August 2005
Check out the future. I might even swop my Cannondale for the racing one.
www.mountainbiketales.com/Verdra3.htm Read more
The different prices charged for the same item by motor factors always amaze me.
Yesterday I rang a local factors (part of a regional chain) to check price and availability on a set of pads for a job I was doing today (Lockheed Delphi LP871 front pads, to be exact). Now I don't buy an awful lot from this factor, but enough for them 'know me' and to give me a discount. Anyway, they quoted me a discounted price of £12.08 + VAT.
Later that day I dropped by to pick them up. A new lad was working there and came out with an invoice for £29.32+VAT !! I summoned over one of the 'regular staff' and the price dropped back to £12.08+VAT, with an apology that they'd tried to charge me 'retail'. I wonder how many other businesses have such different pricing structures for different customers? Read more
Yes, I'm in the local GM 'Trade Club'. Actually I seldom use them these days because I haven't had much to do with any Vauxhall cars lately (worked on quite a few Omegas in the past though...;-( ). I still get oil from them though - fully synth works out at £2/litre and its good stuff.
...at least on the way to work anyway. I had a good smug feeling yesterday. My drive to work entails a mile of dual carriageway followed by stop start congestion. Unless you know the short cuts. I was overtaken by a Megane 225 Sport but obviously he didn't know the quick way to work and I still got there first.
Reminds me of the Dukes of Hazzard, when the Sheriff ended up in the river and Bo Duke claiming smuggly...
'It's no good having extra horses if you don't know how to use them.'
Or where the short cuts are. Read more
have just been and bought a new honda civic which i collect on thursday but i filled my honda jazz with fuel to the brim yesterday is it possible to syphon the fuel out of my jazz has i hate to give the garage any more than neccessary any tips please Read more
Can't you just tell them to hang onto the new car a few days, or are you too excited? Well it could be a good lesson in defered gratification!
I've just returned from my first visit to the Isle of Man, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Before going there I'd heard tales of the roads, which have no overall speed limit, being full of mad bikers and fast drivers.
However, the driving experience was fine. Speeds were generally the same or lower than on comparable UK roads. Most people more or less observe the 30, 40 and 50 zones. Very little tailating.
Up on the Mountain Road, which is part of the TT course, drivers do tend to go rather faster.
I noticed that 'Stop' signs are used at most junctions, with relatively few 'Give Ways' - the opposite to over here.
Although the I.o.M. papers have reports of crimes, few people lock their bikes and my trailer was left on an old airfield with some disused cars and was still there 10 days later!
My Passat TDI did just under 50 mpg on the 750 mile round trip, that's with a luggage trailer and 4 passengers! I kept to 60 on the motorway, though. Liverpool was the worst part of the trip (NOT because of the people or the buildings!) but simply because the directions to the ferry terminal were abysmal. Even with maps it was enough to turn any competent motorist into a dithering dodderer!!
Cheers, Sofa Spud Read more
You MUST go to the IOM for the TT on a motorbike once before you die.
If you go once you will definitely go twice but probably not more than three times.
Its horrendously expensive prices are jacked up two or three times normal for that fortnight and you need to book a year ahead to get a ferry time and a hotel.
The boat from Heyshem is a form of medieval torture. The Seacat out of Liverpool is nice but only works one day out of two.
Never ever go round the mountain course the 'wrong way' even when the road is open both ways. Stay off you bike and get drunk and watch the spectacle on Suicide Sunday which is aptly named.
First time I went the sun shone like the Caribbean for a fortnight and I thought wow this is amazing. The next three times it was freezing and hacking down with rain all day every day. For this reason do NOT camp out.
That said it is an absolutely fabulous experience. The site of all those bikes is incredible. The entertainment is amazing from top bands to top comedians to strippers to opera (yes really). Plus it is a point of honour amongst bikers that there is never any trouble on the island.
Do it!
How many of you have come accross them when buying a car? Treated you as if you were born yesterday, offered you insulting trade-ins,
rip off finance, trying to pass off glaring faults as nothing etc etc...
When I was buying my last car, one garage wouldn't give me a trade-in figure until I agreed to have the car they wanted to sell me. Walking away was a no brainer!
At another I told the guy I didn't want a high ins grp car. So he tries to flog me a grp 14 job... He seem mortified when I wouldn't
even have a test drive...
Read more
Well I ill not bore you with all my car buying history:-) but the last time I bought a car from a dealer, we agreed free mats. When I cam to collect them they were not there and the dealer had "forgotten". I insisted and eventually got them but it took an extra 30 minutes.
Never again will I buy there.
And the only time I bought a new car I spent 10 minutes checking everything and had to wait until they replaced the blown bulb in the tailgate.
Both MAIN dealers (Ford and Peugeot).
Events 11 years apart.
Looks like dealer quality at the volume sales end has not improved..
Whereas when we bought a s/hand BMW everything agreed was done and we had a "free umbrella and flowers "in the boot. Some people can do it right..
No wonder the industry has a well deserved bad reputation.
As for servicing, I have received cars back with spanners, nuts undone, oil leaks etc. and obvious faults not sorted (especially Audi dealers).
The industry shows no sign of wanting to change.
Bring in the US style "lemon" laws. That should sort some of them out.
I think many dealers are of the opinion that "customer service" means "fleece the customer".
madf
I heard about this a few years ago, and a quick google search came up with the below. The question I have is: Who is Brook?
"Brooks' Gambit
This is a very useful technique for getting past quite a few cars at a mini or ordinary roundabout. There are two approach lanes to the roundabout, left lane for left turn, and right lane for other turns. Brooks' Gambit works when the main traffic is backed up in the lift lane to turn left, and the alternative turns, say right and straight on, are clear, as is the approach
to the roundabout for right turning. Basic London Driving technique would suggest that you come steaming down the right-hand lane, and execute a Cut-in to the left at the last possible moment. This is fine as far as it goes, but you can be delayed on the Cut-in.
What you do is to enter the roundabout as if to turn right, then in fact drive right round the roundabout taking the turn you wanted in the first place. The beauty of this is that, once you're on the roundabout, you have right of way. Your opponents, having seen this, may be a tad put out and attempt some sort of illegal block. Even though you're now in the right, you can lessen the risk of this by some pantomime of having made a mistake. You can, for example, drive around twice to give the impression of someone who is lost, or make a show of looking into your 'A to Z'." Read more
There was a thread recently that started with a video clip of cars and a lorry trying to turn right onto a busy dual carriageway, and the problems of stopping half-way. Anyone remember?
The official best advice was to turn left instead, then go right round the next roundabout and so join the opposite carriageway further up. Isn't that just another variant of Brooke's gambit - in other words, easing the traffic flow.
Whilst I have read about some of the risks to driving standards implied by a driving licence obtained in one EU state - where standards mught be low - necessarily being legally accepted in another, until a few minutes ago I had never read about something that is actually rather obvious; overt driving licence tourism.
This is the concept of new drivers within the EU (i.e. drivers who don't yet hold a licence at all) deliberately travelling to another EU country to take their driving test.
Why?
Because they then hold a driving licence issued in another member state and can't accumulate points or be disqualified from driving in their country of actual residence.
Given widespread low cost travel within the EU, I'm amazed I haven't seen a 'shock-horror-scoop' story on this subject in one of our daily papers or read about an agency with less than acceptable morals having been set up simply to "specialise" in handling the paperwork down to flight tickets and test dates! Maybe both have happened and I need to get out more, but anyway.
This got me thinking in a hypocritical manner though; whilst I disapprove of such blatant chicanery and wish that points accumulation was indeed pan-European, there is no way on God's Earth that I would ever want my UK licence to be withdrawn by officialdom in another member state. Yes, this contradicts the convention that prosecution be in the country of offence, but mistakes though we make, I would trust the chain of prosecution in the UK rather more than I would in some other EU member states (just pause and think of the list). In fact should dishonesty prevail, this opens up a right old can of worms whereby drivers could be held to ransom, and I hope that suitable safeguards are put in to place.
Have any other BRers thought about this subject, and if so, what are your opinions, please? Read more
Sorry, I should have added that this loophole has now been closed.
My Dad is offering me his MGF. Its 1997 vintage with only 23000 miles. Has been garaged since new, serviced every year (about every 3000 miles) and had the timing belts done a couple of years ago.
Hes offering it me for £4000. Is this a fair price??
Will spend most of its time in the garage and will be used mainly for weekends as a bit of a fun!
Beleive only thing that it needs is two front tyres and thats it.
Read more
>>Ideally, MGF front tyres should last more than 23000 miles. I replaced mine more than 40k ago and they still have some way to go. Check the ride height as you might need the hydragas suspension checked out. Pumping it up is cheap, replacing it less so.
Thanks for that advice. Have checked this with my Dad and he has just had the suspension pumped last month up to correct height...hasnt been done since new so was due to be done. Rover dealer did say this is why the tyres had worn on the inside as originally he thought tracking was out.
my rover 114 auto makes a awfull ratling noise when idling does anyone know wat is causing this and if it could lead to a breakdown? Read more
Could be an exhaust heat shield,possibly cat shield?
--
Steve
Browse
I knew that.
Ahem.