July 2022
In Case anyone is travelling
... Read more
This car had a new engine about three months ago.
Recently it has developed a whine that is apparent all the time, especially at lower speeds and revs. Considering the engine is supposed to develop 180bhp, it feels a bit gutless.... Read more
So the same problem as with the engine. No new gearbox available.
The garage are hoping one will arrive on Tuesday, but on previous form they will probably send a manual gearbox rather than an automatic. With the new engine, Ford sent two Diesel engines instead of a petrol, greatly increasing the time the car was off the road....
This shows a typical example of how the DVLA completely deliberately mis-interprets the problem. Getting the D4 completed is not a problem. You can go anywhere and for about £30-£50 get it completed. The trouble is that it goes into the DVLA and just disappears for months, just like your passport application and driving test application. The answer is that the DVLA seem to think they are are a force unto themselves, not answerable to anyone. They have used covid as a total excuse for inactivity, paying their staff to sit at home doing nothing. What needs to happen is for a strong beam of light to penetrate their defences, for people to be sacked and others to be held accountable. They need to be made to get off their backsides and work like any normal employee rather than the charmed existences they have. Unfortunately their attitude is similar in many government organisations where you have a job for life, albeit poorly paid where nobody pays the price for incompetance or laziness. Read more
"What a journey it's been! ?? I couldn't have navigated through the complexities of our recent move without the invaluable assistance of an amazing lawyer. Their expertise and guidance were instrumental in ensuring a smooth transition for my family. If you're ever in need of legal support, I highly recommend their services. They truly go above and beyond to deliver exceptional results.
www.facebook.com/realRickLax/videos/10056396868138.../
How many times have you been to a car park, found someone who either ignores the lines or thinks it is ok to park outside the bay, and then do what this woman has done and blame the other driver who, unlike her has parked correctly. Read more
In fairness to those who don't line up exactly central , many parking spaces were laid out years ago when cars were narrower - the same problem with width applies to many domestic garages.
I wasn`t talking about those that don`t line up central as not many do anyway for that reason...
I am looking at buying a nearly new (less than 2 years old) 4x4 to share with my 21 son. He travels 30 miles a day to/from work, four days a week and part of the journey is on country roads with one very steep hill which can get icy in the winter.
I am looking for a trendyish 4x4 with relatively low insurance, I like Volvo XC90, but I doubt they could be considered trendy!
Any suggestions?
Read more
Subaru perhaps?
With temperatures in the UK today reaching their record of 38degC (it was in Cambridge near me, according to reports), how's everyone coping? Any stories of melted roads, buckled rails, etc your way? I just heard that Luton airport has had to close its runway today because part of its runway melted.
I remember one former workplace (bearing in mind I used to work for firms designing A/C systems for buildings) - a big name in the industry in central London - only having A/C (well, comfort cooling) in the meeting rooms and directors' offices and where the office temperature reached a very humid 33degC on days where it wasn't nearly as hot outside as today. Working was nigh on impossible.... Read more
Monday of this week was peak heat here in south central Brittany following 2 to 3 weeks of hot weather. Monday's forecast temperature was high 30's to early 40's after a few weeks of early to mid 30's, so this old stone house had absorbed and stored that heat, which was making our normally cool bedroom increasingly uncomfortable.
We spotted that Lidl had an offer on a portable air con unit on the previous Friday, not their own rubbish Silver Crest brand but a widely available brand called "Comfee", so took the plunge and bought one....
I am not very bothered if those in positions of trust and authority make an occasional breach of rules. Through inattention, or sometimes knowingly, we will all have been guilty of (say) 38 in a 30 limit and mostly get away with it.
Perfection is for saints - I would rather my "betters" were normal people with broadly normal behaviours and opinions, not the sanctimonious and flawless....
Good afternoon,
I'm a Marketing student based in Aberdeen researching the EV market, specifically adoption of electric cars and potential barriers presented to widespread adoption.
I would greatly appreciate any users efforts to complete a survey for my research, I will insert a link at the bottom of this post to do so. The questionnaire is very brief and straightforward and should only take 10 minutes to complete.
This is the link to complete a survey questionnaire to help with my research:
robertgordonuniversity.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/ev-upta...s... Read more
There's an Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Supplement in July's Car Mechanics magazine. Interesting read if, like me, you can read for free via your library membership.
It seems that battery packs don't just contain batteries but also electronics that can cause issues. Perhaps just a dry joint or failure of a component costing a couple of quid. Manufacturers will happily sell you a complete pack costing £££, but not the cheap component to fix the one you've got. The expertise is building and in time aftermarket manufacturers will start producing pattern parts, but we're not there yet....
I make sure that I won't be stranded by towing a spare vehicle behind my car, just in case. I also have a sticker on the dash reminding me to breath in and out. Read more
I suspect that there is a correlation between people not knowing basic precautions and NOT subscribing to a website like this one.
Conversely, is there a correlation between knowing and taking basic precautions (at all times - breaking down and waiting in the rain is not pleasant) and reading this website?
If so what is the point of this article - other than to wind up those who like to like to live dangerously by not checking their cars weekly or before a long journey? After all where's the fun of driving on Britain's road if there is no fear of not making it?
The fearless buccaneering frontiersman is in our blood!
It’s great to see a drop in price, long overdue. It hasn’t happened in Formby Merseyside where local stations operate a cartel, still selling unleaded at 194.9. Tesco undercut slightly at 192.9. This price fixing should be stopped.
The cheaper prices can be found in rural locations in Cumbria at 187.9, where you’d expect distribution costs to be higher leading to premium prices; that doesn’t seem to be the case at all.
Read more
I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is just a blip, given the issues causing the rise are still there.
My two local filling stations (Esso and Tesco) were, for once, amongst the lowest priced in the region and have dropped from 185p/L to 183p and today to 180p and 186.9p to 184.9p to 181.9p respectively over the last fortnight.
That might sound 'cheap' due to the exhorbitant prices elsewhere, but then the price at the former was 'only' 156p back in late May. It was also 120p/L just before the Pandemic.
I also remamber paying 70p/L in 1998 and the fuel protests after it (finally) rose to over £1 a few years later for more context.
Browse
"old cars forced off the road".
Makes me laugh when I can smell unburnt petrol and see diesel smoke coming from cars in standing traffic which are just a couple of years old.