October 2023
With rumours that the north of England leg of HS2 is going to be sc***ped (it really should have started in the north if that's the case..), what would you spend the money on instead? Personally I would like to see them invest heavily in the road network, not just on maintenance, but add some new motorways to better link the country east-west, and give existing motorways additional lanes.
If we did do a big single project similar to HS2, for me it would have to be a bridge linking GB to NI. If you think it can't be done, take a look at the Hong Kong-Chuhai-Macao bridge, or the Oresund Bridge, among others. ... Read more
warning light. is it for a core plug? Read more
So did Land Rovers
Would dash cam record people hitting their door into my car and other scratches? Read more
Unless the manufacturer offers all round ''whilst parked too'' camera cover, Tesla offer this, then you'll be into a aftermarket commercial vehicle standard all round camera system being fitted continually uploading to an on board hard drive.
We have such systems on our trucks, costing many £hundreds and due to infa red darkness viewing the cameras would probably be unsightly on a car....
Anyone heard about this? Despite Rishi Sunak announcing the extension to 2035 for sales of new Internal Combustion engined cars, 80% of new cars will need to be EV's by 2030. In 2024 22% of new cars will need to be EV's. Manufacturers to be fined £15,000 per car, if they don't meet the quota.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/driving/2023-09/uk-zev-m.../... Read more
Remote areas are going to be in trouble in an all-electric scenario, though in general those areas contribute to climate change hardly at all, and suffer negligable pollution.
I don't much fancy running out of juice in The Highlands in winter, though perhaps "winter" can now be regarded as SSOOO Last Century, ye ken...
I've had plenty of experience now as a new driver on the roads around London and south east England and am enjoying my drives on the whole.
One aspect of driving that I was always desperate to do even before I learned to drive was to drive abroad. Now I can finally do it, or well so I thought. I understand that minimum requirement for most countries to rent a car is the requirement of holding your license for at least a year. Are there any countries that skip this requirement? 6 months isn't that long to wait I suppose but was thinking of perhaps going to Germany later this month to the Black Forest. ... Read more
DP somehow. Apologies
More musings from Irvine CA......although lots of EVs around, the sound of snarling growling V8s will heard for some time yet on American roads. But what is very noticeable is the variety of big family SUVs on the driveways here (the double garages seem to be used as storage space), mostly of Asian ancestry even if assembled in the US. A typical morning dog walk would see many from Toyota - Highlander, Venza, Sequoia, Sienna, 4Runner; Nissan Armada and the ubiquitous Honda Odyssey, plus the odd Honda Pilot. American offerings seem to be in the minority, e.g. GMC Yukon and Chevy Suburban, but then this is a large Asian community. There is the odd Land/Range Rover (they look small here) and so far I have spotted just one Aston Martin DBX and one black RR Cullinan - which from behind looked very much like a large London taxi! The 'stop oil' brigade would be horrified, although perhaps pleased to see all grades of fuel here are now above $6 a gallon (3.8 litres). Nearly forgot to mention a VW Atlas! Read more
Any recommendations for any products that can simply be sprayed on to alloy wheels to help keep the brake dust down to a minimum ? The wheels in question are a mixture of high gloss black with a polished alloy. I am looking for a cleaner and not something to seal the surface.
Previously I would have simply popped them off once a month and given them a good scrub but my health isn't what it used to be. At the moment the car has only done 1000 ish miles.... Read more
Hardly any experience of alloy wheels, and dont much want any more but on steel wheels, as on steel everything else, I use sunflower oil and abrade with aluminium.
Think this would probably work to prevent corrosion or hide existing corrosion on alloy wheels, but probably not the appearance desired....
Recently I was tasked with replacing my mothers 2009 Honda Jazz 1.2 after it failed its Mot on structural rust. It’s been a reliable little car, but as with older Honda’s (especially in sunny Scotland) the rust has gotten hold and mother dear decided she didn’t have confidence in running about in a car which had been welded underneath. When my dad was alive they always had newish cars.
It was just a patch required but finding someone locally was a challenge and we were looking at 3/4 weeks wait to get the job done as no one seems interested in welding anymore. Plus the garage she bought it from and serviced it with offered her £1,500 for it as it was, which was pretty generous for a tatty 14yr old car with no MOT.
They sourced her a very nice 2017 Honda Jazz 1.3 SE in red with low mileage and full Honda history and a deal was struck. Other than a few scuff marks under the driver door handle where previous elderly owners rings had clumsily scratched the paint the wee car is immaculate.
As much as I do often recommend the Honda Jazz as a used purchase I didn’t like driving her Mk II. I found it dull to pilot and thought the ride was overly firm, especially considering it was utterly joyless to drive. I’ve now had cause to borrow it for a day while old Terrance the Toyota is in for new rear brake pipes for his Mot.
The newer car is however a much better little car all round. It’s a little bigger and the interior space noticeably improved, especially the boot. It’s a very practical thing. The ride quality is much improved and the general feel of the car on the road is a big step up over the previous gen car. It’s not fun like a Suzuki Swift or a Mazda 2 but it’s comfortable and pleasant enough to hustle along a twisting B road which revving that wee engine along using the quite enjoyable 6 speed manual gearbox, though grip is limited in the wet. Refinement is also a step above the old car.
All in all a much improved little car, more practical, great on fuel and well made. It’s still not my favourite small hatchback, the Mazda 2, Ford Fiesta 1.25 and Suzuki Swift all still drive better but I’d recommend one happily to anyone, especially those with nervous mothers in need of transport which won’t cause any grief - hopefully. Read more
Sounds like you've done her proud on the deal. The Scottish winters are certainly quite harsh on cars - my friend's 2008 Focus which spent its first six years in Aberdeen has needed both sills welding (last year I could pick bits off with my fingers and warned her of the likely work the MOT would find) and also one front wing is rotting to the extent it would hole if pushed. Mine which is older has no rust.
John Lewis stops insuring electric cars
"The department store’s lending business John Lewis Financial Services has put a temporary pause on customers taking out cover or renewing existing policies on battery-power vehicles while its underwriter, Covéa, analyses risks and costs.
Insurers are facing rising costs for vehicle repairs, which are eating into profits. According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), vehicle repair costs rose 33pc over the first quarter of 2023 compared to 2022, helping to push annual premiums to record highs. ... Read more
Similar subject - it’s becoming increasingly difficult/expensive to insure a Range Rover in London because of the risk of theft.
Browse
I understand that the Coates family who own most of Bet 365 were pushed to the second highest taxpayers last year having been estimated to have contributed only £460m in tax.
If you have that sort of money whether you pay tax or not is somewhat academic. Betting is a mugs game - but if it is affordable no worse than to cultivate than Michelin star meal or a drug habit.