MGF Treffen 2002 day 9

Sunday 8th September – Day 9

OK, now onto Sunday and the drive to Celle…

Well, talk about a roller coaster morning! We were supposed to be leaving at 10:00am this morning to arrive at Celle in time to meet the local press. Did it happen? Nope! I shall begin with my reasonably early trip to the car to check fluid levels, leather it off and pack ready for the off. As I was doing so, Fran came up to me a bit emotional saying that now their car had a leaking radiator!! They have really been through it with their car on this trip. Anyway, David, Ted, Michael, Erik and myself jacked it up and looked for the cause. The coolant was dripping from the right hand side as you look at the car and I immediately suspected a perished hose / dodgy spring clip, with the car on the jack we inspected the radiator (which was dry externally with no signs of it being ‘holed’. There was however significant coolant on the bottom hose, supporting my theory. Whilst others were inspecting the clip, I noticed the top bleed screw was also wet with coolant, this as it turned out was the source of the leak, the coolant dripping down the side and on to the radiator pipe from above. Further inspection of the (plastic) bleed screw revealed it had been over tightened and the top had sheared from the base loosening the rubber seal. Apparently this is a common fault, but no one had a spare and the thread is believe it or not imperial, making robbing one from something else an impossibility. And then it all happened…

6:00am this morning and Ann was feeling very unwell. Suspected acute gastric enteritis, although we didn’t know this at the time, i’ll leave you to work out the symptoms!! The first thing we all knew was an ambulance turning up in the hotel car park and Ann being stretchered into it! 8-0 This was not a good morning for the group and poor Ted’s plans on an early start were well and truly scuppered, with half the group ringing round (closed – it is Sunday after all) MG dealerships trying to source a replacement radiator bleed screw and the other half worrying about Ann as Patrick made his apologies and followed the ambulance to the hospital. Realising there was nothing I could do about Patrick and Ann and that without a replacement bleed screw there was nothing I could do to help Erik and Fran, I paid my bill. In the meantime, Michael had come up with a cunning plan. Apparently he has a lot of experience with water systems and (having lived through the soviet controlled East Germany) was used to repairing things creatively. Somehow he had managed to scrounge some PTFE tape and using a hack saw had cut a notch for a screwdriver blade in the top of the threaded part of the bleed screw. This did the trick and it has (thankfully) behaved itself all day. Well done Michael. :-)

So, with one F missing (very nearly 2!) from the group we set off on the trip to Celle, leaving at 10:30am ish, so we weren’t too late after all.

The journey this morning took us through Pottsdam (which was nice), onto some lovely fast A roads through picturesque little towns until we reached our lunch stop at Tengermünde. The sun was out and the temperature climbed, 10 MGs in convoy on such a glorious day is a sight to behold, especially when the driver of a certain named red MGF was starting Mexican waves down the convoy! When the first one reached the end there was a round of applause from all the cars! In Tengermünde the group split up for a wander to find somewhere to eat and Erik, Fran, David, Jackie, Mike Satur and myself sat outside a restaurant and ordered lunch. The furniture was the B & Q style plastic garden stuff and whilst I was waiting for my lunch to appear, much to everyone’s amusement, there was this loud crack as the chair leg gave way! Fortunately, I was ready for it and was able to catch myself, the furniture had obviously been affected by UV light and had become brittle (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!) The chair was replaced (with a wooden one!) and after a bit of a wait the food arrived, just in the nick of time as Ted re-appeared heading for the car park. We all settled up and joined him, well all except Mike Satur who managed to shear his gear lever in the car park! Apparently this is an ‘experimental’ SSK Mk3 and he had decided to test it on the Treffen. Fortunately he had a spare lever and was able to repair the car with the minimum of fuss.

What is it about shearing things on this trip? I think the cars are beginning to show their ages. Incidentally there is a high proportion of 1996 cars this year, Ted, David and Jackie, Stefan and Jenny and myself all have ‘N’ reg cars. David started the trend in Zell with his calliper bolt, my socket set extension piece was next in Teltow, then came Erik and Fran’s radiator bleed screw, also in Teltow and now Mike Satur’s gear lever in Tengermünde. Weird.

Speaking of Erik and Fran, their car was behaving itself today, unlike my one, which by now had developed a seriously blowing exhaust (not that it slowed me down much!) ;-) The intermittent brake squeal is also still there, but other than strange noises, the car is still perfectly driveable, so I am not overly worried at the moment (more jobs for the shopping list when I get home!) On this next journey I got a message from Vyv at the back on the walkie-talkie “Three maniacs with a death wish on their way up the convoy!” Sure enough I watched a Mazda 323, 3 up, playing chicken with the oncoming traffic trying to overtake the convoy. Before an opportunity arrived he managed to avoid becoming a road kill statistic and overtook me, then Dieter and then Ted wisely slowed down to let him pass. No sooner had he done so however when he did a U turn and went the other way! A total Muppet IMO. We were then treated to a white Fiat Ulysse MPV doing the same trick but in an urban area, there sure were some idiots on the road today, including me, who had by now graduated from the Mexican wave to Tom Randell’s ‘Duck’ wave (it’s traditional on an EU tour!) ;-)

Eventually we pulled into a service station where another 5 German MGs were waiting. In the number were Ronald Bauer from the run to Wernigerode on Tuesday and also Scotty, whom I met on the second Treffen in the Ardennes and again this year at Silverstone. These guys shepherded us into Celle, 15 MGs, lights blazing, roofs down and sporting Ted’s union jack flags. They had a Land Rover Defender running ‘blocker’ at the front and he took us right through the town centre, much to the amazement of the locals! Hmmm, the choice of music for the occasion was obvious, I toyed with ‘Billericay Dickie’ by Ian Dury (Good evening, I’m from Essex, in case you couldn’t tell!) but eventually cranked up the volume on ‘I Can’t Get No Satisfaction’ by the Rolling Stones – I felt it was appropriate. :-) We did a circuit and then the Land Rover lead us to the hotel where there was a complimentary glass of champagne waiting for us.

Also waiting for us at the hotel, were Patrick and Ann! Apparently the German doctor had done a blood test and realised that Ann had ‘blood in her alcohol system!’ (Patrick’s words, not mine!), the doctor’s explanation was that her liver is having to work extra hard to deal with the drink and this has caused the symptoms. She is right as rain now so we are once again back together.

After checking in and washing up, I committed a bit of a faux pas…

The cars are parked in a neighbours’ courtyard, where they will be secure off road for the night. David and I opened up Scarlet’s engine bay to try to find the cause (which is 99% certain the flexi pipe) when Ted came out to remind us that we were effectively in someone’s garden area and that they may not appreciate us dismantling my car! We quickly reassembled and headed into a superb (once more for the adjective!) dinner with our new German friends.

Eventually the evening was over and we said our goodbyes, not only to the recent German Treffeners, but also to Dieter and Rosi, who have family in the area and would be visiting them tomorrow. As is the usual way, the group is now beginning to fragment as the trip draws to a close, tomorrow we say goodbye to Alex and also to Erik and Fran and after such a fantastic week, I am beginning to feel a little sad as the first of the ‘major players’ departs (not including Art). Safe journey Dieter, I’m sure you’ll have the pictures uploaded before I get home. ;-)

OK, it is now midnight and time for me to stop writing. We set off on a marathon 265-mile trip to Amsterdam tomorrow, so a good night’s sleep is in order.

Night people.

SF
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In short before SF report got up:

- Troubles at Eriks car with the brocken radiator bolt repaired in the morning before we started to Cele from Berlin
- Ann with health problems and precaustion visit in a hospital. Everything well, :) !!
- ride without Patrick and Ann through Potsdam direction Tangermunde.
- Stop for Dinner in Tangermunde
- Ride on direction Celle.

On the way an insane german with a Mazda. He overtook the complete convoy in dangerous way, one car after the other. Narrow road with trees near to the lane. At the next junction that fool turned 180 degree and drove back passing us. This seamed to be a very funny game for bored east germans :(

- Several mobile calls on Dieters mobile. At Hankensbuttel and also near Hankensbuttel several german F's where waiting.
- Christian Stegemann at the roadside followed as first one.
- At Hankensbuttel fuel station the other bulk of MGF waited already. Ronni, the policeman and his best friend Carsten (also policeman) with his Land Rover. Scotty and Andreas from Hamburg. and .... ? ... ;)

We lined up to get to Celle with Carsten and his Landy ahead. Stopped in Celle to prepare the cars for a short parade through the historic city.
Then we went to Schifferkrug Hotel and lined up the cars for photo shooting and the press foto.

I think Carsten will foreward this with a short message to the local newspaper in the wednesday issue.
While the group joined the rooms and parked their cars secure we went with 4 MGF sto a famous 'Biergarten' and Rolf from Hamburg who has currently a flooded MGF under construction joint us and Dieter gave him some electronic parts. TB's from SF got forewarded to Scotty.
Andreas heard that MS had a Trophy TB in the boot and asked me to help on trading in from Mike.
At 20:00 we arrived at Schifferkrug Hotel for Dinner where Steffen our 'german Bruce C. electrician had just arrived from Luneburg.

Lunch was just great. We had a menu special from the heath region (fried Heath sheep meat)
Dessert was again best done for Andy. ... Rote Grutze with vanillya and cream :)) He got a second portion. So he had five times Rote Grutze (kind of short time boiled forest fruit jam) while the whole Treffen Lunches and Dinners.

I had to leave the group at 23:00 and went to Wietze, where my mother lives.
Big thankyou again to Ted and all the helpers of this years Treffen Ride

Dieter

Visitors of this day
Steffen Holz and girlfriend from Luneburg
Ronald Bauer from Hannover
Christian Hensel (Scotty) and brother Martin
Andreas Rucker from Hamburg
Olli ???
Christoph Stegemann from Ratzeburg
Rolf Berneis (car in HH under construction)
Carsten with Land Rover