Have you had these problems?
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I WOULD appreciate your readers' comments on our experience with an insurance company.
In March 1981 one of our Leyland Reiver tippers was stationary behind two cars at a junction when another lorry ran into the back of it with such force that it pushed the empty vehicle, sitting with its footbrake on, three metres, sending the driver's false teeth bouncing off the windscreen.
Up to that point we had successfully run the vehicle for two years with nothing more than routine servicing. However since that time we have repaired or replaced five gear boxes, the main propshaft, two sets of crankshaft studs, crankshaft, three fans (radiator), two sets of engine mountings and tyre scrub on both inside tyres on the leading rear axle.
In various attempts to diagnose the problem we have replaced the entire drive line: differentials, relay box, prop shafts, centre bearing, clutch and fly-wheel; and sent the vehicle to a chassis specialist where a slight bow on the chassis was detected but was considered to be insufficient to cause the problems we have experienced.
All in all we have spent around £6,000, not withstanding money lost on down time, on a vehicle which in 1981 was valued at around £7,000, and we are still no further on.
The situation deteriorated to such an extent that the vehicle was not a viable proposition and was in no condition to be sold and we laid it up at the end of March 1982.
The position at the moment is that our insurers are denying any claim (it has taken them almost two years to so decide) arguing among other things that the damage may be coincidental with a 1978 tipper. We have had a further problem in that the insurers initially claimed if we could pinpoint damage they could settle, but when it was proved the leading rear axle was laterally displaced 20mm, we were then asked to prove that such damage was caused by the accident.
From the engineering point of view, British Leyland can only suggest a bent chassis, the local BL agents have no suggestions, our insurers and independent engineers can provide no alternative, and we are completely baffled.
I Would appreciate it if any of your readers could give me any guidance as to the insurance or engineering aspect of our problem.
COLIN R. TAWSE William A. Tawse Aberdeenshire