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Messages - Grahamm
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76
« on: 10 August 2023, 12:24:00 am »
The car key's a typical battery operated lock fob with spring loaded "blade" that comes out at the touch of a button, so it's a bit bigger than a spark plug. Also covering it in wax would probably not be a good idea...!  I've bought an Aquapack, but I'm going to take along some freezer bags to double-layer it for a bit of extra peace of mind.
77
« on: 08 August 2023, 10:20:38 pm »
Because I now have the ability to drive to places like Saunton or Putsborough, I thought I'd get a waterproof pouch to protect the key when I'm out on the waves, except every one I've looked at seems to have a proportion of negative reviews from people who have found (or claimed) that they leak. I've just found that the cost of a replacement key is at least £160 so I don't want to risk damaging the key, but, from what I can tell, the key has a transponder to stop any n'er-do-wells from simply making a copy. So then I had the idea of getting a manual key cut which would have no purpose other than to unlock the car whilst the actual driving key would be securely concealed inside the vehicle, but even that costs £80! My next thought is to get a waterproof pouch, but put the key inside a freezer bag, seal it, then put that inside the pouch for (hopefully) extra peace of mind...
78
« on: 07 August 2023, 12:29:16 pm »
Thanks  Mostly at the moment I've been spending a bit more money because it didn't have a warning triangle and I needed a new Hi Viz for biking, so I got one for the car too. Also I've bought a waterproof seat cover which means I can go surfing without needing to faff around with trying to change into and out of my wetsuit in a car park. It's billed as "Airbag friendly" because if (gods forbid) I get T-boned, the stitching on the side of the cover is deliberately weakened so the airbag will just break straight through it.
79
« on: 06 August 2023, 12:11:39 am »
Well, I am now officially a Cager  It's a 2012 Skoda Fabia Mark 2 with about 81,000 miles on the clock and cost me just under £4000. I did try to haggle the price down a bit (just because I wouldn't have been satisfied if I hadn't  ) they didn't go for that, but they did chuck in a 15 month warranty for half price, so I was happy enough. Today my partner and I were planning to go to a local pub for a meal, but, as we were driving up there, we noticed a lot of people with Portsmouth FC shirts on, so decided to go a bit further to a Toby carvery which was very nice indeed. I still need to get used to the car as my control is a little dodgy eg the clutch/ accelerator balance and at some point I need to sit in it and read through the manual because there's a couple of things on the small LCD screen on the dash that I'm not sure what they mean. Also, at one point, I managed to switch on the rear windscreen wiper and then couldn't figure out how to switch the damn thing off again until I got us parked! Oh well, anyway, in a few days I'll be driving it down to Croyde for a surfing holiday and then I can bring my boards back with me to use them down here over the winter
80
« on: 04 August 2023, 12:43:46 pm »
First they came for the** and I did nothing then they came for ** now they are coming for me and there is no one left to help. Whatever the quote is. You are exactly right it will spread and this is the totalitarian tip toe in action
Whilst I agree that this sort of thing certainly can often be the case, there's better ways to show it than citing David Icke on a Conspiracy Theory site
81
« on: 03 August 2023, 03:59:48 pm »
I have a big shed, but I'd have to do any car maintenance on the road outside... 
82
« on: 03 August 2023, 12:34:29 am »
If it was my bike, I'd probably have a look at it myself, but I don't know enough about cars (or have an inspection lift!) that would make such a thing feasible...!
83
« on: 03 August 2023, 12:32:41 am »
Welcome to the Forums  If you're looking to meet others, it would help if you included your location
84
« on: 01 August 2023, 10:34:16 pm »
85
« on: 01 August 2023, 10:31:16 pm »
Thanks.
Their garage said it could be a problem with a wheel bearing and they're looking at it at the moment.
I hope to hear back from them in the next couple of days.
86
« on: 28 July 2023, 01:40:06 am »
So the RAC guy inspected the car I put a deposit down on and... ... he didn't even road test it! One of the brakes was binding, the brake fluid was contaminated, a hose in the engine had been taped up, there was too much oil and too little coolant... When I spoke to him on the phone he said "I can't tell you whether to buy it or not, but I'd err on the side of caution!" (Translation: Don't touch this one with a barge pole unless you want to spend a lot of dosh getting it properly roadworthy...) The good news is that there's another Fabia (2012) that's only done 80k miles (the previous one had done nearly 120k) and is in much better nick. When I test drove it, there was a creaking or clunking from the back right and, after chatting to a garage owner/ mechanic a friend recommended and doing some checking, it might simply be a bushing that needs a bit of lubrication or it might be a sign of something more serious. The dealer's going to send it to a garage where they get MOTs done and have them look at it then call me and let me know what the issue is. If it's not serious or the dealer will get it fixed, I'm probably going to go with this one.
87
« on: 28 July 2023, 01:32:32 am »
Thing is, I don't do that much riding in wet weather. I'm not a "fair weather biker", but I'll do what I can to avoid rain if at all possible. Probably if I was doing a lot of riding and couldn't avoid it, I'd consider spending £80 on a set of over trousers as a worthwhile investment. I use NikWax Glove Proof which works quite well, but it's difficult to be sure you've got every little bit of the gloves and if you give water the slightest opportunity, it'll get in 
88
« on: 24 July 2023, 10:53:47 am »
Scott Ergo Pro are the only truly waterproof waterproofs worth considering. Not cheap, but they definitely work. £80 for a pair of overtrousers certainly isn't cheap! The main issue I find is where you get water pooling in between your crotch and the tank. I try to keep lifting up to let it drain away, but it doesn't solve the problem entirely If your boots aren’t goretex, then some cheap boot covers will do the job. The boots are by TCX and are billed as "waterproof". As far as I recall they had good reviews, but I've had them a few years now. I looked at covers in the past, but I wasn't sure how safe they are. I can't flat-foot my bike on both sides at the same time and I'd be worried they might slip. Also even my Gerbing winter gloves eventually get soaked through... Riding in the rain is a chore, but being wet is really miserable especially if you’ve got a long way to go.
Believe me, I know. At least it wasn't cold as well, that's *really* not fun...
89
« on: 22 July 2023, 10:06:33 pm »
It was my Godson's wedding near Bristol today which involved a 2 hour ride from Portsmouth. and the forecast was for rain... The first hour was ok, but then, just before I got to Membury services, it started to drizzle, so I stopped off to put on the "waterproof" (hah!) gear. Unfortunately, as I'm sure many of you know well, "waterproof" means "water resistant for a while, then you're going to get wet..." and so it was that my trousers ended up soggy and my boots were soaked through. I did pootle past another Fazer on the motorway and, just for a chuckle, I decided to give the old FOC-U salute but, alas, with no response.
90
« on: 19 July 2023, 11:25:42 am »
Unfortunately it looks like I'm still going to have to wait until next Monday
91
« on: 17 July 2023, 09:33:58 pm »
Welcome to the Forums
92
« on: 16 July 2023, 11:41:16 pm »
Have you got your car yet Grahamm?
Not yet. The Dealer wasn't sure how long it would take to get the things I mentioned previously fixed as local garages are pretty busy at the moment, so I booked the RAC inspection for the 24th (ie a week tomorrow) But what I'm going to do is call the RAC again and see if they've got an earlier date and, if that's available, check if the car's back from the garage and try to move the inspection up a few days.
93
« on: 14 July 2023, 05:09:13 pm »
Just sent an email, hope they see sense
94
« on: 13 July 2023, 09:13:32 pm »
Yeesh! That's worrying on two counts: Firstly that someone would be stupid enough to cover up warning lights on safety critical systems and secondly that it could get through several MOTs before someone noticed that the lights weren't coming on when they should...!
95
« on: 12 July 2023, 12:31:53 pm »
I remember chatting with an RAC guy who said that, these days, for anything more complicated than a flat battery or tyre, it was becoming almost impossible to do roadside repairs any more...
96
« on: 11 July 2023, 11:53:19 pm »
I can understand getting a pre-MOT check on a car, because there's things that may not be obvious, eg the bushing mentioned, but it's not like a Check Engine light is easy to miss and simply checking if the lights work is not rocket science!
97
« on: 11 July 2023, 12:05:14 pm »
I've looked at one Home Mechanic site that says they can do it for £500, £800 was in a garage, but I'll do some more checking if and when that becomes necessary. I've been through the MOT records and it's had a few fails, usually for tyres at or below the minimum tread depth (and one with a nail in it!). Also I found this from September 2020: Repair immediately (major defects):
Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.1.2 (h))
Repair as soon as possible (minor defects):
Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (4.7.1 (b) (i))
Both of those were fixed immediately as the car then passed the same day, although why on earth someone would not check and get these basic things fixed *before* the MOT, rather than getting a Fail first, beats me...
98
« on: 10 July 2023, 11:27:30 pm »
Glad you got it fixed and thanks for updating the thread in case anyone else has the same issue and finds this in a search
99
« on: 10 July 2023, 11:25:58 pm »
I hope you'll search for the list of possible cause for the check light to come on.
As far as I can see, it's usually something to do with the emissions system, but (unlike my FZ6 which puts the fault codes on the display), you've got to plug in a diagnostic reader to find out what the cause is...
100
« on: 10 July 2023, 09:36:47 pm »
Got the tyre fixed (bloody panel pin ) then rode to a car dealer's to do a test drive (see the Whoever Posts Last thread). After that, it was a nice day, so I had a quick blast up the Morestead Road, then back down the A272 (to check out what they've done with the Average Speed Check cameras), A32, B2150 and then the run through World's End. Fun
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