Be Excellent To Each Other

Sheep in wolf's clothing is the worst.

313bhp, 0-60 in 5.8 seconds, top speed of 148mph - it's not exactly a slow car, and according to Ford's figures it does nearly twice the mpg of the V8 engined model, which isn't actually that much faster.

The V8 is still there for people who'd prefer that, so everyone's happy

Whereas wolf in sheep's clothing is exactly what I like in a car

Sleepers

I like Q-Cars.

Topped off the coolant in the S4 yesterday, but of course you have to put 'special' coolant in it so I went to the local dealer that handles VAG cars and they had the required 'G13' coolant in their parts department. It's £12 for 1.5L which is sort of OK I suppose (is it? I don't know, everything is so fucking expensive for cars these days), it needs to be mixed in a 2:3 ratio with distilled water (you can't use tap water.....), which I got 1.5L of for £1.50.

It only took about 200ml to get the expansion tank about halfway between the MIN and MAX lines, but I'll need to keep an eye on it from now on, as it shouldn't really be losing any coolant.

I did notice after I got it that the coolant was showing as just below the MIN line when the engine was cold, but it expanded out when the engine was hot to be between MIN and MAX.

Apparently the proper state for it to be in is between MIN and MAX when completely cold, and it'll then expand out to a bit above MAX when hot, which is what it's doing now.

This is how it looks now when completely cold, so I shall check the level again in a few hundred miles.

Pretty sure I got flashed by the average speed cameras on the M62 on the way home this afternoon. There was a rather abrupt change from 60 down to 40 near the big IKEA in Huddersfield.

Bum holes!

An abrupt speed limit change shouldn't have been an issue if they were average speed cameras. Also average speed cameras don't flash you.

Yeah, they use video, not stills, so no flashes.

#title.

Do you mean J27, Batley?

Treated myself to* a new car battery with 760 cold hard cranks for £57.88.

An Exide premium one too.

*Had to replace the 13 year old original.

That's what I thought, but this is a new smart motorway. And something definitely flashed. A lot.

Oh, yeah, they have them turned on nowadays. On M1 as well through tbe variables.

EXCITING ROVER UPDATE!!!

It really, really, does not like the cold. A few freezing nights and it showed its displeasure by flicking all the solenoids on and off before going quiet. For a few hours. Then, annoyed at its sorry lot in life, it set off its under bonnet alarm. For 45 minutes. After 45 minutes i had found the extension lead to plug the charger in. Started first time this morning. I worry it is unkillable.

It's a bit 1980s having a car that won't start on cold mornings, very retro.

Memories of helping my dad bump start a knackered old Ford Escort down the backings.....

BUT THAT WAS MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS AGO.

Can't you at least get a cheap Japanese car?

Or park on a hill.

I could. But, I won't until MrsA concedes soft top Saabs are not embaressing, but really cool.

So, when she concedes this, you will buy a Japanese car?

You've met her.

Hmm. Hmmmmm.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... obcid=soc3

That's probably a fairly decent investment.

Yep.

Oooh. Tempting

Do it.

Nice enough car but they're not massively fast, they are very thirsty, and it's a couple of generations behind on the tech front to say the least.

What's the intended usage? Day to day transportation or a fun track day car or something else?

In many regards it's a 'lot of car' for £3500 (and those Duratec engines are really good), but it depends what you're planning to do with it.

Whilst crossing a completely empty road last night a P-reg BMW sped out of nowhere (ie from round a corner a good 200 yards or so from the junction I was at), stopped, and started tooting his horn at me. I flicked him the bird as I carried on my way. I suppose the mature reaction would have been to switch to a far slower walking pace than my usual one, but it felt like the correct response in the circumstances.

See kermit the frog was one day daydreaming
Thinking about himself at a red light
With that it-ain't-easy-being-greenin'
And the cars behind him kept honking and honking
And kermit's last words as he flipped the bird
Was, damn you muppets just keep on taking!
See I've got my own things now so stop tooting
I do my lily pad jumping
Miss piggy bumping
Lotta miss piggys and that's all good
And I'm gonna turn this red light
Into a block party
So we can get down in basics of what?

Seriously, though, be careful.

You're so hopped up on adrenaline that you forget to do anything though, even as simple as taking out your phone to snap a photo.

I'm street, boy-o.

New dipped headlight bulbs get! I think my new batteries made my previous Osram Night Breakers go pop.

Gone for Phillips X-tremeVision!!!!!!! bulbs, on offer on Amazon atm. Really bright.

I saw a Chrysler 300C that had an overlay on the front grille - it was a giant set of chrome pointy fangs. I hadn't seen anything like that before, I thought it was pretty funny and kinda cool and I even did an actual, real life, little laugh.... as a one off, not sure I'd want to do that myself (if I had one of those cars).

Kinda like this:


(edit - I noticed the Bentley emblem and have now found froma a quick search that it's a 'thing' to make 300C s look like Bentleys. I remember when that was possible with MR2s [the curvy mk2 model] and a Ferrari [the 355 perhaps]...)

Designed to go with the new shoes.

Hmm might be a spendy week this week. Car's in for it's MOT (which it should pass, hopefully) but it's losing coolant like mad (happened before with a badly fitted temp gauge) so the leak needs finding and it's started going into limp mode again (had the MAF sensor replaced about 18 months ago which fixed that the first time). Fingers crossed.

And all that on top of the Mini Talon you need to buy.

Actually my car had advisories for brakes and tyres too. I think the rear tyres I bought about 9000 miles ago must have been defective.

Got my Mini Sky Hunter almost ready to crash again now. Rudder servos and cables out, holes covered in fins, wing glued (and taped). Booms are loose where they connect to the wing so still that to fix (and maybe move the VTX from out on the wing back to the fuselage). I'll give it another chance before I kick fuck out of it and buy a Mini Talon.

Wrong thread but you weren't holding in lots of back elevator in were you? It's hard not to instinctively but you need to let it lose height initially because that usually means that it's gaining speed.

Wrong thread reply: I did have a touch of elevator on, not loads though. I really think that the extra weight on the left side of the wing is a big factor, after the overall weight. Not sure wether to move it in, like I said before or add a little weight to the right wing where the small GPS module is.

It might although the tendency to roll probably comes more from the torque reaction from the prop. I've put cameras right out on wingtips before now and noticed virtually nothing. Basically though it stalled and the design means that unlike the Bixler it doesn't have a benign stall but will tend to drop a wing.

Anyhoo, back to cars.

Today will cost me £190.18.

MOT
Wheel bearing
Temp sensor and clip (cause of the leak)
New Labour

Yay!

Picked car up this morning and had a nice surprise. They managed to sort out the existing bearing that they were going to replace (popped it open and regressed) so it's cost me £90 for everything.

I just drove back from Hull along the M62. I think what you saw was this: As you passed under the ganty, the light illuminating the signs on the other side of the carriageway shines down the middle. As a result, due to parralax, you see the light from Light One before it gets blocked, then Light Two shines down, so it looks like a flash. And is very bright. I was going about 80mph, and saw the same at 70mph.

It is explained poorly, but I know what I mean.

I hope you're right. No ticket yet though, and it's been 3 weeks

Is the car registered to the right address?

Yep

That explanation reminds me of This Life where the guy proved that how it's possible for a speed camera to malfunction.

I think it was if you were in reverse at just below the speed of sound. Were you doing that?

Now I want to watch This Life again. I think Curio has my box set.

You'll be fine, then. They have 14 days from the date of the infraction to post the ticket to you, so unless you have horrifically bad postmen it would have arrived by now.