Towing a Xantia

[Pleiades]

I wanna tell you a story!!!

Years ago, my brother was pushing his moped down to the local motorcycle repair shop and it had no tax on it, the purpose of the visit was to see if the bike was worth repairing or not.

Now as it wouldn't start he couldn't get an MOT and of course with no MOT he coudn't get the tax.

He got stopped by the local bobby and told that all motorised vehicles on the road must be road taxed by law and it did not matter one bit if the bike was a no runner, he was nicked and told that he would have a court summons issued against him.

My brother then got a letter from the bike shop to say that there was a hole in the piston and no way was that bike going to run, he took this letter and read it out in the magistrates court.

Result, Yes it is against the law sir so you must be punished, he was fined £1.00 for keeping a vehicle on the road without tax and ordered to pay £0.83p back duty on the tax.

When after the sum up he was asked if their was anything that he would like to add, he said, "can I pay in weekly instalments"

So I would say that to be street legal, put it on a trailer or tow truck.

Having said all that, we get loads of youngsters pushing their old mopeds down the street to a local field around here for an afternoons fun and falling off, the police never seem bothered about it.

Regards
Martin.

[f00lzz]

we get loads of youngsters pushing their old mopeds down the street to a local field around here for an afternoons fun and falling off, the police never seem bothered about it.

Regards
Martin.

I believe it's referred to as 'common sense' or 'police discretion'

Ian

[Xaccers]

we get loads of youngsters pushing their old mopeds down the street to a local field around here for an afternoons fun and falling off, the police never seem bothered about it.

Regards
Martin.

I believe it's referred to as 'common sense' or 'police discretion'

Ian

Or 'too much paperwork to bother'

[Stunned Monkey]

I wanna tell you a story!!!

That made me - I do love it when a court has some common sense! (all too rare IMO!)

[citronut]

lthough quite a few years ago some one gave me there GS which i had diagnosed with a colapsed rear sub frame, they parked it out side my house whilst i was out, we had just had a jumped up beat copper asinghed to our estate to clean up, he saw me moving the G to park it off the road and i ended up going to court, the judge said i had to seek lagal advise and pointed me in the direction of the in house solicitor, he said if i had removed the battery i could have got away with it, as you could not start the car and drive it

IMHO, that explanation seems very unlikely, simply because the GS was one of the last cars to be provided with a starting handle - so it could still be started without the battery (probably do the alternator etc no good though) !

the solicitor found this clause in a law book in the court side room we were sitting in, this is what i was tolled
regards malcolm

[falling-out-with-my-car]

A flat bed trailer is definatley your answer here, although I have towed robin reliants with the front wheel on a boat trailer and the rear wheels still on the road , the chassis rails used to fit the trailer rollers perfectly and i was never stopped towing an untaxed car even driving from the devils puchbowl to portsmouth.

if you shop around you can find trailer hire for about £30 a day which isnt to bad, my xantia estate is listed as a flatbed only recovery vechicle with auto home recovery.

using a dolly will enevitably drag the rear of the estate along the road surface damaging your exaust back box or rear valance.
something to do with the angle at which the car is towed and the overall lenght of the vechicle a hatchback has a higher rear suspension setting and the valence and exaust sits higher, some recovery firms use a dolly but insist that the engine is running to do this keeping the suspension active. I have heard somewhere that it is possiable to damage the rear suspension towing the xantia estate with the engine off.