to have seperate R.A.C or A.A cover as they seem to be better than insurance quotes anyway. There email address is info@quinn-direct.com. I have emailed them before and have always had a responce an automated one then a proper email. Also as your 20 and I passed at 27 I would take a pass plus test if you havent already as this can help you on getting a lower quote.
