February 2008
Today on my way to work I spotted a nude male motorist. At least I assume he was nude, as he certainly wasn't wearing anything on top, and he seemed a bit anxious. He was in his late 30's by the look of him. A perfectly ordinary looking chap - except for the lack of clothes that is.
I'd got held up in a traffic queue at some roadworks. He was in front of me, driving a red hatchback. His driving seemed erratic, getting very close to the kerb. My colleague who was sitting next to me suggested he was about to make a U-turn to get out of the queue.
He suddenly did a U-turn, and as he turned past us, I noticed he was very flustered and anxious and he definitely wasn't wearing anything that we could see apart from a pair of glasses. I imagine he didn't want to be caught in the queue in-case people spotted he was naked. Or maybe he'd just realised he'd forgotten to put on any clothes that morning...
Then on the motorway I spotted a matrix sign warning of 'Fug'. A good start to a very surreal day!
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I have recently got a new job doing roadside recovery, but as i passed my driving test after Jan 1st 1997, i can only drive a vehicle up to 3500kg. I want to take my LGV course so i can drive a 7500kg vehicle as this will increase the salary.
So far i have had my medical and got my "provisional" licence entitlement back from the DVLA.
Today i went and had an assesment drive of a 18 tonne rigid lorry as this is what i was gonna take a couse in. But driving this really scared the carp out of me and i was pretty bad at it to start but got better as i went on, kirbed it a few times, wrong gears, not braking hard enough etc etc.
so now i dont really want to do that course, and i only want to drive a 7500kg vehicle. Is there a course available where i can just train to do the 7500kg (ie train in a large van)
Also hats off to you guys who drive lgv/hgv. i thought it would be easy, but how wrong i was! Read more
I'm not up to date with driving licence regs. but I do visit the local HGV vehicle testing centre regularly. Part of it is used for HGV driving test manoevering ability.
I often see 'L' plated 7.5 tonners, mainly horse boxes, being reversed and manoevered about. Also see 'L' plated 4x4's towing a horse box doing it as well.
Letters in a "well known Quality Sunday Paper" over the last few weeks suggesting with improved reliability that MoTs should be every 2/3 years instead of annually.
It was good to see HJ supporting the Annual MoT in Sat Telepgraph. If MoTs moved to less often I am sure there would be more accidents due to mechanical failures - at least with an annual MoT the car will at least have lights that work and tyres with tread.
I think the "rose tinted spectacles" view of your average "Quality Sunda Newspaper" with a 0-3 year old car . The view that the 3+ year goes in of a regular service / checkup is living in a world of fantasy. Many older cars only see a garge at an MoT or when it breaks down with no regualr safety check/service.
The current MoT is some way to ensuring a degree of mechanical reliability - however if 10% of cars have no road tax or insurance then probably 10%+ have no MoT! No amount of speed cameras will catch unregistered cars or cars with false plates. Read more
Letters in a "well known Quality Sunday Paper" over the last few weeks suggesting with
improved reliability that MoTs should be every 2/3 years instead of annually.
We already have this - or, rather, the best hybrid idea.
A new car is "MOT'd" until 3. Then, it has to have an annual MOT. Why the hot air. I dunno.
Seeing my colleagues' Octavia this morning and neighbours' Audi highlighted two polar opposites in the treatment of company cars. The Octavia (L & K TD140) is an 06/55 plate and been mercilessly abused since day one. Despite the cream leather interior it is used as a glorified van and not been cleaned inside once since new. Rubbish, scuffs and mud adorn every surface. The exterior gets a forecourt car wash once every 6 months if it's lucky. The engine is thrashed from cold and never left to tickover for 30 secs after a long journey and oil is only topped up when the warning light flickers. Despite this treatment it runs sweetly and has never given a moments problem after 60k miles.
The 06 Audi is pampered from dawn till dusk. It is cleaned inside and out up to 3 times a week (or the moment it gains a speck of grime), monthly it is jacked up and all the alloys are removed for a deep clean and the fluids/tyres are checked twice weekly minimum. Basically it is run to the letter of the law as per the owners manual and even has a small rubber mat to protect the carpet on the transmission tunnel between the rear seats. However, it runs no better than the Octavia and always seems to be in and out of the dealer for teething problems.
Anyone want to lay claim to the most pampered or abused company car and beat the above examples? Read more
When the lease ended I left a full breakdown of all the faults that had
occurred (5 pages!) in the glove box a copy under the rear seats another in
the spare wheel well.
Well done sir!
I have never had a company car in my life so rely on finding a decent specimen after you cc drivers have discarded them after 4yrs or so. Your depreciation is my conservation.
Please look after them, and hide the record somewhere the garage won't check e.g flat under boot trim, pollen/air filter box, fuse box, under battery....etc. Think of it as an arranged marriage, even Skodas can be loved. Both company and car will probably last longer than Jaguar or Rover [my 9yr old A6 is basically a Skoda Superb]
If you've seen the TV ad...
Yes, are giving 5-yr warranty on Terios! Not sure other models on the range though.
An affordable true 4x4 - pity they never became a mainstream manufacturer.
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With Daihatsu pulling out of the UK who will honour the warranty perhaps Toyota
I am wondering if anybody can help me because my in laws have bought a 1.4 on a W Plate YR 2000 just before christmas and it keeps losing compression when it goes up hill, and when he fires it up from cold it blows out blue smoke then after about 15 mins before it turns white. Read more
Head gasget,when its replaced make sure you do the cam belt water pump and inlet manifold gasget plus make sure the headbolts are replaced for non stretch versions.
"Real kool tunes" ......
....... is also an anagram of "Renault Koleos".
Can any one please point me in the right direction to enable me to get software and the operating system updated on the NCDR 1100 unit installed in my vehicle please?
I have already asked my Vauixhall dealership and they told me I now have to buy upgrades from 3rd party supplier as Vauxhall are no longer supporting the NCDR1100 unit?
I would really like to get the function of the TMC and have the ability to search by postcode and door number enabled as current software and operating system I own does not appear to (and I have read the manuals) support this function.
Any help at all would be much appreciated as the software operating the system is useless and the mapping is way out of date.
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You can get the map CD from ebay, navteq, and maybe teleatlas. It is a SIEMENS unit. The software update CD is only available from Vauxhall, and they pretty dumb with such things, but it is on the Electronic Parts Catalogue.
This site seems to offer good discounts. Anyone had any experiences with them? Read more
When the engine starts cold the Dashboard & all Lights & Electrics flash for approx 90 seconds. which makes the rpm jump slightly every second, sounds similar to a choke upping the rev's to warm the engine up but it makes a noise as if something has switched off in the engine when is decides to run normal after the 90 seconds. can it be bad earth or relay?? Read more
I'd agree the secondary air injection pump is a good palce to start, one of my 2 litre Omegas went through a phase where the pump wouldn't start up properly, the lights flickered for a few seconds, loud whirring noise from under the bonnet. Unlike the X20XEV Vectra, where the pump location / size is as described, I think the pump is accessed from underneath the nearside wing on the Omega, I'll try and check when I get home.
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Perhaps he'd had a clothes call...:-)