Daughter's 4yr old Ibiza has a 2 yr service plan arranged with local SEAT dealer, to cover it's 4th and 5th year services and MOT.

So I took it today as she's away on holiday (otherwise hard to wrestle the car off her).

Ended up having a fairly heated discussion with the service manager as they wouldn't do the 2 yearly brake fluid change unless I paid for it.

In the end, they agreed to discount the price, but I think I'm most frustrated that I couldn't get them to agree that BF *is* part of the service schedule. Where we were diverging, was that they were entirely focused on mileage and the BF change is time based, so they regard it as an entirely separate thing, not something necessarily carried out as part of a service.


I would value others opinions. Read more

Just seen a brand new A4, very nice too, in that dull way that Audis are.

But what a size, it was parked next to a Volvo S80 and was at least as big.

And Audi do A6s and A8s as well which, presumably, are each a size up again.

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An item in a local paper

"Drivers using blue disabled badges illegally will be prosecuted or have their cars seized under tough new plans being considered by Kingston Council.

Badges that have been stolen, forged or borrowed illegitimately by family members are thought to be hitting the council financially in lost car park and permit fees as well as taking away valuable spaces from genuine badge holders.

Kingston is contemplating following in the footsteps of neighbouring borough Wandsworth, which has prosecuted 817 people and seized 251 cars since starting a crackdown in September 2004.

The council has set up a blue badge working group to investigate if a permit fraud inspector should be employed to investigate culprits.

The group is also considering hiring occupational therapists to decide if disabled people really do need a blue badge because GPs may have been more lenient.

Disability and age-related groups in the borough have been consulted and there have been calls for tip offs from residents about badges being abused.

Councillor Eric Humphrey, chairman of the blue badge working group, said: ?There are anecdotal suggestions that at Surbiton station car park there are cars that park there all day, five days a week and there are questions over how disabled they may be.

?If there?s evidence that there?s a substantial revenue loss in car parks that may persuade the executive that it is worth saving that loss.?

The findings will be presented to the council in the autumn and the council will decide what action to take at the end of the year."

More publicity required?!

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Just discussed with Spospe (Michael), who has a Norway tour for our interest in motoring abroad. While waiting, here is the context of my interest.

An armoured car came around the bend on the single road winding through the hamlet of Kvam. (the North of Lillehammer Kvam)
It was April 1940 and another ill equipped small (open lorries no greatcoats) British force had been sent to assist Norway.

The armoured car came under fire and retreated back around the bend, confined to the single road much as a train is to the track, in the snow covered mountainous terrain.

The army of the Reich outflanked British positions and a fierce fire fight took place with machine guns in Kvam church yard. Bullet chipped gravestones still testify at the horror.

My uncle, a soldier in the Kings Own Yorkshire Light infantry, still lies in the communal grave in that place, leaving a Mother and Father and nine brothers and sisters in Yorkshire wondering of his fate.
The war was in its infancy and our family got on with the task of survival,none ever finding out his fate until only my Father was left.

But facilitated by the Web, I found his resting place via the War Graves commission, just before my father (his brother) died. A chance encounter on a Norwegian war games site ( found them re-enacting the very battle) led to someone questioning their Grandmother in Vinstra- Kvam.

The village had been burnt, great hardship. Wounded and dying soldiers crying in English and German for their Mothers. ( I shielded my Father from the horror) death by bullets and exposure, freezing, deep snow, no winter coats, snowshoes, cold weather training followed by death.

In London the political class tucked into their suppers by warm fires....

It gave my Father great peace to see the printed off Photo`s of the Churchyard and communal war grave. At the same time I found it hard to believe that along with his siblings, no one had ever written to the regiment or War Graves Commission for information... A generation more accepting of fate. Perhaps.

No flowers from home ever on his grave, no visit to those now easy to access locations.

Perhaps I will go at some point. The easy way would be to fly to Oslo, rent a car and its not that far away.
In the final analysis, it could be argued that paying respects with a visit to my Uncles grave is an indulgence of the mind, if life on Earth is all there is... as no one else is left and I never met him.

There is also the Military History context of course and I could try following the route of the regiment into battle, from the troop ship landing area.

That`s the context of my interest in Spospe`s tour of Norway.






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Took my faithful old XJ8 in for service and MOT on Monday. It failed on CO emissions but the fault is causing some head scratching at the dealership.

From the limited info I got over the phone they adjusted the C0 level to within limits but it caused the "other reading" (I'm assuming HC) to exceed spec. Bringing "the other" within spec caused CO to rise again.

Car is running fine - no hesitation, missfire or loss of power etc.
No DTCs logged.
Upstream HO2Ss are working OK - output checked and then substituted with known good ones.
MAF checked - not sure exactly how, but told it was OK.
Fuel rail pressure checked.
TPS checked.
Car isn't burning oil and fuel trim levels OK but were reset just in case.

The output from the downstream HO2Ss appears to be OK but they're going to try substituting with new units tomorrow.

I thought that the downstream HO2Ss are basically used just to check that the CATs are working OK and are not used for closed loop control ie. the output normally sits at ~200mv except during the deliberate rich/lean cycle to make sure they switch OK?

Anyone seen anything similar?

Kevin...

PS. I've got a Subaru Justy as a comp. car. I'll post my impressions later. Read more