Update on the Patrol

As I drove back Peter made a ‘phone call through to Augusta Automall for an update on progress with the repairs to the Patrol.  There was good news and bad news.  Some of the parts had been received and work had commenced.  Now for the bad news.  The fuel injectors had not been received, were not available in Australia and there were delays in deliveries from Japan.  It is not known how long it will take for the fuel injectors to be received – this could be about two weeks or as long as up to three months or more!  In the meantime, our car was not going anywhere.

After ‘phone calls to both AMMI and RACV we have come to an agreement.  We will commence our return trip to Melbourne tomorrow.  We will drive the RACV rental car to Adelaide where we will collect a rental car through AAMI.  We will retain the AAMI rental car until our repaired Patrol is delivered to us in Melbourne. 

There have been periods of confusion, concern and uncertainty but at this stage we have reached a satisfactory arrangement.  So today we place the caravan in storage in Port Augusta (as we had always planned to do) and will drive initially to Adelaide and then to Melbourne.  We hope to see the Patrol fully repaired and ready to continue with our Oz trip again when we return from New Zealand at the end of February.  Surely parts will be available in three months! If not we have agreed with AAMI that the car may be owned by them not us!