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13741

General Discussion Area / Re: Choice of Music advice needed

« on: 06 May 2007, 17:26:28 »

Chopsdad - Bob Sinclar now on my list thanks.
Loo-Knee- Ditto dance Anthems 2007

Nowt wrong with Frank but needs to be supplemented with more modern stuff for car repair and building work.

Any more suggestions gratefully received - Sunscreem maybe?

olive

13742

General Discussion Area / Choice of Music advice needed

« on: 06 May 2007, 13:12:13 »

As you can see I live in inland Spain.

When I lived in the UK and had broadband it was easy to download music and know what was going on music wise. Now it is a very rare occasion when I go to a supermarket or "music shop".  Can anyone suggest CD's to get on the next trip please?

I like Faithless stuff - the latest one was bought about 9 months ago. Other likes- Dirty Vegas, Coldplay, U2, classic chillout, dance. Anything with a good sound that I can have blaring away while I fix the latest thing to drop off the Omega.! I am getting a bit fed up of tapes of Pete Tong from 15 years ago.

olive    

13743

General Discussion Area / Re: Towing weights???

« on: 07 May 2007, 14:08:12 »

Don't forget when you have it all loaded up you can get your car and van weighed for a small fee (with a printout) at your local council weighbridge. Ours was located at the entrance to a council rubbish tip.

olive

13744

General Discussion Area / Re: THIEFING BARSTEWARDS

« on: 03 May 2007, 13:02:13 »

We have been the victims of car theft too over the years. One of the many reasons why we upped sticks for Spain. There is plenty of crime on the coast maybe even as much as in the UK but inland in the country it reminds me of where we lived in England as kids.

One car an auto Carlton CDX was stolen from the barriered carpark at work right outside the window where I worked. The office window was open but I never heard the alarm go or found the car (and crook lock) despite looking very closely at every similar car for years afterwards. It was around the time that a convicted car pincher won the lottery. Of course the insurance company didn't pay us enough . Co incidentally shortly after that I went on holiday to Cyprus and was astonished at how many ex British looking RHD drives were to be seen. e.g. you could see where the tax disc had been taken off and dealers stickers in windows/number plates etc. maybe I am just suspicious.

The funniest experience was with the theft of my brothers Capri which I was looking after at the time. It went missing on the Monday and got a parking ticket the Wednesday in Luton and then got towed to the police pound near the airport.  A policewoman called at my house in the Midlands on the Thursday evening and said your car is at Luton will you go and fetch it? Is it driveable said I, Don't know. Yes I will go. Next day went to work (on the bus) and about six 30 another policeman called at the house to ask if I was going to get my car? Yes in the morning. At 1.30 p.m. the doorbell went again. The first policewoman. We want to know when you are going to get your car? Well said I, I seem to be having a problem with sleep but first thing on Saturday. Great she said and drove off.

Next morning I hitched down to Luton and got there at 12 noon. All I thought to take was the car key and a fiver for a sandwich............  First problem was that I couldn't have the car as I had no ID or car ID. ( I was young and green in those days). To cut a long story short it was 5 p.m. before a policeman drove me down to the pound. He didn't have the keys so we had to break in through the airport car park. There was the Capri and to my great relief it wasn't damaged at all externally. The radio had gone and the battery was flat. Also the exhaust had been badly damaged. The policeman helped me jump start it and off I went.

So we all pay more insurance, spend more on anti theft devices including tracker in my case on each car thereafter.

I hate the fact that the punishment doesn't fit the crime. I would have prisoners working (under supervision) building more prisons. No cigarettes, drugs, mobiles, radios or TV. Prison is far too soft an option in my view. Tough on crime tough on the causes! All I can say is it is a good job I am not in charge.

olive      

13745

General Discussion Area / Re: MOT Failure Update and Retest

« on: 03 May 2007, 13:21:40 »

Elite Pete quote Finger crossed theres no more problems for another 12 months

Maybe a bit of wishfull thinking!! Seems to me never a week goes by without something dropping off, stopping working, squeaking etc on my car. Still love it though.

I too hate MOT's. It is the uncertainty and possible huge expense of it all when you are living on a budget. Now if we all had say £1000 a year set aside for possible car bills it would be so so different.  

olive

13746

General Discussion Area / Re: Question for Mr McBurger? Maybe others?

« on: 22 February 2007, 18:08:38 »

Interesting topic. There are quite a few differences between driving styles in the UK and Spain where I now spend most of my time. Both are bad for tailgating. I believe that in Britain it is mostly aggressive driving by Mr stressed up whereas here it mostly appears just to be how everyone drives. You just have to make allowances for it in order to stay safe.

Everyday you see people who don't indicate on roundabouts or are indicating incorrectly, people actually stopped at the end of slip roads onto busy dual carriageways or motorways waiting for a gap and even people overtaking on the inside on multi lane roads. Spain is a country where few people had a car until relatively recently so driving standards vary hugely.

One area where they do excel though is pulling back into the slow lane after overtaking and you are supposed to indicate when doing so. Traffic moves much  more freely on trunk roads as a result except where you have busy interchanges which just are not as well designed as the roads in the UK e.g. here slip roads are short, up hill or occasionally incredibly located IN tunnels. I guess the roads were not designed for the current levels of traffic. Sound familiar?!

olive        

13747

General Discussion Area / Re: Gerry Marshall

« on: 12 January 2007, 13:10:20 »

Remember Gerry Marshall well - boyhood hero. Another guy was Brian Robinson - Lotus Cortina Mk1 (anybody remember the experiment with a boot lid that opened hydraulically, to aid braking, when the brakes were applied - didn't work). Then there were the giant killers in their Cooper S Mini's.

A few years ago they showed one of the best saloon car races I have ever seen on TV - in black and white. I think it was from Oulton Park. There was more overtaking in one race than in a current F1 season. I think Gerry was in that.  

13748

General Discussion Area / Which spark plugs are these ?

« on: 21 December 2006, 11:57:56 »

Good news, at long last I have fitted a new DIS Pack to my 2.5 V6 and the dreadded misfire at 2000 rpm has gone. I also fitted new VX spark plugs of the part number recommended on the forum.

The ones I took out are GM 93183992. they have three electrodes unlike the twin electrode ones I fitted.

Are the ones I took out the original fitments or incorrect!!!

olive

13749

General Discussion Area / Speeders - Shady Insurance Co moneyspinner?

« on: 02 November 2006, 14:09:52 »

Despite only ever having had one speeding fine about 100 years ago, I was having a think about one of the side effects of getting penalty points for speeding. It is this. Your insurance goes up on renewal assuming you tell the company. Now whilst I would agree that maybe 6 % of accidents are speed related (and that is 6% too many), I would assert that the vast majority of speeders “get done” and have points added and increased insurance premium but they are still the same safety /insurance risk they were before getting done. You could even argue they are now safer and should have a reduced premium.  

The silent winners are the insurance companies who hide behind “ cars cost more to fix nowadays”, "more dents in car parks" (who are the brains behind making car parking spaces only suitable for 1930’s cars anyway?) whilst trousering extra money from the many who are getting done. That’s it I’m off mi soapbox now

13750

General Discussion Area / Re: Caravaning in Europe

« on: 17 October 2006, 13:06:51 »

Hi Tunnie.

First thing is whatever you do do the trip otherwise you will regret it when you are settled in 9 to 5 job with 3.2 dependents. Personally I would recommend camping at your age over caravanning. You are able to get around easier and faster. perhaps get an estate.

Having said that we did nearly 6000 miles(no problems) in over eight months recently with a caravan that was over the nice ratio of 75% (in fact we had it weighed at the council weighbridge and it was when loaded the same weight as the car). From a safety point of view you need to be competent at towing and pay great attention to stuff like nose weights. Our van needed 75 Kg or more and the Omega took up to 75Kg, so buy a nose guage. You must have a stabiliser and load the van carefully. Join the Caravan club as you get discounts on sites, channel crossings and INSURANCE. The discount on crossings will easily save you the membership. Swap drivers every two hours.

We found motorway laybys in France for example perfectly safe to overnighting for free (as do hundreds and hundreds of lorries each night) - they have toilets (of a sort) and often have a small shop.

You will find that sites aren't desperately cheap particularly when you have an electric hook up to charge your caravan battery. there are polenty of good guides in bookshops that list the top campsites but when you are driving along they and others are mostly well signposted.

On the van you can borrow. Have the tyres changed as suggested and have it serviced particularly the brakes. Gas is a problem on the continent. You can only take one(Eurostar) and two I believe on ferries, bottles. When they run out as they will if you do any cooking or heating water in the van then it is virtually impossible to get them refilled. Get some specialist advice on that or buy cooking rig on the continent.

Finally make sure your radiator is good. Our car was fine even hoofing it until we put a van behind it.

Don't be put off by any of this - go for it ! (Oh and let us all know how it goes)

13751

General Discussion Area / Re: Politics: Next Prime Minister

« on: 15 September 2006, 14:12:49 »

Someone said last night on TV that if Tony Blair stays on for 10 years or more his pension will be £81,000 a year whereas if he goes before the ten years are up then he will have to manage on the paltry sum of £53,000 a year. Big incentive methinks for him to stay a while longer regardless of what anyone else thinks or says.

13752

General Discussion Area / Re: Knock sensor FAQ

« on: 08 September 2006, 22:44:49 »

Good FAQ. Thanks.

Out of interest, Roughly how much are the parts from somewhere like MegaVaux  to change one of the V6 knock sensors?

13753

General Discussion Area / Re: Blackpool - the grumpy old visit

« on: 05 September 2006, 14:03:09 »

Ha. We too went to Blackpool for "the weekend" a few years ago. Found it a thoroughly depressing place apart from the Pleasure Beach. We went on every ride going including the Big Max which was superb. We had fish and chips at Harry Ramsdens, saw the lights and then we went home. In bed by 2 p.m.

I am not surprised that no one has mentioned Scarborough. I spent the first 18 years of my life freezing to death there!.

No wonder people go abroad.

13754

General Discussion Area / Re: Topic for the weekend?

« on: 26 August 2006, 19:06:16 »

Well mine is because I am now an olive farmer in Spain. Quite a lot different from my office life in Britain.

The V6 makes a great tow car for a trailer load of olives. Everyone else uses tractors or 4x4's.

I live 90 minutes drive from my nearest Opel dealer with a parts dept.

Bryan

13755

General Discussion Area / Re: Gearbox poll - what preference?

« on: 09 August 2006, 11:49:41 »

IMHO all cars ought to be automatic except F1 which should revert to gearknobs! If the industry spent more developing auto gearboxes then they would by now have perfected them fuel economy wise, smoothness of changes and options like Sport, Economy,Hustle,Town etc.

Anyone ever drive a Daf 44? You could technically go as fast backwards as forwards!. Have driven mostly autos through choice since 1980 averaging 21k a year. Only use left foot for braking but that was learnt rallying more years ago than I care to say. You have only mastered it when in an emergency you use your left foot instead of your right. Till then ......