I thought I should give you all an update, as it's been quite some time since the incident occurred.

After going through an enquiry, having interviews and waiting two weeks for a response, RAC have now approved the claim. Unfortunately, they still have not decided whether or not they will repair the old girl, or wreck it and pay out the lump sum.

The only thing they will not cover out of this is the stolen stereo, I've been unable to locate the manuals/receipts for the parts (Jaycar Precision amplifier, Kicker 400.1 D-Class amplifier, Pioneer 12" 600w Subwoofer (for the life of me I can't remember the model - even though it was really popular in '04 when i bought it)), and as a result I can't provide proof of purchase.

All in all I can't really complain with the way the claim has been handled. I understand perfectly why they had to put me through an enquiry, but after being a member for 4 years, my parents being members for 30, I would have appreciated a little less cynicism from the assessor and investigators (I'll make it very clear here that Matt Elliot from AEGIS who was hired to further investigate the claim was nothing like the RAC staff - If anything he was the one that made me confident I wouldn't have any problems in the long run).

The claim was approved Monday, and the assessor apparently had the quotes on her desk and simply needed to make the call. If I've not heard from her by tomorrow I'll more than likely give a followup call.

In any case, I wanted to thank everyone for the (mostly) kind words. If I get her back I'll be wanting to take part in a cruise or two before lining her up for sale after my birthday in September. Else, it'll be a long wait before I get another. Either way, I know I'll miss her.