Be Excellent To Each Other

Those 'brow style' lights above the main headlights make it look both angry, and confused. Don't like.

I felt the same when I tried to get it to accelerate.

It doesn't.

I saw a Kia Stinger GT-S outside Halfords the other day. It looked quite good.

I've now done almost 800 miles in the Yaris and am surprised at how I've not yet found it boring in the slightest. It's not fast, at all, but it's returning an average of 63mpg and it does the job. The interior's nice, and the Bluetooth connectivity is leagues ahead of the BMWs believe it or not - the BMW used to randomly make up on the day whether it was going to take 5 seconds to switch tracks when pushing buttons, whereas the Yaris is always very responsive.

The only downside to the Bluetooth in the Yaris is that it doesn't seem possible to activate Siri using the steering wheel like it was in the BMW.

The navigation on the built-in Satnav is also horrendously slow to respond to screen inputs and to actually do the route calculation, but once you're on the move it's responsive enough.

It had no arm rest, so I ordered an aftermarket one from Armster which is great and looks the part.

I passed one on the mountain a couple of weeks ago. It was on UK plates and the road was wet so looked like the driver was taking it easy, hence an easy pass in the ST. (The Stinger does put 365bhp down to the rear wheels, after all.)

Anyway, it looks really nice on the road IMO, if you didn't know it was a Kia you'd be like, 'ZOMG WTF IS THAT' if you thought in txt meme language from 2001.

Deffo still on the list as my next car, has to be £20K or thereabouts though, so I'm still saying after TT next year (June/July).

Which cars are you going to try before then?

Audi TT, he just said...

Goddamn you.

The Audi TT is a lady's car, everyone knows that.

So is the MX-5 according to "lads" "banter" I have heard before. I'd still have one though.

My company car scheme is coming to an end. We.are moving to a car allowance. This means my car will not get replaced in Dec 2019.

Just waiting for the details. Just after some advice as I have not owned a car for 12 years.

I do abiut 2000 miles business and personal a months. Some times more.

Do I look to lease or buy a car. Ideally a golf size car that is good on fuel.

Lease an e-Golf. That'll be good on fuel.

Get a rari.

Tesla Model S

Rover 25. And oh boy is it YOUR lucky day!

I love Audi TTs. I even had one in NFSU2

They are a bit feminine, but they can easily be made to look very masculine if you get a black one, with black wheels. The one they had on Wheeler Dealers was lovely.

Stupid car failed its MOT. I thought I might fail on emissions, but no, the engine is fine. It failed on tyres (fair enough, easy fix) and a warning light. Also a minor fault as one of the headlights is "misaligned". Joy. Ah well, easy enough to fix.

Mrs Z's Rav4 is playing up a bit.

Quick dig around has given me ideas on a few sensors to pull out and clean with WD40 and giving the EGR valve a good clean. Hopefully this will do the trick before taking it to a garage.

That reminds me, I should probably call the garage about the Beemer, they've had it since wednesday....

Speeding Fines and some

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-45085991

I put Tesco momentum in the Superb as we were going to Stourport anyway and that station is charging an absurdly relatively-cheap 119.9 for unleaded which makes the super 4p/l less than the regular at Morrison's next to work.

Not just 'holy shit Tesco are leading with a big loss on that!' but even being a mix with the quarter tank still in there the car feels a LOT stronger, especially from stationary where the have been a few times I've wondered if it's going to build enough steam to move before I'm in a crash - occasionally it just sits there revving like it needs to build boost so I stick more boot in and it still doesn't move so I stick more in because argh now I'm half a length into the road and not really accelerating and then the front tyres squeal and I'm launched towards a wall or something.

Seems to have completely removed that in under 20 miles of adjustment.

I know it's mapped for 98 with a 95 fallback but Jesus, it really is a 'fucksake, stupid rules and availability' begrudging thing on this. I could hardly tell the difference on my old Octavia RS and it's noticeable but not meaningful in the Kodiaq yet even in high-20s heat it's obvious in the superb.

Still shit economy compared to the book though.

Both Nottingham and Derby city councils both mulling over plans for clean air zones, both within their respective ring roads. Basically charging £10 per day to enter those areas if you have a diesel vehicle.

Guess where I live and work?

Shit, that sucks. Are there timeframes in mind?

Birmingham is doing similar, it's a bit odd how it seems easy for all these councils when Manchester's councils had to do multiple consultations that eventually shot it down.

That seems like a sensible and progressive policy to address the very real NOx air pollution issues in our crowded city centres, yes.

Haven’t they decided not to do that?


https://www.airqualitynews.com/2018/07/ ... -air-zone/

I don't disagree with it at all. However it comes at the time when I own a diesel vehicle for the first time, so is just bad timing.

Much like the £700 selective licence NCC have mandated all landlords get this year, just as I become a landlord. I agree with anything that gives tenants more recourse over poor landlords, just it's money I don't really have sat in the bank.

I must have misheard what was said on the radio then. Last I heard it was still under consultation. Or that could be Derby.

Wait...what?

That's a one time payment, right? Not a yearly £700 charge.

Every three years.

Landlords are the worst. It should be more.

I agree, especially those landlords who have a single property by circumstance rather than design, who make no money off it. I'm glad the government and councils are targeting those guys, they've had it too easy for too long.

Calliper winder tool, copper grease, brake fluid, bosch pads and discs for front wheels of Mrs Z's RAV4 ordered all for just a touch over £100.

Free delivery too

Hanging’s too good for them.

The government should send Joans round to do all maintenance work as punishment to them all.

It's per property. I'm glad I don't have a portfolio or I'd be selling them all.

Surely it'll just get passed along in the form of higher rents.

It doesn't work like that really, rental prices aren't that elastic. Once a price point is set in an area, it stays that way IME. Prices and price changes are driven by demand, not by cost of supply.

Per property? That is just ludicrous. All it's going to do is the push the small private landlords, with one or two properties, out of the market (who are generally the better landlords) and put everything in the hands of the larger agencies, who don't give a shit.

Let me guess, somebody on the council has financial interest in that happening...

£780 for up to 5 years according to http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/housin ... licensing/

Not too bad over a longer period, but a real pain if you are only letting out a property for a short period as I was.

Amazingly, all council-owned properties are exempt.

Gee, thanks for the help, bud...

I know they say you get more Tory as you get older but I never expected to watch it happen to Myp in real time.

It's Reese-Myp now.

I have had awful issues with landlords, apart from the one time we had someone with a large portfolio, who were very good (apart from massively increasing the rent). Most of the smaller ones have been awfully neglectful and/or arseholes trying to scam us on the way out.

*cough*cars*cough*

Is it just a light on the dashboard? You are welcome to use our doofah to clear it and find out what it is. On Thursday night. When it is near you. I will find out if I need Rover in case borrowing that is an option for YOU BUT I dunno what The Plan is.

Did all the exhaust fumes give Gary Numan emphysema?

It's just a light, but that's enough to fail the MOT. The garage translated the codes thus:

Fuel sender short circuit to earth
Flow meter signal short circuit to earth
Clutch switch signal coherence with vehicle speed
Pre post heating relay circuit short circuit
Brake light signal connections (last word I can't read)

The problem with the scheme is that it's using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The bad landlords who already don't play by the rules aren't going to apply for this licence anyway, and the council has already admitted they will only be able to assess 50% of the properties in the next three years anyway. It's utterly half-baked.

Holy SHIT this car is better with super in it; I had it in Sport on the country roads home and it goes better everywhere and the 'farty exhaust' mode makes it properly farty now. Turbo end sounds much more sucky-bangy-blowy too.

You have a great future on The Grand Tour