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31

General Discussion Area / Win 10 - Is it time yet?

« on: 26 April 2016, 14:12:36 »

As per the title.  I have waited to upgrade as I do not want to get bogged down with faff and bugs.  So has it been long enough yet?  I have to either reimage or upgrade as it has been 3 years since a rebuild and the old girl is getting slower and slower despite being a Xeon dual quad with 16gb of ram.

32

General Discussion Area / MAMIL alert

« on: 25 April 2016, 20:45:40 »

I have grown too many spare tyres so I am back on the bike as of tomorrow.  Besides I have a 'biggest loser' competition with a lass at work and if she wins I have to do an aqua-aerobics class in a mankini.

So, lets see what the good drivers of Coventry are like with cyclists.  I foresee a lot of suitible video footage

33

General Discussion Area / Police issue

« on: 05 April 2016, 21:31:05 »

This is abit of a long story so bear with it 

When I purchased the scooby I had to pick it up from West Reading on my own, so I left the miggy there in the farm car park (farm industrial estate thing) with the intention of collecting it the next week when the missus was around.  That weekend she was ill and unable to safely drive so I went to check up on it and the farm had put a notice on the car saying private parking, please move.  So I did, I moved it just outside of the farm parked by the side of the road outside of someone's house.  I came back the next weekend with the missus and picked it up.

When I got there I noticed the key fob didn't work.  Bugger, battery is flat I think, and go to use the key in the door.  The central locking came to life.  Istarted her up and thought, that was wierd.  Anyway, got the miggy home and thought nothing of it until a couple of nights ago when I friend called and said Ihave this wierd story Ineed to tell you:

The police had been in touch asking for her help, she duly got in touch and they said they had a letter with her name and address on it which they had found in an abandoned vehicle in Newbury.  They wanted to trace the owner but the insurance had lapsed, did she know whose car it was.  The car was a mondeo with a reg XYZ  (this reg is very similar to mine one digit out in fact)

I put 2 and 2 together and came to the conclusion that my car had been broken in to (forcing the lock maybe hence the central locking issue?) and searched by the police after being parked by the side of the road for a week.  They had found a letter in there which Ihadn't posted because it fell between the seats.  They had gotten the reg wrong when checking it against the database, concluded it had no insurance (not the case) and started to find the owner.

I did not know the police had any power to break in to a vehicle that was legally parked (public road "siding") unless there was an immediate threat to life (dog or child in a hot car for example)

Is this right?  What recourse may I have?  I haven't checked the lock for damage yet, but I shall be.

34

General Discussion Area / Scumbags

« on: 19 March 2016, 12:32:32 »

Went out this morning to find several wing mirrors outside had been hit on the pavement side.  The miggy one is completed destroyed.  I suspect some drunken idiot from the pub.  If I find/know them there will be hell to pay.

If anyone is looking for me I have several hours of cctv to review.

35

Car Parts, bits For Sale & Wanted / Parts wanted

« on: 02 March 2016, 14:56:53 »

Looking to source the following parts:

- Estate tailgate in good nick.  Looking to repaint and match to my blue miggy.  No rusty examples please.
- Stainless exhaust, cat back - else I will source from the usual places
- rocker cover gaskets - if anyone has any genuine vx ones laying around.  Otherwise I will go to the stealers for some
- thermostat transfer pipe
- Drivers door window switches
- Front seats.  Must be dark and the heating must work.

PM me with your offers including postage.  I can pickup from the Coventry or Camberley areas or anywhere inbetween the two along the M40/A404/M4 corridor.

36

General Car Chat / Thoughts on scoobies?

« on: 29 February 2016, 21:20:40 »

Been to test drive a 2009 Subaru Legacy TD today and Iwas very impressed.  Pulled like a train and did not seem like deisel at all.  Liking the room in the boot for my fishing trips as well as the drive quality/comfort.

Any thoughts from the membership?

37

General Discussion Area / It was only a matter of time - Nissan Leaf hack

« on: 24 February 2016, 14:04:01 »

Warning. This post contains elements that some readers may find moronic. 

Just seen this on the BBC website.  It appears that the security layer on the Carwing API is ineffective / not implemented and some bright spark discovered it, informed Nissan  a month ago and they did booger all.about it.

Just switched off my application access and changed the notifications to everything.

So much for heating my seats up remotely for a while

Yours,

Capt Coldbuttcheeks

38

General Discussion Area / Huge thanks to Al

« on: 14 February 2016, 15:28:05 »

Big thank you to Al for sorting out my boot so that I can actually open it now.  Also for supplying the new bumper.

Sorry for dragging you out of your bed this morning

39

General Car Chat / car suggestions

« on: 08 February 2016, 18:13:47 »

As some of you may have noticed, I might be looking for a new old car depending on findings to be done on the miggy following the bust up.

I have been looking for options with the following requirements :

- estate with big boot and good access.
- fair economy with a bit of poke (long motorway driving )
- comfy seats and a few gadgets
- not French
- budget of around 5-6k

I have been looking at a 2006 530i msport but wondered if anyone had any suggestions.   

40

General Discussion Area / bugger

« on: 22 January 2016, 08:27:52 »

41

General Car Chat / Secondary battery installation

« on: 19 January 2016, 17:12:46 »

This is a project for the miggy but it would probably apply to any vehicle you would wish to do this for, hence putting it in GCC.

I am looking at converting the miggy for weekend trips to the coast for spearfishing trips, the idea being that it will carry all my gear including the deflated RIB on the wat there and back and double up as a sleeping platform overnight.  One of the requirements is for power.  I intend on having a leisure battery (becasue I already have a few) permanently installed in the back, vented to the outside of course, which will allow me to power a mains converter, charge phones/tablets and some basic lighting.

Obviously keeping the battery charged is a key concern and I doubt it is as simple as just piggy backing the alternator output.  So will I need to upgrade the alternator or install any specific ciruitry to make this happen?  Could I also install a solar panel input through a regulator for while the car is stationary as well as the alternator input?

42

General Discussion Area / Back to the UK!!

« on: 08 January 2016, 12:01:08 »

No more commuting to Frogland for me after this weekend and starting a new contract in Cov next week.  Looking forward to only having a 2 hour commute although I will be living in a very nice hotel this time which is out of town and thus away from the eyesore which is the city.

Nearly 2 years of weekly to and fro have knackered me out, not to mention the work.  Most of the Lyon-based Easyjet cabin crew and gate agents know me now (your usual G+T, sir?) and I have made some great friends who I will definitely stay in touch with.  I will miss Lyon and some of the Easyjet staff as some of them were very easy on the eyes 

I might go back for the rugby finals which will be in Lyon in May and get rat-arsed catch up with friends

Onwards and upwards!

43

General Discussion Area / AVG IT Security alert

« on: 30 December 2015, 18:02:32 »

Sorry guys, i missed this one recently due to workload and holiday.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35198435

Looks like an auto update might be disabled so plese check your version if you have it installed, or better still remove it and install a better AV.

44

General Discussion Area / Coventry?

« on: 15 December 2015, 10:45:30 »

Might be starting a new contract, for once in the UK!  It will be good as it will mean no more flying back and fourth to frogland which is slowly killing me.

That said it is in Coventry.  I have never been so looking for feedback as to how nice it is, potential long-term accom or hotels, etc  I may have to give a very quick answer this week after the interview thus better to be prepared.

45

Omega General Help / Intermittent speedo dropping out - TC and ABS lights on

« on: 12 December 2015, 18:05:31 »

Is this the dreaded ABS ECU?