Be Excellent To Each Other

Skoda badges are a Stage -2 detune.

No joy this morning. Will have to call a mechanic. Can't remember if I paid for the home start service from Green Flag or not and probably wouldn't be a priority case in current conditions.
I had the MOT booked for Friday, and whilst it's an obvious failure they could fix it just like if the brakes had failed or something.

More exciting bonnet updates as they happen.

Giphy "bonnet":
https://media0.giphy.com/media/l378aRdXGyRhc1ewM/giphy-loop.mp4

Just a (probably daft) thought, could this be connected to the freezing weather, with ice forming and preventing the mechanism to return to the correct position? Might be worth boiling a full kettle and liberally tipping the boiling water onto the latch and cable etc, then immediately trying to close it?

I tried that yesterday, but no harm in giving it another go. Unlike WD40 the smell of boiling water won't linger on my gloves.

WD40 has a beautiful bouquet!

It's no GT85 though.

I've decided on purple.

Or orange.

Red all the way.
Should add +15PS.

Far too common.

I'm from Essex, so as far as I'm concerned: dead classy.
You won't find red coolant pipes in any Skoda.

Are you 100% sure....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SKODA-OCTAVIA- ... B008CO2I38

.... Wow. Just wow. I stand corrected!

The internet is a marvelous place isn't it? This kit is the automotive equivalent of Viagra for serial V-necked jumper wearing Nigel in Accounts who doesn't speak to anyone. Ever.

Always has a multitool clipped to his belt and still has a flip phone.

And lives alone, except for five cats.

I think you just described my Art teacher from senior school

Mind you, since we're playing deeply, sonorously uncool car poker, I see your Skoda Octavia and Raise.

Nissan Note

Nismo variety looks alright though.



Any car can be made more appealing. Even yours Cavey if you had 100% tinted windows.

Oh man, that's hilarious.
Amazingly, doesn't look too bad either.................................... but seriously, you just wouldn't. Would you?

The old adage applies: you can't (or shouldn't) polish a turd. For all that money spent on trying to vainly trick this mundane econobox up, you could've spent it on something decent instead. Must admit, I just don't get the modding scene, especially when the target vehicle is something like this. It's kind of admirable on one level, but ultimately a bit weird and silly.

I'd happily drive that if you bought it me.

If it was my money I'd probably buy something else though.

That's the whole appeal to me. Far more interesting than seeing identikit clone cars on the streets. It's got to be done right though or it's just horrible.

Bosozoku!

Still looks like a Micra to me.

Wow, check out that awesome body roll control.

When I did my speeding awareness course, the "examiner" played a selection of vids featuring 80s Nissans like this, with no ABS, braking assist (and in all likelihood, drum brakes FFS, at least at the rears), and then proceeded to lecture us all about minimum achievable braking distances.

For me, it was Clockwork Orange torture stuff; the only thing missing was a bit of Ludvig Van playing in the background.

Nothing wrong with rear drum brakes.

Ahem.

Well, nothing that a good scoring up the glazed shoes with a blunt screwdriver couldn't sort out, in my experience.

What's the difference, image-wise, between the NISMO Note (compared to the standard one) and the M135i compared to a standard 120i ?

Personally I prefer the look of the Nismo Note over the M135i. Not liked the look of those 1 Series Beemers since they came out, seem odd without a boot.

They're the only beemers I like.

The only 1 Series I've ever liked is the coupe, but now it's the 2 Series or something. The hatch has always looked ugly to me.

Yeah I like those.

I like the Merc hatches too, so, can't put my finger on what I find wrong with the BMWs.

They're poorly designed and look ugly.

I'm not a fan of the Merc A-Class, but it's nicer looking than a BMW 1 Series.

Fuck me, how long have you got
You jest, right?

One is a penny pinching, mumsy front-driving Japanese econobox with an engine the size of a shoebox and all the cachet of a carrier bag, whereas the other - whilst hardly a thing of beauty I will concede - is at least rear drive, and even the "cooking" 120i you mention has an awful lot more about it, in every single way, than a Nissan Note?

Yeah there's something well off about the 1 series to look at. Just something about the proportions that doesn't sit right.

Well when I get one I'm going to frotter myself against its odd proportions on a daily basis. I'll get a white one so the stains don't show.

That's the difference between the Nissan and the BMW, not the difference between the difference.

...

Ah, ok then, BMW's M Division have been responsible for some of THE best cars of their genre for the last 50 years; one has only to think of complete gems like the E30 M3, M1 Coupe and E46 M3, and it's not as though BMW even without their help isn't already doing pretty darn well for themselves on that front. As I've said before, the cars you invariably see on track days are Caterhams, Porsches, BMWs (usually E36s and E46s in their droves), Lotuses and the odd Renault RS jobbie.

Seriously, who the hell are "Nismo" by comparison, some overpriced body kit merchants? From what little I know, the "standard" GTR is hardly any worse than the "Nismo" variant that costs three times as much, which is just bullshit to my mind. Gaz has probably been into this Jap stuff for years and will probably retort with some legendary Nizmo Datsun Cherry or somesuch lol, but I and people like me will place BMW, one of the all-time greats, streets ahead of Nissan, with or without their tuning division.

Nismo cars have competed in 24 Hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Daytona. They currently participate in Super GT, Blancpain and IMSA.

But yeah, just overpriced body kit merchants.

What have they won?

EDIT: Ah, here you go, from their own website. I think "Super GT" is some Japanese-only touring car thing.

http://www.nismo.co.jp/en/coprofile/history.html

Colour me unimpressed, sorry.

This, by stark comparison, makes rather more extensive reading ( ), and I understand BMW are going for full Le Mans campaign this season to boot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_in_motorsport

I was going to type some out, but it would take far too long. You can see it all yourself here:

http://www.nismo.co.jp/en/coprofile/history.html

Winning the Daytona 24, Spa 24 (multiple times, including a 1,2,3 in 1990), Nurbs 24 (twice).

A number of Super GT manufacturer and driver titles, and the FIA GT1 World Championship.

Last race they won was the overall Bathurst 12H in 2015.

You know nothing about motorsport if you don't think winning multiple endurance races is impressive. Sorry mate.

You do realise Le Mans is not the only endurance race right? Like Wimbledon isn't the only two weeks of tennis in the year.

I don't even give a fuck about Nissan, just you were talking utter gash.

Look, in the nicest possible way I really don't care. If you want to think that Nismo are equal or better to BMW Motorsport, well that's just fine with me.

I still think that Nismo Note is about as cool as the surface of Rigel.

Nismo are fucking terrifyingly good at what they do, and if BMW do enter the endurance races they're going to find that out quite quickly.

Note that Datsun/Nissan have been winning races since 1936, some twenty years earlier than a certain company from Germany that make RR cars

(And two years before BMW)

Missed out Rover, there. Caterhams and Elises use same engine as in 25. Some same engine as in my 25!

I was contesting your 'bodykit' comment. I see you have changed your position now, so I guess it worked.

Oh I agree: making cars with absolutely zero charisma or any discernable personality whatsoever.

They're bloody reliable though; I usually recommend them as a first cheap car that can be pranged.

That's very true; Caterham co-developed the 1.4 K!

I'm not sure you know what Nismo is.