The fellowship of the Rover (Lots of text!!)

Supervinnie40 · 27th July 2015, 19:46

Last weekend was my trip to England, and what a trip it was!

On Saturday 1am (uk time) we left home for Duinkerken (france). Besides taking 1 wrong junction at Antwerpen the drive went smooth and without any problems. About 2.5 quiet and boring hours later we arrived at the DFDS Seaways ferry.
The check-in was very quick, but after that we had to wait for a bit more then a hour before we could enter the boat. So we watch a few series on the Navall 1.

At roughly 5am we entered the boat and went to the main deck. Surprised with the size of the ferry and the amount of things there where to do. 4 places to buy food, an arcade room, a tourist desk, an outside deck and a really nice few from the forward deck. Besides having a short nap, we enjoyed watching through the huge windows and see how the ferry would plow its way through the waves towards the white cliffs of Dover.

Once we arrived in Dover around 7am, it was a quick drive out of Dover onto the M20. As soon as we left Dover behind we saw a huge row of trucks on the other side. And the line would just keep going and going. We drove along the M20 for a good 40 minutes and the only thing we could see was just truck after truck. I think it could have been about 50 miles of just trucks. We had no clue what was going on (yet). After reach the M25 we drove alongside London towards the west and up towards the M1. It was a boring and long drive, but eventually we got to Milton Keynes. Were we would meet up with Phil-T4.

Obviously so much "smooth going" can't be done in England, and besides a few small places with roadworks, we eventually had a big queue just outside of Milton Keynes. It took about 40 minutes to drive about 4 kilometer.
At roughly 10.30am we arrived in Milton Keynes and we where pleasantly surprised, not only is Milton Keynes a lovely looking place, but Phil turned out to be a very cool guy.
We drove to the back of his house where he was working on a huge silver limo. And where we meet his son (and later on his lovely (ex?) wife. A very friendly place to be.

We had a quick chat, and the master went to work. No doubt that this man is a specialist. Not just an enthusiast, but a very well experienced master of his craft. The new IPK with message center was easily installed, but then came the first bit of bad news.... The IPK I had virginised and repaired (to fix the missing lines) was very badly repaired. A few lights where very, very dim and half of the LCD screen was very dim. Although it "functioned", this IPK was pretty much useless and unsafe (I wouldn't have noticed if any of the danger lights would have gone off)

. Although I was very upset about this big disappointment, Phil quickly turned my frown upside down by installing the MK2 BCU and showing off all the funny new features I now have.

We had a bit more of a chat, but then it really was time to move on.

The next stop was going to be in Rugby, visiting Christopher. Who had a whole fleet of ZT and 75 in front of his house. A stunning Copperleaf red 75, a gorgeous blue ZT 190, the R70 FIVE in Starlight silver and a sporty green TF. Christopher had some interior stuff for me. And together we tried to make it all fit in the car. Since I was gonna meet up with Tom later, I had to take in account the extra stuff I was gonna have to carry along. With the guidance of Tom and our perseverance, we managed to get 2 front seat in the back and the bottom part of the rear seat (you'll read more about this later

). I then told Christopher about my disappointment about the ****** IPK. I had no choice at that moment to use it, but it was just rubbish. I really should've checked it better after I got it back from repaired. Christopher told me he might have one in his garage somewhere.
I quickly told him I was very interested and after a few minutes he came back with a box with an IPK with message center for a petrol car in very, very good condition! What a hero! I could've kissed him at that point

.

I know IPK's aren't very rare, but there is nobody in NL who can install them, and since I was only in the UK for 2 days, I was very upset I was gonna go home with a broken IPK with a broken message center.
Christopher saved the day!

Since we still had to go to the hotel, we thanked him, shaked hands and left for Coventry. The journey was a bit boring, until we reach the Ricoh Arena. The car park is so badly mentioned in the road signs, that we had a lot of trouble finding it. But after driving around for 30 minutes we managed to find it.
I called Tom (Organiser) to say that we where in the Ricoh Arena and that we could meet up now. And about an hour later he was there. I walked towards the front desk and quickly saw Captain Tom

haha. My misses saw us walking, and she said you reminded here of a captain

. You where just missing the captain hat

. Obviously that is meant as a compliment. Tom was bringing the front seats that travelled through Pony Express thanks to Neill (who picked them up from the seller), Steve (who picked them up from Neill and brought them to Tom) and Tom eventually brought them to me.
A massive bow-down

from me to you 3 people. You helped me out a lot by doing this. I hope I can return the favor in the future.

With the help from Tom we managed to get the other 2 front seats also in the back. I now had 4 front seats in the back and the bottom part of the rear seat! If was very full, with the seats in the most forwards position, but it fit

.
I quickly went back inside and got the phone number of Phil and called him. I got the new IPK from Christopher, but I needed him to T4 it in. Did he had the time to help me out with this last minute favor??
Off course he did. It was not a problem at all. The ever so generous Phil told me to come by his house on my way back to Dover and he would sort me out. Since the IPK from Christopher needed to be virginised first, he would use one of his own IPK's to install in my car. He would then keep the IPK from Christopher. A simple swap to save a lot of time. I thanked him, and went for a shower. It was about 6pm, and I hadn't had a minute rest since 2am. So I was very due a nice hot shower.

I put on my proper clothes, went down and followed the signs for the Traders Diner of Waxstock 2015. Waxstock is pretty much the biggest Car Care event in Europe, and I was personally invited by the 3 organisers to join the Traders Diner where all the manufacturers, volunteers and other big names from the Detailing world would be.
We had a lovely diner, with so many laughs. Those UK detailers and manufacturers are a funny bunch after a few pints

. We all went into the casino and the party lasted till about 1am.

The next day was Waxstock. Apart from saying that you people really know how to do a proper breakfast (saugages, eggs, bacon, croissants etc.) I won't bore you with details about Waxstock. We meet up with Jordan here, because he had some stuff I got sent to him. Tom (Holland314) supplied the parts and Jordan held on to them for me. (save on postage).

Around 4pm it was time to leave and race towards Dover for our ferry. But not without stopping at Phil first to get the new IPK installed. I was happy to see that the new IPK was in perfect working order. So much better then the broken one! Phil quickly installed it, and I would only need to swap over the (Klarzy) dial sheets when I got home.
We shook hands again and we quickly left for Dover at roughly 5pm. Can't thank Phil enough for his awesome service and help to get me sorted!! Such a gentleman!
Unfortunately, the new IPK showed 2 missing lines after we hit the highway.

We drove down a very boring and long route towards Dover. And where very upset to hit a few queue's around London. Luckily we managed to reach Dover eventually around 9.30pm. Unfortunately the France government decided to block traffic from Dover to Calais, so everybody(!!) who had to go to Calais now had to go to Duinkerken (just like us). So the queue for the ferry just became twice as big (at least). It wasn't until 11.30pm until we could board the ship....

At roughly 2am (uk time) we arrived in Duinkerken....
We quickly left the ferry behind us, and went straight home. After a quick fuel up in Poppel (Belgium) we finally got home at 5am. We unpacked, cleaned the worst things up and went to bed at roughly 7.30am (that is 8.30 NL time).
We where knackered, but what a trip it was! Waxstock was awesome, and I'm very privileged I got to meet 3 awesome people from this forum.

A big shout out to Phil, Christopher, Jordan, Tom Dutch and Tom for their help and incredibly kindness

. It was a true pleasure meeting you all.
Obviously also a very big thanks to Neill and Steve for their help with the pony express thing. Without your help, I would've never been able to get these seats home.

Travelling to the UK was a great adventure, and I can't wait till next time I'll be there.

ProfDave · 27th July 2015, 19:54

This is phenomenal dedication and a testament to you and the club members who have supported your epic quest. I am in awe!!!

Dallas · 27th July 2015, 20:09

Organiser can certainly organise

very helpful chap. I've not met Tom yet, but I too have this 'Captain' image stuck in my head from our many conversations over the phone we have had.

Great story

luv it when a plan comes together, well done Gents.

planenut · 27th July 2015, 20:10

Brilliant.

coolcat · 27th July 2015, 20:20

Wow,

What a trip Vinnie

Next time take a look at the Hook Of Holland to Harwich Ferry Service

aguy · 27th July 2015, 20:27

Really interesting read and what an adventure. Shame you had to come at a time the tunnel and ferries were snarled up but glad you had a successful journey with the aid of some very helpful people.

Harry

Supervinnie40 · 27th July 2015, 21:00

Thanks all

. It was a very rewarding experience. And I now have the message center AND a few nice options thanks to the MK2 BCU

.

@coolcat, I now of that ferry but it is very expensive. It would've saved a lot of time, but it would've cost me more then double what I paid now (including the petrol I used).

Next year will be different. We will come earlier, stay longer and really make a proper holiday out of it.

Ravinder · 28th July 2015, 00:40

Should of just got the plane!

Steve42 · 28th July 2015, 01:41

and to think you was 5 min from me.
I could have passed you and didn't even know it

Kennyeth · 28th July 2015, 05:49

Gold star for making the trip and one more for having all the plans plus extra come together, very brave trip to take on.
It is a shame you did not have more time to drive around our country we do have some very nice

and spectacular places to drive.
Well done Vinnie.
Ken.

27th July 2015, 19:46	#1
Supervinnie40 I really should get out more....... Rover 75 1.8 Club Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Tilburg (Netherland) Posts: 2,612 Thanks: 572 Thanked 336 Times in 247 Posts	The fellowship of the Rover (Lots of text!!) Last weekend was my trip to England, and what a trip it was! On Saturday 1am (uk time) we left home for Duinkerken (france). Besides taking 1 wrong junction at Antwerpen the drive went smooth and without any problems. About 2.5 quiet and boring hours later we arrived at the DFDS Seaways ferry. The check-in was very quick, but after that we had to wait for a bit more then a hour before we could enter the boat. So we watch a few series on the Navall 1. At roughly 5am we entered the boat and went to the main deck. Surprised with the size of the ferry and the amount of things there where to do. 4 places to buy food, an arcade room, a tourist desk, an outside deck and a really nice few from the forward deck. Besides having a short nap, we enjoyed watching through the huge windows and see how the ferry would plow its way through the waves towards the white cliffs of Dover. Once we arrived in Dover around 7am, it was a quick drive out of Dover onto the M20. As soon as we left Dover behind we saw a huge row of trucks on the other side. And the line would just keep going and going. We drove along the M20 for a good 40 minutes and the only thing we could see was just truck after truck. I think it could have been about 50 miles of just trucks. We had no clue what was going on (yet). After reach the M25 we drove alongside London towards the west and up towards the M1. It was a boring and long drive, but eventually we got to Milton Keynes. Were we would meet up with Phil-T4. Obviously so much "smooth going" can't be done in England, and besides a few small places with roadworks, we eventually had a big queue just outside of Milton Keynes. It took about 40 minutes to drive about 4 kilometer. At roughly 10.30am we arrived in Milton Keynes and we where pleasantly surprised, not only is Milton Keynes a lovely looking place, but Phil turned out to be a very cool guy. We drove to the back of his house where he was working on a huge silver limo. And where we meet his son (and later on his lovely (ex?) wife. A very friendly place to be. We had a quick chat, and the master went to work. No doubt that this man is a specialist. Not just an enthusiast, but a very well experienced master of his craft. The new IPK with message center was easily installed, but then came the first bit of bad news.... The IPK I had virginised and repaired (to fix the missing lines) was very badly repaired. A few lights where very, very dim and half of the LCD screen was very dim. Although it "functioned", this IPK was pretty much useless and unsafe (I wouldn't have noticed if any of the danger lights would have gone off) . Although I was very upset about this big disappointment, Phil quickly turned my frown upside down by installing the MK2 BCU and showing off all the funny new features I now have. We had a bit more of a chat, but then it really was time to move on. The next stop was going to be in Rugby, visiting Christopher. Who had a whole fleet of ZT and 75 in front of his house. A stunning Copperleaf red 75, a gorgeous blue ZT 190, the R70 FIVE in Starlight silver and a sporty green TF. Christopher had some interior stuff for me. And together we tried to make it all fit in the car. Since I was gonna meet up with Tom later, I had to take in account the extra stuff I was gonna have to carry along. With the guidance of Tom and our perseverance, we managed to get 2 front seat in the back and the bottom part of the rear seat (you'll read more about this later ). I then told Christopher about my disappointment about the ****** IPK. I had no choice at that moment to use it, but it was just rubbish. I really should've checked it better after I got it back from repaired. Christopher told me he might have one in his garage somewhere. I quickly told him I was very interested and after a few minutes he came back with a box with an IPK with message center for a petrol car in very, very good condition! What a hero! I could've kissed him at that point . I know IPK's aren't very rare, but there is nobody in NL who can install them, and since I was only in the UK for 2 days, I was very upset I was gonna go home with a broken IPK with a broken message center. Christopher saved the day! Since we still had to go to the hotel, we thanked him, shaked hands and left for Coventry. The journey was a bit boring, until we reach the Ricoh Arena. The car park is so badly mentioned in the road signs, that we had a lot of trouble finding it. But after driving around for 30 minutes we managed to find it. I called Tom (Organiser) to say that we where in the Ricoh Arena and that we could meet up now. And about an hour later he was there. I walked towards the front desk and quickly saw Captain Tom haha. My misses saw us walking, and she said you reminded here of a captain . You where just missing the captain hat . Obviously that is meant as a compliment. Tom was bringing the front seats that travelled through Pony Express thanks to Neill (who picked them up from the seller), Steve (who picked them up from Neill and brought them to Tom) and Tom eventually brought them to me. A massive bow-down from me to you 3 people. You helped me out a lot by doing this. I hope I can return the favor in the future. With the help from Tom we managed to get the other 2 front seats also in the back. I now had 4 front seats in the back and the bottom part of the rear seat! If was very full, with the seats in the most forwards position, but it fit . I quickly went back inside and got the phone number of Phil and called him. I got the new IPK from Christopher, but I needed him to T4 it in. Did he had the time to help me out with this last minute favor?? Off course he did. It was not a problem at all. The ever so generous Phil told me to come by his house on my way back to Dover and he would sort me out. Since the IPK from Christopher needed to be virginised first, he would use one of his own IPK's to install in my car. He would then keep the IPK from Christopher. A simple swap to save a lot of time. I thanked him, and went for a shower. It was about 6pm, and I hadn't had a minute rest since 2am. So I was very due a nice hot shower. I put on my proper clothes, went down and followed the signs for the Traders Diner of Waxstock 2015. Waxstock is pretty much the biggest Car Care event in Europe, and I was personally invited by the 3 organisers to join the Traders Diner where all the manufacturers, volunteers and other big names from the Detailing world would be. We had a lovely diner, with so many laughs. Those UK detailers and manufacturers are a funny bunch after a few pints . We all went into the casino and the party lasted till about 1am. The next day was Waxstock. Apart from saying that you people really know how to do a proper breakfast (saugages, eggs, bacon, croissants etc.) I won't bore you with details about Waxstock. We meet up with Jordan here, because he had some stuff I got sent to him. Tom (Holland314) supplied the parts and Jordan held on to them for me. (save on postage). Around 4pm it was time to leave and race towards Dover for our ferry. But not without stopping at Phil first to get the new IPK installed. I was happy to see that the new IPK was in perfect working order. So much better then the broken one! Phil quickly installed it, and I would only need to swap over the (Klarzy) dial sheets when I got home. We shook hands again and we quickly left for Dover at roughly 5pm. Can't thank Phil enough for his awesome service and help to get me sorted!! Such a gentleman! Unfortunately, the new IPK showed 2 missing lines after we hit the highway. We drove down a very boring and long route towards Dover. And where very upset to hit a few queue's around London. Luckily we managed to reach Dover eventually around 9.30pm. Unfortunately the France government decided to block traffic from Dover to Calais, so everybody(!!) who had to go to Calais now had to go to Duinkerken (just like us). So the queue for the ferry just became twice as big (at least). It wasn't until 11.30pm until we could board the ship.... At roughly 2am (uk time) we arrived in Duinkerken.... We quickly left the ferry behind us, and went straight home. After a quick fuel up in Poppel (Belgium) we finally got home at 5am. We unpacked, cleaned the worst things up and went to bed at roughly 7.30am (that is 8.30 NL time). We where knackered, but what a trip it was! Waxstock was awesome, and I'm very privileged I got to meet 3 awesome people from this forum. A big shout out to Phil, Christopher, Jordan, Tom Dutch and Tom for their help and incredibly kindness . It was a true pleasure meeting you all. Obviously also a very big thanks to Neill and Steve for their help with the pony express thing. Without your help, I would've never been able to get these seats home. Travelling to the UK was a great adventure, and I can't wait till next time I'll be there. __________________ Proud owner of the Dutch "Golden 75". A much loved Gold White Metallic Rover 75 1.8 na from 2000. Last edited by Supervinnie40; 27th July 2015 at 22:10..

27th July 2015, 20:20	#5
coolcat This is my second home Audi Q3 TDI S-Line Quattro Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Clacton On Sea/On the boat somewhere Posts: 51,135 Thanks: 9,890 Thanked 12,235 Times in 8,232 Posts	Wow, What a trip Vinnie Next time take a look at the Hook Of Holland to Harwich Ferry Service __________________ Jeff.

27th July 2015, 21:00	#7
Supervinnie40 I really should get out more....... Rover 75 1.8 Club Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Tilburg (Netherland) Posts: 2,612 Thanks: 572 Thanked 336 Times in 247 Posts	Thanks all . It was a very rewarding experience. And I now have the message center AND a few nice options thanks to the MK2 BCU . @coolcat, I now of that ferry but it is very expensive. It would've saved a lot of time, but it would've cost me more then double what I paid now (including the petrol I used). Next year will be different. We will come earlier, stay longer and really make a proper holiday out of it. __________________ Proud owner of the Dutch "Golden 75". A much loved Gold White Metallic Rover 75 1.8 na from 2000.

27th July 2015, 19:54	#2
ProfDave This is my second home ZTT, Contemp Saloon, Duotone Tourer Join Date: May 2012 Location: Llandeilo Posts: 4,192 Thanks: 290 Thanked 387 Times in 333 Posts	This is phenomenal dedication and a testament to you and the club members who have supported your epic quest. I am in awe!!!

27th July 2015, 20:09	#3
Dallas This is my second home 1979 Capri 1.6L, 1982 Capri 1.6L, 2016 Dacia Stepway Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Dorset Posts: 8,595 Thanks: 3,496 Thanked 3,397 Times in 2,218 Posts	Organiser can certainly organise very helpful chap. I've not met Tom yet, but I too have this 'Captain' image stuck in my head from our many conversations over the phone we have had. Great story luv it when a plan comes together, well done Gents.

27th July 2015, 20:10	#4
planenut Regional Secretary Rover 1.8T Tourer Join Date: May 2007 Location: Heathrow Posts: 6,948 Thanks: 1,551 Thanked 2,036 Times in 1,264 Posts	Brilliant.

27th July 2015, 20:27	#6
aguy I really should get out more....... Rover 75 Connoisseur SE 2.5 V6 Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: CLEETHORPES Posts: 2,108 Thanks: 833 Thanked 748 Times in 511 Posts	Really interesting read and what an adventure. Shame you had to come at a time the tunnel and ferries were snarled up but glad you had a successful journey with the aid of some very helpful people. Harry

28th July 2015, 00:40	#8
Ravinder This is my second home Rover 75 saloon x2, Rover 75 Tourer x2, Rover 220 Coupe Turbo Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Kirkcaldy, Fife Posts: 9,036 Thanks: 2,278 Thanked 2,852 Times in 1,718 Posts	Should of just got the plane!

28th July 2015, 01:41	#9
Steve42 I really should get out more....... mg 190+ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Bedworth Posts: 2,267 Thanks: 191 Thanked 368 Times in 248 Posts	and to think you was 5 min from me. I could have passed you and didn't even know it

28th July 2015, 05:49	#10
Kennyeth This is my second home No more Rover Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Posts: 5,881 Thanks: 1,625 Thanked 1,308 Times in 998 Posts	Gold star for making the trip and one more for having all the plans plus extra come together, very brave trip to take on. It is a shame you did not have more time to drive around our country we do have some very nice and spectacular places to drive. Well done Vinnie. Ken.