In the words of the great philosopher Liam Payne:

"I wanna flex hard like DOE, but right now my car needs an MOT"

Just booked it in...can't risk leaving the car anywhere with my 'issues' being so unpredictable now so I've chosen the least worst option of paying a lot for a local indy I've never been before instead of paying half as much at a chain where I have been before but is a few miles away...  I really hope that that was the right decision as I've had bad experiences at other local Indy's (and indeed chains!). 

Don't think I'll get a chance to wash it in this weather either...might just have to wipe the plates, lights and reflectors.  😮

17 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

In the words of the great philosopher Liam Payne:

"I wanna flex hard like DOE, but right now my car needs an MOT"

Just booked it in...can't risk leaving the car anywhere with my 'issues' being so unpredictable now so I've chosen the least worst option of paying a lot for a local indy I've never been before instead of paying half as much at a chain where I have been before but is a few miles away...  I really hope that that was the right decision as I've had bad experiences at other local Indy's (and indeed chains!). 

Don't think I'll get a chance to wash it in this weather either...might just have to wipe the plates, lights and reflectors.  😮

Ed Sheeran was the real philosopher of those words, Liam Payne just "sung" them 😛

1 hour ago, alexp999 said:

Ed Sheeran was the real philosopher of those words, Liam Payne just "sung" them 😛

True haha! 

 

Fiesta's being delayed, was supposed to pick it up this week but I won't be able to get it until at least next week now. Was hoping to use it go home from uni this weekend, but I'm having to take the train now instead at vast expense.

Just seen the Galaxy S10 don't have the notification which i rely on for tablets,hope the always on display still pops up on the screen for my tablet reminder app.

Was going to get the s10 dual sim 128gb but looks like stopping on the s9.

Went to see the Fiesta yesterday, yet to be PDI'd but worryingly I couldn't fit in it. When I sat in the one in the dealer, I could get the seat down to its lowest height and I was fine. I couldnt get the seat in my one all the way down?

On 11/6/2019 at 4:13 PM, TimST2 said:

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/clean-air-zone-diesel-ban-3503759

And @zain611 you thought London's ULEZ was bad (I work inside the proposed CAZ).

An outright ban on the latest Euro 6 engines and the hospitals are inside the zone 

Reading a report in the press today that Bristol Council have ordered a new fleet of (you've guessed) diesel vans............!

2 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Reading a report in the press today that Bristol Council have ordered a new fleet of (you've guessed) diesel vans............!

Yep, I saw that. Don't get me started on what I think of this ridiculous proposal...

3 hours ago, dtulip8 said:

Went to see the Fiesta yesterday, yet to be PDI'd but worryingly I couldn't fit in it. When I sat in the one in the dealer, I could get the seat down to its lowest height and I was fine. I couldnt get the seat in my one all the way down?

Well, it's a Ford so it's probably broken already...

Seriously though wasn't there a tech or even a salesman around to ask while you were there?

Was it the same spec as the one you sat in before or are the seats different maybe?

37 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Well, it's a Ford so it's probably broken already...

Seriously though wasn't there a tech or even a salesman around to ask while you were there?

Was it the same spec as the one you sat in before or are the seats different maybe?

For reasons known only to me I didn’t actually query it with the sales person. Will be going to look again tomorrow, it is the same spec as the one in the dealer- both ST Lines.

4 hours ago, dtulip8 said:

 I couldnt get the seat in my one all the way down?

The seat height adjuster in mine was really stiff and I was worried about breaking something (as Tom says, it is a Ford, after all) but I managed in the end. Took me ages and lots of experimenting to find a decent seating position, but I'm ok with it now.

On 11/26/2019 at 4:15 PM, TomsFocus said:

In the words of the great philosopher Liam Payne:

"I wanna flex hard like DOE, but right now my car needs an MOT"

Just booked it in...can't risk leaving the car anywhere with my 'issues' being so unpredictable now so I've chosen the least worst option of paying a lot for a local indy I've never been before instead of paying half as much at a chain where I have been before but is a few miles away...  I really hope that that was the right decision as I've had bad experiences at other local Indy's (and indeed chains!). 

Don't think I'll get a chance to wash it in this weather either...might just have to wipe the plates, lights and reflectors.  😮

The Passat is booked in for its MOT on December 9th, one month before it expires but I can't risk is expiring and ending up with a £100 fine like I did a couple of years ago!!

I don't like finding out today that one of my colleagues died in his sleep last night.  He was only 40 and actually quit smoking some years ago, go figure.

It goes to show each day we wake up really is a gift from God and we shouldn't waste it or think "here we go again", because one day we may not get another chance.

Sorry to hear that, but agree with your sentiments. I remember how floored I was when a colleague of mine, who I'd known 20 years and a really fit guy, passed away at virtually the same age. We were working on a project together but based in different locations and I can still remember speaking to him one night to arrange to meet at his office first thing the next morning. When I got there I was told he'd died in his sleep in the early hours. Turned out to be an unsuspected heart defect. 

3 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Sorry to hear that, but agree with your sentiments. I remember how floored I was when a colleague of mine, who I'd known 20 years and a really fit guy, passed away at virtually the same age. We were working on a project together but based in different locations and I can still remember speaking to him one night to arrange to meet at his office first thing the next morning. When I got there I was told he'd died in his sleep in the early hours. Turned out to be an unsuspected heart defect. 

Yep sounds similar, he was at work yesterday and I actually didn't get a chance to speak to him in fact the last time we passed in the corridor I think I kind of blanked him as I was having a bad day, you can imagine how bad I feel now.

17 minutes ago, jmurray01 said:

Yep sounds similar, he was at work yesterday and I actually didn't get a chance to speak to him in fact the last time we passed in the corridor I think I kind of blanked him as I was having a bad day, you can imagine how bad I feel now.

Unfortunately that's just the way things go - something happens that nobody anticipated and then you end up wishing you'd done or said this, or not done or said that. I missed seeing a friend of mine one last time only recently - we knew the time was drawing near but were still taken by surprise by how quickly it came in the end.

 

 

 

I don't like this. Hopefully it's nothing and won't cost me anything. 
Yesterday upon leaving the flight shop with my purchases, I had to go up a steep part of their drive to get to the road. When I got to the top of the slope I braked and applied the handbrake. The exit/entrance to the store is right on a junction and the junction is light controlled. 
The lights changed to green and a nice person signalled to let me out. I had enough revs, pulled up the clutch and the car immediately stalled. I restarted the car and waited again for the junction to be clear. When it was clear, I gave it some revs and lifted off the clutch only to get a really distinctive burning clutch smell. The biting point is really high up the pedal too.
The car has only done 11 thousand miles so the clutch shouldn't have worn out already, should it?

12 hours ago, dtulip8 said:

For reasons known only to me I didn’t actually query it with the sales person. Will be going to look again tomorrow, it is the same spec as the one in the dealer- both ST Lines.

Salesman - Sir, are you comfortable?

Dan - (Being British) Yes, of course, absolutely fine!

11 hours ago, jmurray01 said:

The Passat is booked in for its MOT on December 9th, one month before it expires but I can't risk is expiring and ending up with a £100 fine like I did a couple of years ago!!

Whoops!  So far I haven't forgotten MOT but I'm sure it'll happen one year!  I generally do it a month in advance as well but as I'd been hoping to sell/swap the Golf I'd left it until about 10 days this time.  It passed no advisories btw, posted that in the other thread.   I didn't even check anything underneath this year, just bulbs and tyres.  Do you reckon the Passat will pass or anything you're worried about?

 

1 hour ago, Nick Y said:

I don't like this. Hopefully it's nothing and won't cost me anything. 
Yesterday upon leaving the flight shop with my purchases, I had to go up a steep part of their drive to get to the road. When I got to the top of the slope I braked and applied the handbrake. The exit/entrance to the store is right on a junction and the junction is light controlled. 
The lights changed to green and a nice person signalled to let me out. I had enough revs, pulled up the clutch and the car immediately stalled. I restarted the car and waited again for the junction to be clear. When it was clear, I gave it some revs and lifted off the clutch only to get a really distinctive burning clutch smell. The biting point is really high up the pedal too.
The car has only done 11 thousand miles so the clutch shouldn't have worn out already, should it?

It's not really mileage that kills clutches, it's more how they're used.  I doubt you've done any permanent damage by slipping it on a hill start though!  They usually bed back in quickly after a bit of slippage.  You may have stalled if the hill start assist held the brakes and you weren't expecting it?  I find the HSA on the Golf a bit excessive but being a diesel it just grumbles instead of stalling. 

My Don't Like for today is the November electric bill...  £92! 😮  That includes heating as we're all electric but it's not even particularly cold yet, was really hoping to have moved somewhere else before the end of the year!  

£92 , is that higher than normal this time of year? 

ours is about that (gas and elec) and generally no ones at home from 7am -5.30pm weekdays. 

according to tree huggers all households should have elec heating of some sorts( no gas boilers) with ground source heat pumps etc. no idea how that will all work in  practice. 

1 hour ago, iantt said:

£92 , is that higher than normal this time of year? 

ours is about that (gas and elec) and generally no ones at home from 7am -5.30pm weekdays. 

according to tree huggers all households should have elec heating of some sorts( no gas boilers) with ground source heat pumps etc. no idea how that will all work in  practice. 

Yeah, it's been about £80 the last 2 years (and only £63 back in 2016!).  The bill even says I've used less than this time last year despite it costing more.  Gonna be well over £100 in Dec I reckon.

Electric heating using solar and ground pumps will be fine when new homes are built with all the latest tech...and the unit price should drop when everyone's plugging in their cars as well...but currently night storage heating is just useless.  Sweating in bed, freezing by mid morning and paying a huge amount for it!  

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Whoops!  So far I haven't forgotten MOT but I'm sure it'll happen one year!  I generally do it a month in advance as well but as I'd been hoping to sell/swap the Golf I'd left it until about 10 days this time.  It passed no advisories btw, posted that in the other thread.   I didn't even check anything underneath this year, just bulbs and tyres.  Do you reckon the Passat will pass or anything you're worried about?

 

It's not really mileage that kills clutches, it's more how they're used.  I doubt you've done any permanent damage by slipping it on a hill start though!  They usually bed back in quickly after a bit of slippage.  You may have stalled if the hill start assist held the brakes and you weren't expecting it?  I find the HSA on the Golf a bit excessive but being a diesel it just grumbles instead of stalling. 

Well last year it failed on an anti-roll bar linkage and one of the CV joint boots had popped off, which I discovered a few months later it had again popped off due to the rubber becoming dry and brittle so that was replaced altogether.

The only advisories were the other side's anti-roll bar link (which will need replaced as it has been clunking over bumps for the past few months), a lower suspension arm pin/bush which was an advisory on the last 2 MOTs but doesn't seem to have gotten any worse and the brakes were fluctuating, but that should be sorted by new disks and pads also a few months ago.

The only thing I know of other than the anti-roll bar link is the rear number plate lights have packed in so I'll put new ones on before submitting it for the MOT. 

I was quite surprised looking at the last MOT to find that it had 133k then and now has 153k!!  I knew I did a lot of driving but 20k in 11 months is more than I anticipated.

2 minutes ago, jmurray01 said:

I was quite surprised looking at the last MOT to find that it had 133k then and now has 153k!!  I knew I did a lot of driving but 20k in 11 months is more than I anticipated.

Blimey, I'm barely touching 6k a year nowadays.  Easy to work out this year as I hit 100k on Christmas Eve last year!  

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

My Don't Like for today is the November electric bill...  £92! 😮  That includes heating as we're all electric but it's not even particularly cold yet, was really hoping to have moved somewhere else before the end of the year!  

That is high, my usage is about £60 per month in the winter which is 50/50 gas and electric, but then I am out during the day so just run it from 5-7AM so it is warm when I get up and ready for work, then it comes on again between 6-8PM so it is warm when I come home.  If I were home all day I would have to put it on for a third time say between 12-2PM but even then it wouldn't cost the earth since it is a relatively new combi boiler and although it's a 3-bed house I only heat the rooms I use.

My old flat had electric storage heaters and they were horrifically expensive, I think one quarter's bill was £350 which works out at about £116 per month and that was for a one bedroom flat!!!