Worth Keeping my Hiace

I'm not actually in Spain anymore, I drove to Austria for the ski season back in December.  

I do actually have European Breakdown cover, but I think they'll only tow me  to the neares garage (last time they just took me to a Toyota dealership) rather than repatriate the vehicle.

My rant wasn't actually about Camper vans, just that the amount of time I've actually slept in the thing I might as well have bought a cheap transit van. Even if I bought a cheap one for 2 grand and it completely died, that still would have cost me less than I've already spent on repairs.  Once the roof hinge, the roof tent and the existing problems are sorted, it's probably gonna be more like 4 grand.

As for my Rant about Toyota, I'm going from experience with every Toyota Garage I've encountered in (3 in Spain alone), along with their official complaints department, and I even posted on their facebook page with the troubles I had, at which point they promised to get back to me by facebook and email, and never did.  So I've had a bad experience with my Vehicle, multiple bad experiences with official outlets and establisments in their name, and multiple instances of a complete lack of customer service from their HQ and website.  

So I feel like my rant against Toyota is completely justified.  Others aren't wrong if they hold a different opinion, it's just perhaps they haven't experienced the side of the company when the everything's not peachy.  

The fact is that after they messed up and fitted parts they weren't supposed to, because their workshop manager had a day off and he was apparently the only person who knew not to fit the parts they had and wait a single day so I wouldn't have to pay 1000 euros more for their parts.  Then they refused to do work that probably would have prevented me from being in this situation in the first place, then they confirm on multiple occasions that they have received my email regarding all the issues I've had, and promptly ignore me when I ask about a resolution. So yeah, the experience I've had would definitely leave me with strong opinions about the company, and would definitely make me think twice about buying another vehicle they produce.

Thanks GPW, I really have no intention of taking the gearbox apart!!!!

I think when I'm ready to leave here in a few weeks I'll just invoke the breakdown cover and then I guess I'll have to stump up the cash for the repairs. I don't see any other solution.

Ryank wrote:

I'm not actually in Spain anymore, I drove to Austria for the ski season back in December.

Ah Ok. My unfounded impression of Austrian mechanics would be 'good but pricey'...

If it makes you feel any better: a work mate was telling me of his neighbour who toured Europe in his old - but renovated - VW camper. It was continually breaking down, the worst being stuck in Germany with no VW dealer able to source the parts - let alone fix it for him.

Paid a LOT more for his van too. Most of his holiday was spent by the side of the road.

Also I should just re-reference the cost of new campers, an excellent Combi (MPV) van from the factory like Ford or Renault/Nissan/Vauxhall are just over £20k, camper prices at the Caravan Show ranged from £32k to £50k - all for campers about the same size as the Hiace, some a little bigger (transit sized).

It was then I realised that even if I threw a bit of money at mine it was drops in the ocean compared to new

I was thinking about it, and I think it would probably go down pretty bad here as well, when you would take such an old automatic van to a Toyota dealership here. Because they charge high rates, but are only familiar with the usual Corolla's and stuff. Of course, there is an occasional exception of the old experienced guys. And I think you would be able to make much better appointments here than in Spain.
But still the automatic gearbox stuff on an older car is not fantastic for these guys. Also for example, if you have an (older) Landcruiser there is no reason to go to a Toyota dealership, just go to a 4x4 expert. Sometimes the guys at the Toyota dealership don't even know to check all diffs and transfercase, but you do pay the higher price for the service (higher than you would pay for a Corolla)

You really need some guy or company who works a lot with older automatics, like GPW said already.

It is just such a shame that you have so much bad luck. With the car's transmission, and with the shitty garages. While normally, they happen to be very reliable.
If you're gearbox was working properly, or even if it was just a manual, you would just be enjoying it, not having to deal with all this shit. Because it is issue upon issue.

I think Transit vans are fine. I don't know how the automatics are of those.
If you would've bought even a Mercedes Sprinter van with automatic, you would have pretty high change to have similar issues. Good vans but the automatics are known to be bad.

@GPW, what, a VW that can't be repaired in Germany? There should at least be enough wreckers to find a part?

Also, I think it this may be worth a try. Yes it is in Australia so you have shipping cost, condition is unknown, but if they can confirm that it came out of a working van I would give it a go:
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/cedar-vale/engine-engine-parts-transmission/toyota-hiace-auto-transmission/1135330843

GPW - I'm not sure about the good part, but I highly suspect they will be pricey! No matter how bad they are they can't be worse than the experience I've had with mechanics in Spain (not just Toyota ones) - put it this way, after living in Spain for 6 months over the summer, I can easily see why the country is in recession, getting good service anywhere is incredibly difficult. It's like the heat is cooking everyone's brains and they just don't give a shit!

Yeah I definitely can't afford a new one. All I can afford is pretty much what I'll get from my piece of junk when I sell it, and I have so much problems with vehicles, I might just not bother and whittle everything I own back down to 2 bags that can fit on Aeroplanes.

I'm also surprised that he couldn't get a VW fixed in German - it's the motherland of VWs! Hell Volkswagen literally means "Car of the People" in German!

Hiace4wd, I didn't realise that about the sprinters, I was looking into those, when I got mine, but thought that a owning a Merc was just asking for high repair costs. Also I wanted a 4wd van because I thought it would be helpful with the snow (it hasn't).

However, you do realise I'm in Austria, not Australia right? That link seems like a massive risk, from a place that is quite literally on the other side of the world. The hardest thing with finding a new transmission here in Austria is the German language, I'm not even sure what the gearbox is called in German!

google translate is your friend: Automatikgetriebe

Yes, we all had a good laugh about not being able to fix a VW in Germany LOL.

As for autobox disasters - spare a thought for all those people who bought expensive new Mercedes with dodgy Valeo radiators and ended up with £7k bills for new gearboxes. Sometimes they didn't even need the dodgy radiator

TwentyOneThirtyFive wrote:

google translate is your friend: Automatikgetriebe

True, good way to find your local specialist.
http://www.automatikgetriebecenter.at/

Easier for an Austrian to search for you if they're not too busy skiiing, perhaps look for something like this:
http://www.fedauto.co.uk/memfind.html  but in Austria.

Whereabouts in Austria are you Ryank?

That's ridiculous, if you bought a new vehicle, you definitely shouldn't end up for a bill for 7k! Crazy! Still, Mercs are renowned for being expensive, so I guess if you have money to spend on one, you gotta expect it to cost a lot when it comes to repairs!

I'm in the Tirol Region, about 5 hours away from the Automatic Gearbox Centre link posted. I've had a bit of a look online, and there's this place about 30 minutes away.

http://www.achsenundgetriebe.at/

Strangely, I found their listing on this page:

https://www.herold.at/telefonbuch/tirol/reparatur/

which says it's for Automatic Gearboxes in the listing, but when I looked at the site I couldn't find anything about auto boxes. Think I'll probably have to give them a call...

Yeah I guess, some stereotypes about Spanish are true unfortunately.

I didn't realize the van is now in Austria.

You can call that company. Maybe they are even too specialized, but then they can forward you.

But going back to the original problem, is it true that your automatic gearbox still hasn't been flushed with fresh oil?

Because that should I think still be the first thing right? (GPW can perhaps comment on this)

Perhaps there may be another issue with the selector, if that has to do with cabling and such of the lever, it may just need some adjustment.

Ryank wrote:

Hiace4wd, I didn't realise that about the sprinters, I was looking into those, when I got mine, but thought that a owning a Merc was just asking for high repair costs.  

Well talking mainly about the Sprinters, they are pretty good cars. It is just that they rust a bit hard.
And the automatics have a very very bad reputation. But nonetheless good vans.
I was looking at one with 4x4, but they are quite pricey because they are rare.

Quote :

Also I wanted a 4wd van because I thought it would be helpful with the snow (it hasn't).

It hasn't because you were not able to use it that way? Because other than that, the 4wd system should really have some benefits in the snow.

Quote :

However, you do realise I'm in Austria, not Australia right?  That link seems like a massive risk, from a place that is quite literally on the other side of the world.  The hardest thing with finding a new transmission here in Austria is the German language, I'm not even sure what the gearbox is called in German!

It's just two letters hehe. No I was thinking about Australia because they have a lot more of these vans, and so more chance of finding a second hand gearbox. This example may not have been the best since the status is not very clear, but if it is only $80 and you can ship it to Europe for $100 or something (slow sea shipping) then it could be an option.
These gearboxes are somewhat harder to find in Europe.

So that is why I check abroad. It is either something like Ebay or Gumtree. Or ring some of those import companies that import Japenese cars and engines. They should give you a quote on this type of gearbox, if you specify Hiace 2.8 diesel automatic and model year. What comes from Japan is usually reliable.

But, if your gearbox still hasn't been flushed, I think it starts there?

I remember my dad with his Volvo, getting issues on the holiday, pulling the caravan.
When it was going uphill for too long the automatic gearbox would "go out" with a bang and he would have to stop or change the gear manually. Something like that.
It was quite a challenge, but he could predict it and drove it home. Then the automatic gearbox guy (such a specialist that you need as well) heard the story, was a bit freightend by the story and thought about it may need a replacement.
They flushed the oil and the dirtiest stuff came out that the guy hadn't seen in ages. He was completely asthonised that my dad could drive it home, pulling a caravan.
Afterwards, the car was driving fine again.

Where in Austria are you (which city)? I know some car guys in Austria, maybe they have a good recommendation. One of them is a Mercedes engine specialist hehe, but I think he will know the right people.

Hiace4wd wrote:

But going back to the original problem, is it true that your automatic gearbox still hasn't been flushed with fresh oil?

Because that should I think still be the first thing right? (GPW can perhaps comment on this)

Sure. I did some extensive research about this and this was my conclusion:

NEVER flush the fluid in an autobox unless it's new.
Ours are not new so they should never be flushed.

A flush releases too much dirt in one go which clogs up the oilways, valves etc. (New ATF is a good cleaner).
The way to clean dirty fluid is to do a drain and fill on the gearbox sump only (about 40% of the total oil) on a regular basis which will gradually and safely clean the whole box.

Obviously if a proper transmission shop repairs your box just make sure you ask for and follow the instructions about fluid that they give as they'll know what they did to it.

GPW wrote:

Hiace4wd wrote:

But going back to the original problem, is it true that your automatic gearbox still hasn't been flushed with fresh oil?

Because that should I think still be the first thing right? (GPW can perhaps comment on this)

Sure. I did some extensive research about this and this was my conclusion:

NEVER flush the fluid in an autobox unless it's new.
Ours are not new so they should never be flushed.

A flush releases too much dirt in one go which clogs up the oilways, valves etc. (New ATF is a good cleaner).
The way to clean dirty fluid is to do a drain and fill on the gearbox sump only (about 40% of the total oil) on a regular basis which will gradually and safely clean the whole box.

Obviously if a proper transmission shop repairs your box just make sure you ask for and follow the instructions about fluid that they give as they'll know what they did to it.

Agreed. Back when I was having the original gearbox problems I did A LOT of research. What happens in the old gearboxes, is they get worn and it's actually pieces of tiny bits of metal that often allow the clutch plates to grab and drive when in gear. If you flush the torque converter, you will often wash those pieces of metal away and the gearbox can no longer grip properly and it will slip in and out of gears, or simply not drive at all. Flushing the torque converter is often the worst thing you can do on the older boxes, as it will bring a whole host of existing problems to light and make the gearbox perform MUCH worse. These problems will usually occur at some point anyway, but flushing will definitely bring them to the surface, and cause them to all occur at once, which can cause additional damage. So I would be very very careful about recommending a full flush, from pretty much all the information I've found from various sources, 99% of the time that will make the gearbox far worse and will often cause so many problems the only solution is to then replace or have the gearbox completely rebuilt.

I did ask the last two garages (one a Toyota dealer and one a so-called gearbox specialist, both in Spain) to clean the sump magnet, and replace the transmission oil filter, and do a flush (before my research led to realise this was a bad idea) but neither of them would do any of it. All that was done was the AT fluid was drained and replaced, and that was right before my journey to Austria back in early December. At the time I thought it may be a clogged filter and a lack of pressure that was causing reverse gear to not engage properly until I had revved the engine quite hard. Now it's another entirely different problem with the thing not even letting me select a gear, so I just fear that the gearbox is knackered and I'll need a new one, which if I'm honest I don't really have the money for.

Ryank wrote:

All that was done was the AT fluid was drained and replaced, and that was right before my journey to Austria back in early December. At the time I thought it may be a clogged filter and a lack of pressure that was causing reverse gear to not engage properly until I had revved the engine quite hard.

Now it's another entirely different problem with the thing not even letting me select a gear, so I just fear that the gearbox is knackered and I'll need a new one, which if I'm honest I don't really have the money for.

I still wonder if the two are connected. You have the A45DL transmission I think, I found a link on this page:
http://www.usatransdoctor.com/foreigntoyota.htm#A40D

page wrote:

The transmissions above are rear wheel drive 4 speed automatics and shift timing is controlled by the computer and a throttle pressure cable that connects from the transmission to the carburetor or throttle body.  Always check these items first before your purchase a transmission.

Common symptoms are transmission shifting erratic, slipping or not shifting at all. Also the check engine light can come on.

Always check your throttle pressure cable adjustment and see if there are any diagnostic trouble codes in the computer causing the problem. On most Toyotas they have a diagnostic box you can retrieve codes with. The location of this box should be in your owners manual.

Your gearbox does appear to be an electronic controlled one so I think the hydraulic master selection (The big lever attached to the gearbox with a cable) is not quite in tune with your gearbox ECU that actually fires the solenoids.

The Lever/Solenoid relationship is like a house fuse box and light switch, you have to enable the upstairs lighting circuit before you go upstairs and mess about with the light switches.

It's also possible the throttle cable adjustment to the gearbox is not good so the gearbox refuses to engage because it thinks the revs are too high or something. Maybe worth checking the throttle pedal is able to move freely and the shift lever is free to move.

Also in my van there is a bunch of relays on the LHS of the centre console which I've since deduced belong to the autobox control/ECU. so you may have an intermittent contact there - perhaps worth unplugging and plugging all the relays there to see if that wakes it up.

Of course a transmission shop would do this - I'm just thinking of what I'd look at first and maybe jiggling the selector, throttle or relays may give you drive.

Possibly relevant, on page 2 of this thread there is a picture of some very corroded relays...

TwentyOneThirtyFive wrote:

Possibly relevant, on page 2 of this thread there is a picture of some very corroded relays...

Yes, good point, maybe unplugging, some WD40 and plugging in again may help. There's obviously been dampness inside which is the enemy of contact reliability.

The actual auto relays are in a slightly different place - the 4WD may be different but my transmission ECU, fuses and relays are on the passenger side of the centre console - I think the side panel just pops off.

An intermittent relay driving a change solenoid could cause issues like the ones we see, for a pure 'worn out' issue I'd expect to see it try to work a bit, total refusal to change into drive seems a bit more electrically related to me. Assuming the solenoids in the transmission are still good and the fluid level is correct.

I think I'm just gonna call the breakdown people and hope they can find a quick solution.  I've invested more than enough time into this piece of crap and I've had enough of even thinking about it, let alone rooting around amongst solenoids/relays.  I really don't have the willpower to spend ages dicking around with it on the off chance it might work again. Hopefully the breakdown guys can get it working, and if not I'm just gonna stump up the cash to get it fixed, sell it (no doubt for a massive loss) and never think about it again.  If I do decide I need a camper in the future, I'll buy a transit from a garage (not a private seller) convert it myself, and that still would cost me less than I've spent just to keep this piece of junk on the road.

Thanks for all your help, advice and suggestions though guys, I really appreciate it. I wouldn't have made it this far without you.

Id still be in the worth it to keep vs repairs.
Parts aren't readily available beyond those that are shared around here.
I knew everything was gonna be a hunt.
I have other cars with unobtainium parts... still frustrating.

All vw synchro owners I've met are still in for triple what I got mine for.

GPW wrote:

If it makes you feel any better:

Dealers in the states are not much better.
I avoid stealerships whenever possible.


What fluid temp does the AT light come on?

Mine got to 205*F and no light.
I have since, drained the sump and refilled. 500 km repeated. 500km more removed sump and cleaned and replaced screen(filter). Only need a 10mm socket beside the drain plug.
Too old to perform a machine flush.

I also added a cooler and has not exceeded 189* since.

Ace MM wrote:

I have since, drained the sump and refilled. 500 km repeated. 500km more removed sump and cleaned and replaced screen(filter). Only need a 10mm socket beside the drain plug.
Too old to perform a machine flush.

I also added a cooler and has not exceeded 189* since.

Interesting. Did you notice if the filter had collected anything (i.e. are they worth changing?).
Did you use a gasket or sealant to re-seal the sump?

Did you keep the rad line in the cooling loop or did you avoid that to plumb the new cooler in?

GPW wrote:

Interesting. Did you notice if the filter had collected anything (i.e. are they worth changing?).
Did you use a gasket or sealant to re-seal the sump?

Did you keep the rad line in the cooling loop or did you avoid that to plumb the new cooler in?

Enough fine material on it that I'd rather replace it than mess with cleaning it.
Ordered from Rock Auto, non chinese made, which is what all the local parts places had as well. The mesh quality was obviously better and half the cost of Toyota.
New gasket was included, dry installation.

I tapped into the return from the radiator, simple.

Hey guys, this vehicle seems like it will be the death of me.  It's literally the worst mistake I've ever made buying it.  I'm not saying this is the worst thing that's ever happened to me, just the worst decision I've ever made, although that said being stuck in a foreign country with communication problems and no clear way out that isn't gonna cost me very heavily is pretty distressing.

My current issues:  I'm finally ready to leave Austria, so I called my insurance to find out what my options were for getting it towed.  TLDR: There aren't any options.  The van has been out of the UK for a while now, and the tax and mot have run out.  I thought that because I wasn't on uk roads, I would just get it taxed and mot'd when I bought it back.  My insurance company tells me now that despite me having no tax and mot when I renewed the insurance, if I don't have both of these they won't tow me anywhere.

So now I'm stuck in Austria with a vehicle that doesn't move as I can't even get it into gear.  I called a national Austrian tow company who quoted me 130 euros to tow it to a garage, but when the tow guys came, they looked underneath it and gave it a go to see if they could fix it but couldn't.  They then said that they couldn't tow it because it's an automatic and said I'll have to get it mounted on a flatbed and taken to a toyota dealer which is only 40km away but that the cost will be another 350 euros on top of what I've already paid 90 euros for the callout charge.
Unfortunately I found this out after I had already given them the money. Because my German isn't great I thought that they said they couldn't tow it because it's currently snowing heavily and has been for the past two days and they would come back and I'd pay the remaining 40 euros, but when I got my Austrian friend to phone them up and that's when I was told by their office that they can't tow it because it's an automatic and they're not coming back.  

The thing is that I think the car isn't in gear at all, because it's on slight incline, and if you take the foot off the brake it will just freewheel backwards, so I don't really understand why they can't tow it.

Anyway, you guys have been super helpful so I thought I would ask if anyone had any ideas?  The way I feel right now, I'm half tempted to just sit in the van with all the gas on for an hour or so and then light a cigarette.  I've had nothing but problems with the van, and I did a quick calculation and I will probably lose money on this van no matter what happens:

I spent 8000 on it in the first place, then had to spend 2000 fixing it when it broke the first time. It's gonna cost me 450 euros to even get it taken to a garage, and I seem to have been ripped off so much with this piece of junk, I wouldn't be surprised if that costs me another 2000 to fix. So we're up to 12,000 so far.

Then I'd have to pay road tolls, petrol costs, ferry/channel fares, and when I get back to the uk I'd need to find an MOT place in dover and get a new MOT and tax. Knowing my luck it wouldn't be a simple MOT so let's just say all that costs another 2 grand. Finally, the van needs a bit of aesthetic work, needs a new hinge on the pop up roof as well as new tent material, and the hot water from the water heater didn't work last time I checked either so I'd have to spend a load to get that fixed too.

So now the total amount this thing will have costed me will be well over 14,000, probably more like 15-16.  If I sell it I think I'd be extremely lucky to get 8000 for it, probably more like 6000.  So taking that 6000 off the total might leave me back at 10000, which is what I've paid for it so far, so to break even I'll have a hell of a lot of work and stress.  I'm thinking a solution might be to get the tow truck to take me to somewhere I can just leave it, with the keys in, and forget all about it.

Well done if you made it this far, I'm kinda devastated by all this, it's stress I really don't need. Any ideas?

I'm thinking I might just cut my losses and scrap it, if I can figure out how to do it in Austria. It might cost me more to fix it and get it back to the UK than I'd get from selling it, so seems like the path of least resistance, and that way at least I'd be finally shot of it.

If only the van was in UK you wouldn't have to deal with all the communication barriers.
The MOT requirement for getting it back to UK is strange to me, it gets you into a deadlock quite easily. Tax and insurance is just paying I guess?

Well, if you can move it back and forth for more than a couple of inch, with handbrake off, then yes it is and neutral and you're right. In that case it could be towed in a regular way, and they should not charge you extra.

I understand all your trouble. You have to decide which way out of it you want. I mean, the path of least resistance / least amount of stress or the path which will cost the least amount of money.

Least resistance is indeed to put it up for sale in Austria in the state it is in. That means you won't get much, as it is not driveable and right hand drive in a left hand drive country. Even the export guys (to Africa) will not like this so much. But if the price is low enough I guess you can sell it anyway. You would probably need to mark it as exported in the UK, but that shouldn't be so time consuming. But read into it before you sell it locally.
(Side note, if it will go to a scrapyard or someone for parts, let us know as it might be interesting for some people)

Least amount of loss in money, would still be to get it towed to some garage and to see if you can get it driving. Even if the automatic gearbox still has problems and drives like shit, driveable means you can drive it back to the UK and sell it. If it has problems it will of course be with a loss.
Or, once in UK, try to find the right people with which you can make proper appointments and try to sort it out.

But where in Austria are you? I can ask a guy I know for recommendations on where to go.
He is an engine expert unfortunately not on gearboxes. But if he can do valve timing on a V8 diesel, I think he might know some places where to go.

If only you could get this car into the hands of people that know what to do and that don't charge dealership-like prices (and that usually comes together) then it would be good. Same goes for the camper stuff like that hinge or so. People who do that stuff each day wouldn't say you have big issues.
However, you are sitting there with an immovable car and keep running into issues, either because of rules or because of language barriers, while not finding the right people.

chuck it on ebay, sell as a non-runner.

Hiace4wd wrote:

If only the van was in UK you wouldn't have to deal with all the communication barriers.
The MOT requirement for getting it back to UK is strange to me, it gets you into a deadlock quite easily. Tax and insurance is just paying I guess?

Well, if you can move it back and forth for more than a couple of inch, with handbrake off, then yes it is and neutral and you're right. In that case it could be towed in a regular way, and they should not charge you extra.

I understand all your trouble. You have to decide which way out of it you want. I mean, the path of least resistance / least amount of stress or the path which will cost the least amount of money.

Least resistance is indeed to put it up for sale in Austria in the state it is in. That means you won't get much, as it is not driveable and right hand drive in a left hand drive country. Even the export guys (to Africa) will not like this so much. But if the price is low enough I guess you can sell it anyway. You would probably need to mark it as exported in the UK, but that shouldn't be so time consuming. But read into it before you sell it locally.
(Side note, if it will go to a scrapyard or someone for parts, let us know as it might be interesting for some people)

Least amount of loss in money, would still be to get it towed to some garage and to see if you can get it driving. Even if the automatic gearbox still has problems and drives like shit, driveable means you can drive it back to the UK and sell it. If it has problems it will of course be with a loss.
Or, once in UK, try to find the right people with which you can make proper appointments and try to sort it out.

But where in Austria are you? I can ask a guy I know for recommendations on where to go.
He is an engine expert unfortunately not on gearboxes. But if he can do valve timing on a V8 diesel, I think he might know some places where to go.

If only you could get this car into the hands of people that know what to do and that don't charge dealership-like prices (and that usually comes together) then it would be good. Same goes for the camper stuff like that hinge or so. People who do that stuff each day wouldn't say you have big issues.
However, you are sitting there with an immovable car and keep running into issues, either because of rules or because of language barriers, while not finding the right people.

I have insurance, that's the annoying thing. When I last renewed my insurance they would have been able to see it had not tax or mot, but they didn't say anything, which is why I'm so mad at my insurance company, as without tax and mot the recovery company are simply refusing to touch it.

I've spent so much time and money on this thing I'm now going with the path of least resistance. I've put it up on a local facebook group for 2000 euros, and I have a couple of people who seemed interested, but if they don't get a shift on, I might just end up scrapping it. After all this stress (I haven't had an easy life, but I can't think of an occasion I was feeling more stressed and hopeless than yesterday) I just can't face going through the whole journey of driving it home, organising a channel crossing back to the UK and then dealing with the governmental DVLA and having to explain why it wasn't taxed or mot'd for the past year, whilst getting new taxes and mots and then driving it to my hometown and hoping I can sell it before I'm due in NZ.

I'm kinda at the stage now where I just want shot of it, and if I ever decide to buy another vehicle, punch me in the balls for being a stupid and forgetful. I ummed and ahhed about buying it because I always have trouble with every vehicle I've ever owned, and I naively thought that life wouldn't take a massive dump on me this time round. I was very wrong.

TwentyOneThirtyFive - I don't really have the time to do that here in Austria. I either need a very quick sale, to get it fixed or to just outright scrap it. Ebay might not cut it. I'll wait to see what happens from the guys on facebook, and if I can't sell it I'll just scrap it I think...

I completely understand it. I would really advise on reading about how to register your car as exported in the UK, so you don't get into trouble with that at a later time.

On a side note, just thinking about such a vehicle being scrapped.. It would be good to know where it ends up?
By the way, does it have Air-conditioning?

Good idea, I'm gonna have to tell the DVLA no matter what I do. Hopefully they won't be too difficult about the fact it's been off the road for a while and I didn't register it as off the road as I haven't been in the UK.  What would be perfect is if I can sell it to an english person, then I wouldn't even have to register it as exported.

It has a button on dash for AC. and the are vents just behind the cab, so I would imagine it does have AC, although personally I've never used it...