Rotator Cuff Repair & Subacronial Decompression - Merlot ???

[TrevorB]

After 8 years of suffering I have now been advised that an operation is required to repair a torn tendon and displacement in my right shoulder.
Although no date fixed it is planned for February. Very frustrating in many respects but it means that I shall be immobile for at least 3 months.
NO driving not even a golf ball

My dilemma is what I should do with 'Merlot' during this time. Normally I would tax it year round and it's due at end of year and a service/MOT
in February. My thoughts are to SORN from the New Year and once I'm fit get it MOT'd and retaxed. This seems the obvious option although I
did think of getting the service/MOT/tax done earlier. The former option obviously not financially sensible seeing as the car won't be used.

Anyway, if the latter option is taken what should I do to ensure that 'Merlot' is safe during hibernation e.g.

Should I put her up on stands
Disconnect battery

What I am looking for is guidance from those that have experienced an extended lay-up of their car.

Not something I'm looking forward too as I'm already receiving invitations to shows which are in the spring and the golf, well
Not sure if my rehab will get me back in time. Recovery and getting fit once you get to a certain age becomes a longer process.



Trevor

[lotustonybassplayer]

i sorn mine for the winter . i have the car plugged into a battery conditioner with a mini dehumidifier running inside. as you know trevor, mine lives outside as does my elise i just start them once a fortnight or so and just move them back a forth to make sure the brakes d'ont seize on i've not had any problems doing this as for golf i would get a sandpit for your garden and just stand in it as just to keep your eye in as i heard you always seem to find the bunkers

[dapinky]

Trevor,

I can't really help with laying up the car, as (like you), I don't tend to do it.....

That said, for just 3 months I wouldn't worry too much - just inflate the tyres by a few extra lbs to prevent 'flat spots', and either fit a battery conditioner, or disconnect the battery.

As for the shoulder, until Doug comes along with his expert professional advice, I can only relate my own experiences....

...when I dislocated mine in March it took a couple of days to get back full movement, then over the next 2 months gradually deteriorated into a 'frozen shoulder' condition.

Admitedly, mine wasn't helped at all by the fact that I was on crutches due to the smashed ankle/leg, but eventual examination showed a ruptured tendon/ligaments.

It took physio (which is still ongoing) to get mobility back, and it still isn't 100%.

Driving was out for a fair few months (mainly due to the leg!) before I felt comfortable behind the wheel (and more importantly, safe!!) - I actually found that holding the steering wheel whilst driving helped the shoulder movement quite a lot. In the Vectra it was fine, but it took a couple of extra months before I could get in and out of the elan with confidence enought to actually drive it.

As you say, with age comes extended recovery times - just take it as easy as you can, do the exercises they tell you to, and don't try to rush it - Merlot will still be there when you get better.

(and from a financial point of view, it makes sense to SORN it, and then get it MOT'd when you want to bring it out again - that way, you won't be tempted to use it before your shoulder is ready for the experience)

[Simon_P]

Get the MOT done before lay-up - so that you can drive it after, rather than the first journey being to the MOT
Pump tyres up hard to prevent flat spots
Change ALL fluids to prevent corrosion - Brake fluid holds water, Coolant has a limited life, used oil contains acids
Leave the handbrake off and chock wheels
Use a good battery conditioner - Cheap ones evaporate too much electrolyte
Clean inside and out - mould even grows in the dry/dark
Use a dehumidifier
Start/Move regularly or Put oil in the cylinders if you can't - some valves are open to atmosphere
leave the fuel level as low as possible - so that you add new fuel rather than burning stale fuel.... Some people say to leave as full as possible.
Change insurance to laid-up or reduce mileage.
All learnt the hard way!

[muley]

When I lay mine up I remove the battery and put it on a timer/charger - 1 or 2 hours per day.

Before restarting I remove the spark plugs and spin the engine to get the oil pressure up before replacing the plugs and starting..

Putting extra air in the tyres is a good idea, too

Good luck with your shoulder




Jim

[TrevorB]

Ok, operation date is 13th January - yuk (at least it's not a Friday ). Thankyou everyone for the various responses.
So have decided to tuck her away and leave MOT till she is revived. SORNed, washed, tyres inflated, trickle charger on
and now stowed away until fit and ready to drive again.

May I take this opportunity to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

[Rice crispy]

And you Trevor

[Dave Eds]

Fill the fuel tank as it stops any condensation!

[Rob P]

Merlot looks very cosy under the cover, time will fly by and here's hoping that the sun shines next year and you have a fabulous time driving with the top down and in good health

[TrevorB]

Fill the fuel tank as it stops any condensation!

Too late for that snippit Dave. Hopefully not going to be warm enough to create any condensation.

Trevor

[Ian T]

Hopefully the op won't keep you away from the computer.

Great to meet you the other day and although I missed this thread earlier, the advice is all good. I wouldn't worry too much, if Merlot was put away dry, the garage is dry and you either disconnect the battery or leave on a CTEK type battery maintenance charger it will be fine. Mine sits in the garage for a month or two and is fine coming back out, same goes for the Astra, which is MOT'd and insured until next July, but won't come out probably until April. I will go down and turn the engine over a couple of times over the winter but have no concern about the tyres etc as even if they did get slight flat spots (none that I have noticed so far) they would soon warm up and recover anyway.

You're not too far away for one of us to pop down to help out if you need it.

Ian.

[novacaine]

Ok, operation date is 13th January - yuk (at least it's not a Friday ). Thankyou everyone for the various responses.
So have decided to tuck her away and leave MOT till she is revived. SORNed, washed, tyres inflated, trickle charger on
and now stowed away until fit and ready to drive again.

May I take this opportunity to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

.

You too Trevor, hope you get well soon

[Rusty Wishbone]

I wish you a speedy recovery.

Your injury wasn't caused by spending too much time in the Lotus position, was it?

[Doug]

Hi, Trevor.

A little bird alerted me to your posting.
I am an orthopedic surgeon myself, and I specialize in the shoulders and perform surgery for exactly what you need.
It really depends on how "big and bad" your tear is.... there are small tears, usual tears, large tears, and massive tears.

All can be fixed and should do well. I may slow down my patients with large or worse tears (because the healing demands it) but otherwise I put my patients in a sling device for 6 weeks and then they are out of it. By 4 to 6 weeks they can drive, but they are resting the operative arm on their lap--so it is not normal use yet. Folks are usually pretty comfortable by 2-4 weeks; many comment on how they've felt better than before surgery since a few days after it was repaired. It's worth it to go through and do right so you can be happier for years to come.

Best wishes for your recovery; if I were closer I'd certainly offer to keep your beautiful Elan on the road regularly for you!

--Doug

[alan e]

Hi Trevor hope the op goes well tomorrow and you are back behind the wheel of merlot very soon.

[TrevorB]

Hi Trevor hope the op goes well tomorrow and you are back behind the wheel of merlot very soon.

Thanks Alan I've had my piece of toast and will be off to the hospital a little later for an afternoon wait on the conveyor belt.

Hi, Trevor.

A little bird alerted me to your posting.
I am an orthopedic surgeon myself, and I specialize in the shoulders and perform surgery for exactly what you need.
It really depends on how "big and bad" your tear is.... there are small tears, usual tears, large tears, and massive tears.

All can be fixed and should do well. I may slow down my patients with large or worse tears (because the healing demands it) but otherwise I put my patients in a sling device for 6 weeks and then they are out of it. By 4 to 6 weeks they can drive, but they are resting the operative arm on their lap--so it is not normal use yet. Folks are usually pretty comfortable by 2-4 weeks; many comment on how they've felt better than before surgery since a few days after it was repaired. It's worth it to go through and do right so you can be happier for years to come.

Best wishes for your recovery; if I were closer I'd certainly offer to keep your beautiful Elan on the road regularly for you!

--Doug

Doug, thankyou too for your synopsis. I will update on progress.


Trevor

[HJ2]

Best of luck and a speedy recovery to you trevor!

[TrevorB]

At last all appears to be just about back to normal and I'm back on the road in more ways than one.
Driving, and also managing to hit a golf ball albeit just a wedge and 7 iron on the practice area.

Tomorrow is the big step though as 'Merlot' comes out of hibernation and will be driven to Maidstone Sports Cars
for a service and MOT including cambelt change and some other little jobs that need doing. Have taken the onsie off
and deflated tyres to correct pressure. Started her up and she fired straight away, warmed up and purred away
beautifully. Looking forward to given her a blast tomorrow.



Not too much though because the last thing I want is to be stopped by the boys in blue as she's not taxed either

Will report how it all went when I get her home again.

Trevor

[lotusflasherman]

At last all appears to be just about back to normal and I'm back on the road in more ways than one.
Driving, and also managing to hit a golf ball albeit just a wedge and 7 iron on the practice area.

Tomorrow is the big step though as 'Merlot' comes out of hibernation and will be driven to Maidstone Sports Cars
for a service and MOT including cambelt change and some other little jobs that need doing. Have taken the onsie off
and deflated tyres to correct pressure. Started her up and she fired straight away, warmed up and purred away
beautifully. Looking forward to given her a blast tomorrow.



Not too much though because the last thing I want is to be stopped by the boys in blue as she's not taxed either

Will report how it all went when I get her home again.

Trevor

'Boys in Blue' shouldn't be a problem as you are legally entitled to drive a car without MOT to a garage for MOT as long as you have one booked - "a service and MOT including cambelt change" sounds like you satisfy that if Maidstone Sports Cars have you booked in. It must be insured but can be untaxed too because you can't get tax without an MOT - otherwise every car that had been on a long SORN would be in a Catch 22 situation.

Phil

[dapinky]

'Boys in Blue' shouldn't be a problem as you are legally entitled to drive a car without MOT to a garage for MOT as long as you have one booked - "a service and MOT including cambelt change" sounds like you satisfy that if Maidstone Sports Cars have you booked in. It must be insured but can be untaxed too because you can't get tax without an MOT - otherwise every car that had been on a long SORN would be in a Catch 22 situation.

Phil

Yep, Phils right - the cops won't stop you (I don't even think they bother at all with road tax offences these days - it's all done by DVLA through cameras).

As no disc is displayed in any car, the lack of a disc isn't a big flag to pull you over, like it used to be.

The downside is that as the whole lot is now computerised, should you pass a camera location on the way to the garage (and there are now so many of them that they're hard to avoid), then the computer at Swansea will automatically flag up a queery......

.....when the car gets MOT'd, that is also entered onto a computerised system at DVLA.....

But, as the whole lot is run by a Civil Servant who probably took a back-hander to buy a more expensive computer (No offence intended - it was the same when I was working!) - they don't talk to each other!

It would be nice if the system saw that you'd been for an MOT, and therefore are legally on the road (admittedly, it only applies to a pre-arranged test, but no "shortest route to the garage" is specified - - Magistrates may not accept that it was applicable if you went via Manchester!!), but no, it doesn't.

As such, the first computer needs to wait to see if you then tax your car....

....if you do it from the first of the month to include the day of the MOT, then the computer is happy (back-taxed).

but if you drive home, keep it off the road and then tax it from the first of the next month, (or not at all, if it remains SORN) Computer says "NO", and you may get an automated letter saying that your car was seen on whatever road at whatever time when no VEL was in force.

It isn't a problem, as you were behaving lawfully, and can fill in the form giving date / location of garage which did the MOT, and that is the end of the matter - but wouldn't it be simple if there was just one system for everything.

If Registration, Driving Licence, Insurance were all on one system instead of 3 different ones (admittedly, easily searched, but not automatically linked), then add in a system to book an MOT from a chosen test centre (by having the test centre enter the info on the DVLA system when you book your car into a timeslot), through to the actual test itself, and then the VEL.... oh how easy the whole thing could be.