Welcome to OOF
2.0, Auto. '98 R Plate.I did... ...but was on a Rover mission...
Surprised you did not see it, interior was in very good nick. I had ALL the fuses from the fuse box, plus the MID
change the rad.... better safe than sorry.Yes, crap viscous fan setup...
also sennies always had a tendency to have the temperature rise rapidly if you did a hard run then had to stop for a bit... like hammering along the M40 from warwick and hitting virtually stationary traffic at the top of Stokenchurch hill for a few minutes.... quite often that sort of thing would see rapid temperature rises... followed by a slow fall when the fan kicked in.
memory eludes me offhand whether the 24V had the same viscous coupling fan type as the 12 valve version.....
but check it's working either way.....
Although i pinched a MID if anyone wants a freebie? (Full MID, taken from '98 mini facelift)Generally, mini faclift MIDs are reliable
Hoses seamed soft when I flushed the coolant on Jaime's driveway, all the pipes were nice and soft even after been running for 5 mins.Remember, we kept the cap off to stop it from pressurising....
I'm hooked and need therapy...I need a life
I do agree.QuoteHowever, the 'invisible' disabilities, which I agree with, do not account for some of the orange badge abuse I see - perfectly abled people, not requiring help, using these orange badges to get free parking near the shops. I suspect a lot of people borrow badges/cars from disabled family members etc.
Thing is though, my Mum has a very bad back. To all intents and purposes she doesn't look or move like she's disabled because she's learned over the years how to manage it. She can't however walk very far unassisted.
She has a disabled badge for use in her car and I wonder how often people think that she's 'at it'!
Gosh cant believe I havent seen this thread before!!I agree with most of your post, and as said, I won't use these spaces unless there is no other supermarket/work parking (on places round here likely to get so busy that no other choice).
As a disabled driver myself (wheelchair user) it also narks me off seeing these things get abused.
I have stickers in my rear window asking people to leave me space to get my wheelchair in and out yet people choose to ignore them. One of these days I'm going to just let the tailgate open into someones car rather than sit there waiting for the culprit to return.
A lot of able bodied people seem to think we dont matter or just dont think at all about the way they treat disabled people, a little consideration would go a long way.
At my local Asda I regularly see taxi drivers (the worst offenders) and Police parking in disabled bays or blocking access to disabled bays jsut so they can get to a cashpoint. One of these days I'm gonna go militant on them and block them in with my car and leave it there, especially the taxi drivers - hitting their earnings might make them think a bit more next time.
Even those who say they only do it late at night - why is that justification? Most wheelchair users I know prefer to do their shopping late at night as its quieter. How can anyone know when a disabled person is likely to turn up and need to park?
We don't particularly want larger parking spaces or for them to be closer to the shop, its a question of need, not want. When I'm getting in and out of my car I need access to the drivers door and the tailgate. If either of those is blocked I can't go anywhere, simple as. I didn't ask for this need and certainly don't want it, butI have it so have to jsut get on with it.
I don't necessarily agree with the blue badge system either, mainly because I know several disabled people who are genuinely disabled but canot get badges as they refuse to claim DLA. Its scandalous that some councils refuse to issue badges to disabled people simply because they are not claiming a benefit that they dont want, but thats another story.
Finally please be careful who you harass in car parks - there are many people who are genuinely disabled but have "invisible" disabilities, particularly those with MS and various mental health problems. They are just as in need of assistance as someone who uses a wheelchair. It could even be argued that us wheelchair users don't necessarily need to be closer to the shop as we don't have to walk. I've heard that one before.
You often see young lads at McDonalds type places just throw their rubbish out of the window. I to usually confront, because it is sheer laziness. As is using Disabled spaces (unless they are the only ones left, which happens where I work).QuoteMy real irritation is the selfish, thoughtless, lazy, IQ dleiquent morons who park in disabled spaces but are not blue badge holders!!
Generally it is businessmen in expensive cars/Chelsea tractors.
SWMBO mum is disabled (MS) and when I am over in NI, I often take her out shopping.
It REALLY p*sses me off to find disabled parking spaces have been taken by a*rseholes who can't be bothered to park a bit further away from the shops!
The spaces are closer to the shops and wides than other spaces for a reason.
I have to take out a wheelchair, and then get her into it. Not easy in normal spaces!
I wish shopping centres would actually clamp people who blatantly abuse these spaces as I see it being the only way to stop these thoughtless t*ssers!
I have had a few run ins with people I have seen just sitting in a space, just waiting form someone, especially when they have taken the last space.
Suffice to say I am not a small person, and can be quite intimidating if they don't agree to my initial polite request...
I point out to them when they argue, please go call the security/Police and explain what exactly you are doing parking in this area....
OK, rant over... just something I am passionate about, disabled rights.
You've seen me Dave, I'm NOT a big guy, but I've been known to confront tw*ts who mis-use disabled spaces, it's a huge bugbear of mine.
The other night I was at Tesco. I parked in a normal bay, which was near the disabled bay. A woman came out of the store, probably late 20's, wearing a little skirt, thinking she owned the world. She walked over to this 06 reg VW, that was in a disabled space, and got in.
I managed to bite my lip and didn't go say anything.....
..... Until I saw a bag full of rubbish come FLYING out of the drivers window.
I picked up the bag of rubbish, and walked over to her car. She wound down the window, and I said "I think you dropped something that belongs to you...." .... and then proceeded to throw the bag of rubbish (inc manky banana skins!!) into the car!! The look on her face was priceless... she was too shocked to speak, but needless to say I felt a lot better.
Usually I'm very very placid, but this mentality I cannot stand.
Doubt she'll park in a disabled bay and throw bags of rubbish out of the window again
Whilst I don't believe (in most circumstances) non disabled drivers should use these spaces, it annoys me more when I see orange badge holders abuse their rights...QuoteQuoteI dont get what this petition is about?It says to make misuse illegal.
It's something that really gets me too, why active people can't walk a few yards is beyond me.
I'm afraid lack of respect & are ignorance are a growing trend.
Agreed
I developed a sad fascination about 15 years ago when we on hols in North Wales with friends. Looking for something to do on the first day, we went to a hydro electric power station at Blaneau Festiniog (thats spelt wrong!). Absolutely fascinating. So the next day we went to the hydro electric at Snowdown (more disappointing, but the scale of it built entirely underground was amazing), and the next day to a nuclear one they were decommissioning...QuoteQuote[I thought the power companies sold the 'not needed' leccy to Europe/etc when over producing.....or am I wrong there?Actually, in the UK when demand reduces, generation is taken off-line. There is never over generation. In winter, especially last winter, the UK had, at times, all of its oil fired generation on load, there was nothing left!!!, nobody realises just how desperate it got. Taking into account the cost of oil at that point, it shows just how close the UK came to brown outs. There was a program recently which told of the unstableness of gas supply. A spokeswoman for a glass manufacturer was unable to buy gas. The price was rising so quickly, no one was willing to sell her it as it would have been worth so much more at the end of the transaction.
Mike,
All this info about power stations and the National Grid is great. I am, and always have been, totally fascinated by the grid, how it works, how the frequency is kept at a constant 50Hz and how it keeps on going seemingly regardless of total load. I think that it is amazing and very few people have an appreciation of it (or probably even care). I always remember that huge switching plant (I think it is a switching plant) near the M6 where you can see the million volt power lines coming in and the oil filled switch gear ............ amazing stuff.
One of my wishes is to visit a power station some time and be able to see the generators humming away and view the control room. Sad, I know but still.
What I would like to know is how does the grid actually work? Why is it that Sub Stations are being removed? Do any power stations have open days? Why have some power stations been closed? Is there any on line resource that could answer these questions?
I would love to know more about how the generation is controlled and how stations are brought on line and taken off again to suit fluctuations in demand.
