Date: Thu, 5 May 2011 15:56:52 -0500
Reply-To: mcneely4@COX.NET
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET>
Subject: Re: Long-term parking: nose up or nose down?
In-Reply-To: <1304625724.4813.74.camel@TheJackUbuntuNetbook>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Doesn't take a very steep, or even a modestly steep driveway to bring about this situation. Several years ago I came home to find my garage door bashed in, and the door opener jammed. My across the street neighbor, a dear old lady, came right over, as she was waiting for me. She had left her car in the driveway and rushed inside to take care of some urgent matter. When she returned to the car to get her shopping out, the car was missing. She looked all around, and called the police to report it stolen. They found it in my driveway, jam up against the garage door. The car wasn't damaged. The two driveways are exactly opposite one another, and almost exactly on the same elevation, though hers slopes ever so slightly, while mine is level. She had already priced a new door when I got home, but she had not realized that an opener was destroyed, the ceiling to which the opener was fixed was damaged, there was some minor structural damage to the roof superstructure, the new door had to be painted, and so on. It all ultimately came to around $5K, which her liability insurance paid in full. She had not wanted to file a claim, for fear of having her rate go up, but ultimately decided to do so, as she did not want to pay that much out of pocket. She was overly apologetic about the matter, and came over to "supervise" the workman all during the repairs.
mcneely
---- Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> Got a guy right across the street from our house who has a VERY steep
> driveway. His parked car, were it to break loose, would skitter right
> down that driveway, across the street, and end up in our front yard.
>
> On Thu, 2011-05-05 at 13:15 -0600, Tom Buese wrote:
>
> > I parked my westy at the top of a very steep driveway after a snow storm that had been plowed, but was still icy, & a couple of minutes later heard someone say that my van had rolled down the driveway & into the street, lucklily not hitting anything or anybody. This was w/ the parking brake fully pulled & the van in gear, IMHO.
> >
> > YMMV,
> >
> > Mr. BZ-it is so hard to get good help
> >
> >
> >
> > On May 5, 2011, at 12:47 PM, Rocket J Squirrel wrote:
> >
> > > Well yeah -- I trust not the parking brake alone. I'm certain I'd wake up to find the van nuzzled up against the woodpile if I didn't leave the tranny in Park.
> > >
> > > Chocking the wheels is the best way. I might gum down a 6x6 some way. Bolts into the concrete, I reckon.
> > >
> > > On Thu, 2011-05-05 at 10:37 -0600, Tom Buese wrote:
> > >>
> > >> That's a 7%+ grade-adjust your parking brake & leave in Park if it is that steep? No clue on the fluids, but doesn't seem like they would be an issue for a week?
> > >>
> > >> YMMV,
> > >>
> > >> Mr. BZ-sideways?
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> On May 5, 2011, at 10:07 AM, Rocket J Squirrel wrote:
> > >>
> > >> > Got a fairly steep driveway alongside the house here. I plan to start
> > >> > parking my 1984 there on occasion. It might stay there for a week or
> > >> > more sometimes -- it's not really my daily driver.
> > >> >
> > >> > In terms of the fluids, is there a preferred orientation? I'd say the
> > >> > downhill end of the van would be a foot lower than the uphill side.
> > >> >
> > >> > --
> > >> > Rocky J Squirrel
> > >> > '84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> > >> > '74 Westrailia: (Ladybug Trailer company, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
> > >> > Bend, OR
> > >> > KG6RCR
> > >>
> >
--
David McNeely
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