Oop's, I forgot to mention that bonus - was a pleasant surprise for me too!

 

So, completely off topic in my own thread (why not, it is JF after all), we found out what was going on with my transmission intermittent no drive. The royal "we" being my friends at Wholesale Automatics (from the recommended workshops thread).

It appears that although my T400 functions well and doesn't leak it is still getting tired. The torque converter leaks down to the gearbox if left unused for a while, creating the no drive symptom. The short term solution is to start the car and just wait 2 or 3 minutes before doing anything. Torque converter fills and away you go.

Tested the whole theory today as we were about to go on a club run and the Jag failed to advance. When we got back I started the car, still no go. Let it idle for a few minutes, all back to normal.

So I have a trans refurb or a change to a T700 in my future.

 

Glad you solved the mystery Steve. So you can't use it as a getaway car, but in the meantime it does provide some anti-theft benefits...

I can sniff a T700 coming on!!


Cheers,

 

So a small diversion in the club permit success story.

During a recent car club outing where we ended up at the same venue as a another club, our committee guys were chin wagging with the other club members and exchanging war stories. One of their members had a non original engine conversion, and was pulled over by the police and had his plates confiscated on the spot, allegedly being deemed a M (modified) plate car not a H (historic) plate that he had on the car. The unspoken part of the story is what he did to attract that kind of attention.

So this started our club thinking about my car, which had its permit changed from M to H by Vicroads during the application process. As we are a Dudley Do-Right totally compliant sort of club, enquiries were made at VicRoads HQ and sure enough it was an error.

I was required to send my plates and paperwork into HQ (not allowed to do this over the counter). Sure enough in due course a stuff up ensues. My new plates are sent to another club members address in Melbourne , together with my logbook. Unfortunately they didnt include any updated paperwork/stickers to show that I actually owned the plates. They did however include paperwork for another club members car, who didnt need them and didnt ask for them.

3 weeks down the track now from when this started and they say the revised paperwork is on the way. I think I will wait to see if I get matching everything before putting the plates back on the car. The club permit scheme is a great thing, the administration of it not so great it seems.

 

Mmmmm.
I wonder what sort of car and why he was pulled up.

Gota agree though, the system is run like a circus.

 

And Vicroads wonder why they are a subject of ridicule...

 

A couple of weeks later and of course still nothing from Vic Roads.

Drove over to their little regional office in Seymour. The local guy smiles wryly while I tell him the story. So, he says, to cut a long story short you just need duplicate stickers then?

He checks the plates are actually allocated to me and the car and not just randomly dispatched. He checks that I am me, and then prints me some labels. There you go, we wont even charge you he says, still smiling.

Its just like when I worked in corporate life. The further you can get away from HQ, the more likely you are to get real work done. At least I am back on the road again :-)

 

Ain't that the truth! LOL.

 

Now I need to confirm the legality of club plates interstate. Everyone tells me its fine, I recall reading something the WA finally agreed to accept interstate club plates and was the last state to do so. However , I cant find anything in writing/on the web at VicRoads or AOMC.

 

Looks like its all good. Tony prompted me to re look at the VicRoads site and (if you expand enough menus and bullet points) its says:

"Club permit vehicles may be driven throughout all States and Territories (except Western Australia) provided the vehicle complies with Victorian requirements for the holding of the club permit." and I believe the WA issue is history now.

Common sense says it should be so, but I thought I would check before launch.

 

Latest addition to the club permit fleet :-)





The guy was driving it on previous club inspection plates before and it took me 13 months of on and of work (maybe 100 hours) to get it to a stage I felt happy to try for a RWC. Still got knocked back on 4 points. Its a funny little car, I always feel the need for a fuzzy wig and a clown nose when I drive it.

 

Looking great! good to see a reward for much hard work. Careful of the cops now, they'll assume those flashy side decals mean extra HP!

 

I have already been the object of derision by a couple of young (I'm guessing 12 years old) motorcycle cops at a rego plate check camera stop. I got pulled over due to having no plates at the time (but an unreg vehicle permit in the window). I could hear their smart **** comments over the officer I had at the window, how rude!

 

It's a bit disconcerting when you experience cop behaviour being no better than that of ignorant philistines in general.

 

Don't take it to heart Steve. I often hear people making derogatory comments at car shows. My first thought is "I wonder what you drive."

 

:-) not offended at all, I thought it was funny. Just modern young males striking a pose and trying to look cool on their motorbikes, they would have NFI about old cars and the work involved. To be fair it is a funny looking car, nearly everyones forst reaction is to smile at it.

Tony , Sandy has a few police friends, she quite a few stories about police behaviour. Given what they have to deal with we arent really surprised they lose the plot occasionaly.

 

So a year down the track with club permits and I thought I would record how it went.

Jag (90 day permit) 53 days total - 46 private and 6 club/JF
BMW (45 day permit) 22 days total - 19 private and 3 club

Jag number is down a bit as it missed a recent trip to Sydney when an aircon upgrade went over the expected time. All in all a great system, I hope it stays around in its current form for quite a while.

 

Yep, sometimes it seems almost too good to be true. Let's hope the cash-grabbing bureaucrats keep their grubby fingers off!

 

Apparently its been sold as a big picture, more overall economic activity thing so we can only hope it remains. There may be a glut of cars for sale if not, as there are 60,000+ cars on the scheme at the moment (latest number from AOMC meetings with VicRoads). VIC seems relatively flush right now and running big surpluses so its probably safe, if things get tight maybe less so.