Whoever posts last is best

[robbo]

Is the Mrs. still catching the bus or have you sorted her some wheels yet?

[fazerscotty]

Is the Mrs. still catching the bus or have you sorted her some wheels yet?

Her son lent her a '60 plate Ford Focus - she quite likes driving it, except its not automatic.

[robbo]

At least she’s mobile until something suitable comes along. We’re sweating on the judges ULEZ  decision that’s supposed to be published tomorrow. There’ll be 3 nice autos for sale in my road alone if it all goes wrong.

[Grahamm]

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.

[robbo]

A Fabia has come up for sale on a beemer forum that I subscribe to, but you seem to be sorted now. Glad you didn’t buy the lemon.

[Grahamm]

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.

[fazerscotty]

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.

There are times when I'm glad that I can tackle small jobs myself - and not leave it in the hands of a minimum wage mechanic at the garage. Having said that, the Chrysler is due MOT in September - just happens to be whilst we're on holiday abroad. So I've booked it in the day before we go and if its anything small, I'll leave it with them and let they can carry out the necessary at their leisure and it'll be ready when we get back. Should see 196K this week, made out of recycled babybels  [size=78%], what could possibly go wrong [/size] [size=78%].[/size][size=78%] [/size]

[Grahamm]

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...!

[robbo]

That’s the problem with cars. If you fancy a bit of diy on them, then you’re in to trolley jacks, axle stands, 1/2” drive socket set etc. Then there’s the problem of where to keep this newly acquired stuff. Great if you’ve a garage or big shed, not much fun if you haven’t.

[Grahamm]

I have a big shed, but I'd have to do any car maintenance on the road outside... 

[fazerscotty]

I have a big shed, but I'd have to do any car maintenance on the road outside... 

Done that before - far from ideal. Pissing down with rain, changing a head gasket on a 1300 Allaggro.

[Grahamm]

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

[fazerscotty]

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

Glad you're sorted - nice long warranty as well. 

[Grahamm]

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.

[Grahamm]

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...

[robbo]

When I was into serious trail riding, there’s a waterproof spark plug holder that everyone used for their spare plug, that has a screw top. If your key would fit in one of those, they’re only around £5-£6.

[fazerscotty]

Here is a cheap idea - Take the key and heat up a lot of candle wax. Cover the key completely with the hot wax. Leave to cool. Place in a freezer bag just to make sure.

[Grahamm]

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.

[robbo]

Magnetic key box maybe, have them on Amazon.

[Grahamm]

Magnetic key box maybe, have them on Amazon.

And videos showing how easy they are to pick are on YouTube... 

I've bought an "Aquapac" which is a clear plastic pouch on a lanyard that you wear around your neck and store under your wetsuit.

As mentioned above, I'm also going to put the key in a freezer bag first which should give a bit of backup protection too.

Yesterday I spent an hour or so sitting in the car reading through a copy of the manual on my phone to get familiar with all the controls etc and tomorrow I'm driving the 180 miles down to Croyde (although not all in one go!)

Hopefully there'll be no problems and I'll catch up with you all in 10 days when I get back

[robbo]

Hope that "surf's up"

[fazerscotty]

Hope that "surf's up"

Should be - it is a bit breezy at the moment.......

[Grahamm]

Well, I'm back from my holidays and I've found the biggest PITA with driving is definitely being stuck in a queue of traffic for half an hour that, had I been on my bike, I would have filtered past in a few minutes! The result was that a journey that would have taken four hours on the bike ultimately took five in the car

Still, at least packing is easier, there's no need to have a  list of "That goes in the top box, that goes in the left pannier, those need to be put in the tank bag", just chuck it all in the back and you're sorted.

Also, because of the windy conditions, I did my first three days of surfing at Putsborough (better shelter from a southerly/ south westerly) because I could take my board with me. this also gave me lots of practice of navigating along narrow country lanes and reversing into passing places...

Unfortunately I also discovered what an absolute rip-off parking could be! If you want to use the beach car park, it cost £12 in the morning!!!

This is supposed to be an "all day" rate, but if you only want to surf for an hour or two, it's utterly exhorbitant.

Fortunately, after that, I found there was a place at the top of the hill which while technically a passing point, traffic usually only comes one way along it, and, if you get lucky and there's a space, you can stop there for free.

There was one lovely moment when I was waiting for some waves and a dolphin cruised past about 50 yards away  :

So now I have my boards with me in Portsmouth and I can go down to East Wittering or Bracklesham if there are waves there (just not for the next couple of days because I'm knackered )

[robbo]

Glad you enjoyed your first motoring vacation, despite a baptism of fire regarding parking charges and traffic jams. My cousin was at Camber Sands a few days back, where the beach car park charges £30 for the day, or any part of the day, so £30 for a few hours. Needless to say he parked further away in a pay and display.

[fazerscotty]

Glad you enjoyed your first motoring vacation, despite a baptism of fire regarding parking charges and traffic jams. My cousin was at Camber Sands a few days back, where the beach car park charges £30 for the day, or any part of the day, so £30 for a few hours. Needless to say he parked further away in a pay and display.

And the destinations wander why they have no punters, what with exorbitant parking charges, clean air zones, high accommodation costs etc. We're going to Cyprus for two weeks - for less than a week in this country (and we'll have guaranteed sunshine lol).