December 2007
I've got myself in a bit of a bind and I'm hoping one of the knowledgeable regulars on here may be able to help, or at least point me in the right direction.
Two weeks ago I bought a 1998 S Honda Prelude, got an excellent deal and was generally delighted with my purchase and very pleased with myself.
This week I have called my local towing specialist to take them up on a quote they gave me before purchase to fit a tow bar (because I need to fit a bike rack).
They then discover the item they quoted me on is discontinued by Witter - and nobody now makes a type approved towbar for my new car. (I don't actually need a type approved one, as I'm not towing anything - but all towbars have to be type approved, it seems).
No other specialists seem able to help (I've tried about six), and I can't seem to find a secondhand towbar online.
Perhaps somebody here knows the best places to find used towbars? Or perhaps somebody can direct me to a most-suitable Honda/Prelude forum to ask other owners? I'm a bit perplexed as to which is the most appropriate.
Hope somebody can help! Read more
Did anyone see this great news item? from news.yahoo.com 27th November.
What would you do if your tour bus left you stranded at a motorway service station, without your mobile phone, more than 800 miles from home in a country where you did not speak the language?
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AFP) - A Lithuanian farmer who was left behind at German road stop spent nine days trekking part-way home, living on apples and water from puddles along the route, a Lithuanian newspaper reported Tuesday.
Saulius Marcinkevicius, 41, had decided to go on his first ever trip abroad with a group of fellow Lithuanian farmers who were bound for an agriculture fair in Hanover earlier this month, the daily Lietuvos Rytas said.
The rest of the group forgot him when their coach stopped at a service station near Leipzig on November 13.
Marcinkevicius, who had only his jacket, passport and around 100 euros in cash, decided to make his way home on foot.
He spent the next nine days walking around 200 kilometres (125 miles) eastwards to Poland, sleeping rough in woods, scrumping apples from orchards, and drinking from puddles.
Marcinkevicius told the newspaper that he did not speak any foreign languages and had not dared to ask for help -- even though he was stopped on several occasions by German police who caught him walking alongside the motorway.
Upon reaching the German-Polish border, he explained himself to German guards with the aide of an interpreter.
He then hitched a ride with a Lithuanian trucker who helped him finally to get home to Kupiskis, in northern Lithuania, last Sunday.
He later checked in with Lithuanian police, who had been searching for him and had even alerted Interpol.
Marcinkevicius, who lost five kilos (11 pounds) during his trek, has vowed never to leave Lithuania again.
However, he appeared to have taken the odyssey in his stride, telling the paper: "I got lost, and went through some extreme experiences, the kind that other people sometimes pay big money for."
Read more
A variation of this could be the next Top Gear challenge for the 3 Amigos!
So often we hear on the road reports that delays caused due to rubber necking and requesting drivers not to do it.
Do you rubberneck? I will admit, I do. As soon as I see flashing blue or red lights I look to see what the cause is. If there is slow moving traffic and an HGV is going to block my view, I will slow down to let it pass so that I can see!
After all if I have been delayed because of this, I want to know what the reason is and then spend some time contemplating in my mind how the incident probably happened!
What do you do, and be honest!
Also would it be possible to prevent this, police having pop up screens or whatever?
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2007 Seat Altea XL 2.0 TDI (140) Stylance
2005 Skoda Fabia vrS Read more
I use the M40 so much more than any other motorway that it's hard for me to say whether it's any worse for the kind of too-fast, too-close driving that tends to be the norm at busy times on motorways.
I'm usually on that High Wycombe-M25 southbound stretch a bit before eight in the morning. Traffic speeds seem generally reasonable for the time of day, but the nose-to-tail convoys that build up in the right-hand lane, generally travelling at marginally more than HGV speed but close enough to read each other's sat-navs - give me the willies. If anyone's watching, I'll be the one in the green Volvo, trundling along at 55 or so in the deeply unfashionable - and so frequently deserted - left-hand lane of the four. It doesn't seem to get me to work any later, and I feel a little more in control of the space around me.
Just back from a short test drive. Salesman asked questions to establish where I am in the buying process - still some test drives to go - then no hard sell, no pressure (apart from saying we need to decide quickly for a choice of colour). Very good experience.
Holiways in Durham, BTW. Read more
Sorry to disappoint you Avant but Gowrings are no longer family owned - sold out to City Motor Holdings about two years ago IIRC. Still trading as Gowrings mind.
I would like to add Bellingers Vauxhall at Wantage to your list though!
I can second your recommendation for Octagon in Reading. Very happy with the service we got when we had our RAV4. They still write to us now with service reminders, Toyota newsletters etc.
Morning all,
Travelling the above journey tomorrow and have to be there by about midday. AA routefinder suggests M25, M1, A50 which looks ok, but does anybody have any suggestions about journey time, any particularly bad parts that I should try to avoid etc.
Many thanks Read more
Glad it went all right - I'd have gone that way too.
Uttoxeter is a wonderful name isn't it - it sounds like an insult 'Uttoxeter - U absolute Toxeter.....' :)
I have a 1993 Escort Van which seems to have an impressive leak.
Does anyone know of any common areas this could be coming from - before I start dismantling the roof lining etc. Read more
Well done to the self righteous truck driver this morning on the A1(M) northbound near Chester-le-street, who in his wisdom decided to block the outside lane in the queue caused by an accident.
The outside lane was blocked but he held back traffic leaving a gap of over 3 miles of empty outside lane before you reached the incident. Fortunately I was ahead of the fool but I could see what he was doing in my mirror.
Even the local traffic 'eye in the sky' broadcast was telling him to move as he was creating such a extra backlog.
I see this every time there is a lane closure - why do these morons think they are helping? Even plod reckon queuing in both lanes until the closure, then filtering in turn is the safest and fastest way to deal with the situation!
(Rant over) Read more
Yes thats another problem. I cant walk to my local shop. Its closed down. Replaced by the big supermarket I have to drive to. Right next to those warehouses.
But al this does not alter the fact, in my opinion and experience truck drivers abuse other road users and for the most part are the most selfish drivers around
Its a fairly recent but growing trend I fear
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< Ulla>
From the telegraph...
tinyurl.com/2jos4x
OK, it makes a great story (who wouldn't like to loan their car to a former World Champion and see him put it through its paces).... but do we believe this? Read more
good one!!
hi all,,,i am thinking of buying a saab probably a turbo one,,maybe a diesel if i am convinced they a bit better than petrol one,,,but to be honest its only a weekend car i am after,,,so a petrol i reckon be better,so was wondering if they any good,,,a nice looking car though,,and i wont consider a bm or a4 as the whole town full of them,need to be a wee bit different,,,oh and alfas out of running too,,,,,,,thanks james. Read more
I think the important point to get across is that the Aero HOT models are powerful front-wheel- drive cars. Even the idolised Focus RS is often singled out as having too much power through its front wheels - despite the limited slip diff.
The Saab is nowhere near as 'sorted' as the Focus, but it does give you a very nice cabin and plenty of poke for a modest outlay. The image of a powerful Saab as opposed to a Focus RS, or even a Scooby could not be more different!
i buy special ones where you can put the air hose on the cap---no need to take them off. they hav been nicked twice---but unbeileivably--they put ordinary ones on. Read more
........ they put ordinary ones on.
Who were "they" ~ the thieves?
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L\'escargot.
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5th gen Prelude softly sprung? Not mine.