June 2020
Here in sunny Colchester we have various roads closed or narrowed "To maintain social distancing" but 1, it's piecemeal and not consistent, and 2 it's just causing taffic congestion at the pinchpoints, (and a few minor bumps too)
Doh.... Read more
I was just wondering if anyone has applied for a provisional driving licence since the service resumed and received it already? My son did so about 10 days ago, nothing received and no email other than the confirmation of application. We're just wondering how long it might take to arrive and when we might be able to start some lessons.
Indeed, anyone know how long did the application used to take (pre-covid lockdown)?... Read more
Bought a 2011 citroen berlingo van 7 yrs ago and recently battery would not hold charge. Took it to garage for new one to be fitted now it wont start. Apparently disconnecting the battery can sometimes cause the immobiliser which I did not even know existed to kick in. How can this be rectified? All I was given when I bought the van was 4 folding keys all the same. Is there as way to reset or bypass the immobiliser?
Many thanks in advance Read more
Disconnecting the battery can cause non start issues . Probably needs system reset m.youtube.com/watch?v=qQwhzngHQw4
we are looking at a ford mondeo tdci 2.0 automatic 2010.
any regular problems , how reliable.... Read more
These are generally very good with few issues . However , if the auto gearbox is the powershift model , then best avoided.
Hi,
Had a mis-fire on cylinder 3 a while ago, changed the spark plugs and HT leads, went for a while then EML came on.... Read more
1.2 petrol is 4-cylinder Yamaha designed engine!
When the chancellor changed the ved rules back in 2017 he said that from 2020 it would then only be used to fund the roads, repairs and maintenance ect, , is this still the case?or has the pandemic changed all that, ?, can we look forward to new roads and billiard smooth surfaces from now on...? Read more
Perhaps better than the early Victorian system where every parish was expected to maintain the roads ?
In a sense it's not that different now. Except for the Trunk Road network road maintenance is down to counties/unitary councils. In the last 20 years hundreds of miles of A road have been 'de-trunked'. While funding was given to the councils the amounts were and remain inadequate. ...
Disabled people seem to be an inconvenience. Often our parking bays are further from the supermarket doors than parent and child parking bays. I never understood why an able bodied parent with children, should be closer than someone who struggles to walk, until I realised it was economics. Parents with kids spend more on groceries and are therefore more valued.
The supermarket queueing is not an inconvenience, it's actually excruciatingly painful. I am supposed to be shielding, but cannot eat the basic survival food box I got from the council so I cancelled it and go to the supermarket. I get odd looks when I sit on the ground, then crawl forwards on hands and knees, pushing the trolley before me, but hey, this is 21st century UK after all. I count myself lucky I'm not being quietly euthanased somewhere because frankly, I wouldn't put *that* past this government of self serving wealthy people whose only interest is protecting the wealthy elite and their money. Read more
Just out of interest. The gadget displayed on the website which will apparently provide all manner of TV programmes. I looked at one of these quite a while ago when seeking to upgrade to smart TV and possibly other networks. I was warned off this gadget or something similar. Can't quite remember why, it either didn't work as expected or was a bit vague about how it connected to networks. Anyway did not buy one and went the smart TV route with BT, then Netflix and Now etc. Has something changed? I would presume that advertising here would mean it has the approval of the website owners and conforms to all legal requirements.
I don't know how networks protect their contents from non subscribers, but I am sure they try.... Read more
Remember Martin Lewis from Money Saving Expert appearing on fake adverts for bitcoin and the like on Facebook and other places. Just because these ads appear on major sites - don't trust them.
That exactly. Saw the Martin Lewis ad as banner on the website of a local authority in Lincolnshire. Site visit was in a professional capacity on my work PC for purpose of establishing Council Tax payable.
Noticed recently quite a few makes and models have quietly disappeared from the roads, some probably due to rust but others maybe written off after technical MOT failures?
Fiat Grande Punto - a big sales success 15 years ago but now a rare sight. Surely they don't rot. Mechanical failure my bet.... Read more
... the reality is that even minor repairs and replacements can cost more than the car is worth. Head gasket, new clutch, exhaust, battery, even new tyres and a service can each cost close to or more than the vehicle is worth.
I am always mystified by this habitual comparison of maintenance cost with what a car 'is worth'. Presumably that will be a notional resale or scrap value ? But most owners will need to buy another vehicle, which would likely cost a lot more than the repairs. If the present car has been trustworthy it could well be 'worth' more that its resale value, so is 'worth' repairing. Many cars are disposed of early because of boredom, fear that more failures are imminent, obeying the 'more than it's worth' mantra, or sometimes a scrappage scheme....
I've always loved Interceptors, and still do. Never owned one, but rented one for a weekend a few years back, which was a brilliant experience.
Back in 2007 I spent a very happy hour at Cropredy Bridge Garage, the Jensen specialist, looking at the cars they had for sale and the 'Interceptor graveyard' out the back. I still have the printed price list from that visit. A decent running car with 12 months MOT and some history was £8,995, and a '72 SP (the hottest model with 350+BHP) with a fully-documented restoration was £20,000. Even with inflation, that's about £25,000 today.... Read more
I wish I had a warehouse full of cars I was offering a few hundred quid for back in the 90’s. XR2’s, Nova GTE’s, 205 GTi’s etc are all £10k plus for good examples today.
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Sunny Colchester sounds a little like sunny Basingstoke. Quiet roads with give way to oncoming traffic, pinch points, humps which drive me mad....reckon we qualify for a high place in the anti car league. London must be top of the league.