June 2019
This is a youtube clip following a woman who works in a japanese mechanic shop. It starts off a bit bizarrely with her waking up, but it does improve once she’s left the house and starts her commute, with tours round the workshop/office etc. Thought some of you may find video this interesting, I certainly did! What struck me is how clean everything seems, and apart from smoking, they seem to live much more healthily, no bacon butties here!
Hope this is ok to post Avant, i guessed it doesn’t really compete with HJ content.
youtu.be/4m4UxbDgGhc Read more
Hi, I've been back and forth to this site over the years and now for my first question.
I don't like spending a lot on cars if I can help it! This is my situation:-... Read more
Thank you for the messages, I'll stick with what I've got for now and then look at your suggested options when my car is becoming too expensive to maintain.
And hopefully the electric car market will become more viable in the future!
Hi, first tine posting and I know very little about vans in general...
We are looking to buy a camper van and have found one that fits all of our criteria, it is 17 years old, and on checking its MOT history it has had what sounds like some fairly major issues in the past. in 2017 the rear brake pipe was excessively corroded, in 2014 the structure had 'excessive corrosion seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of body mountings' at the front, offside, offside rear, offside front and nearside. The failing items have then disappeared, assuming fixed, and as they haven't reappeared I'd hope it's a proper fix.The last MOT also stated 'nearside front outer corroded and holed' as an advisory....... Read more
Firstly...any 17 year old vehicle is going throw up some nasties so none of the MOT stuff is of any surprise....caveat emptor....it's not a risk free purchase that's for sure and I'd try and stretch my budget a bit to find something newer..or wait until I can.
Caravan v. campervan.?..I've had both and it depends what you want the unit for.?..if it's touring..(1 or 2 nights stop-over)..then go campervan...if it's staying a week on a site somewhere then maybe the caravan is the better choice....
I have an ultrasonic deer scarer which is basically a whistle operated by wind flow through the car radiator. Unfortunately they do not work below 40mph. and I hit a deer when doing 30mph. Do you know of any that would operate at any speed either by air flow or from a 12v supply? Read more
I recently read an article that said a record number of requests had been received mainly from EU countries in persuit of information to serve PCNs for parking offences, speeding offences, etc. This made me think does this country do likewise? Last year I overheard some holiday makers (French?) telling friends they never paid the Dartford crossing charges (they apparently come here a few times a year) or pay to park. I also often see foreign cars with parking tickets to which the owners on return seem totally unbothered! Read more
There was supposed to be harmonization legislation covering the EU in respect of motoring infringement in that offence committed in a country could be followed up in another and culprit dealt with. At least that was promised. Full legislation, other than E access to DVLA regd owner details, so far never achieved.
Would gather the current state of things matters put on back burner. However certain offences by foreigners caught in the act can be dealt with at the roadside...
My boss had recently come to the end of his PCP contract and asked me to deal with the driver who had come to collect the Mercedes. I got chatting to him and enquired where this car will end up. 'In a field somewhere' he tells me and goes on to say there are thousands and thousands of vehicles parked up, at the end of their contracts. What a waste! they could be sold on at good prices to drivers quite happy to drive a 3 year old Merc (I'm one of them!) - presumably all because it will impact on new car prices or so they can control used car prices. Read more
Prestige "pre-owned" cars certainly be leased.
Although a long way off I wonder what will happen to the garage service industry with presumably no oil changes and ever increasing reliability of component moving parts. I read they are testing Hydrogen trains so cars can't be far off? Hydrogen, if practical, certainly seems a better bet than your electric scenario with all the range and charging permutations. Read more
There are two big snags to hydrogen: it has to be stored under fairly high pressure (unless kept extremely cold); which increases the danger of a severe explosion. The same applies on a vehicle as well as a filling station. Zero exhaust pollution is a nice tempting idea but there is a big downside.
There are downsides to everything if you look hard enough, electricity in itself is a killer so what's the difference, we have to go with what's developed which could be both Hydrogen and EVs....
My local paper reports an inquest on a 28 year old man who died from drinking the equivalent of 25 pints of beer (or 46 measures of spirits.
No surprise there, what struck me was that he was unemployed, yet there are constant moans from some quarters that benefits are too low.? Read more
What about housing benefit and other ones, even if they are now part of UC? I thought that was the whole point of UC, assessing someone's means (including savings) and outgoings to get an amount that pays for essentials and can change, depending on changes in circumstance.
Housing costs are additional to the £73.10 to live on. They may or may not be paid directly to the landlord. For single people, excepting additions for serious ill-health or caring responsibilities, that's it . There are no 'other ones' and for that cohort UC makes no difference other than that it's paid monthly. ...
Thinking about a conversation I overheard the other day at work about car manufacturers who apparently build only terrible cars got me thinking. I believe that pretty much every car firm from Lada to Lamborghini has built at least one good car, in fact I’m struggling to think of one firm that hasn’t managed to get it right at least once.
From Proton with the Compact GTi or Persona 1.8 SE, Lada with its go anywhere Niva 4wd, Fiat with the cute and popular 500 and practical and cheap Panda to Alfa with the original 156. Ford have made some howlers but also the original Mondeo and Focus which were truly brilliant.
Can anyone think of a firm with a poor reputation that has also built a good car and equally one that has never built a single good one? Read more
“But on the subject of military vehicles (and continuing my theme of liking cars which are actually pretty rubbish), there is the Russian UAZ 469. Their equivalent of a Landrover (or possibly a Hummer), a vehicle which, like the Lada Niva, can actually still be bought new!. Though now renamed 'Hunter', in much the same way the Landy 90 and 110 were renamed 'Defender'.”
Simple, utilitarian, go anywhere vehicles are always worthy. I like stuff like this too. It’s of the old school of if it works, why change it?
Hi everyone
Does anyone know how to retune the sony in built radio to rescan stations as some stations are not being picked up and they show the wrong station name. For example Absolute radio 80 should showup ABSR80s but shows as old station name. Also as it has come to a new area I want to Rescan it..thanx Read more
We had one in our Focus and the manual was pretty useless as was the dealer.
But Google came to the rescue, loads of info on there.
Browse
.jpg)
I did a couple of years as a service inspector for a major manufacturer.
I was always a bit wary of extremely clean workshops with rows of shiny tools hanging on the racks - it usually meant that not lot of work got done there....