Car insurance, big money saved

Our Renault Megane has its insurance due for renewal in January. 

As usual the current insurance provider we are with have decided to up the premiums from £31 a month, to £45 a month! Why!? nothing has changed since last year!

On doing some investigation, i was able to find some insurance much cheaper.  In fact, cheaper than it has been for the last year! But how many people must just take the easy option and let their policy automatically renew, and then lose out on money? 

So, how did i save on car insurance?  As before with the Focus i did a quote through Quidco  "The UK's number 1 cash back and voucher code site" Click here to visit Quidco site

By doing a car insurance quite though this site, i was able to get the best deal - and on top of that I will get £25 cash back as well!

Do yourself a favour. Save money on car insurance!

Ford Focus Headlight Bulb replacement

I had to change my headlight bulbs in my ford focus this morning.  Having had a nightmare with headlight bulbs in our Renault Megane and losing many skin cells, and blood in the process - i was a little worried as to how this would turn out.

As it happened, it was as easy as finding an ugly picture of Cherie Blair on the Internet. Very! I had both bulbs changed in 10 minutes!

1. Unscrew screw securing headlights to body
2. Pull headlight assembly out
3. unclip the backing of the headlight
4. unplug wiring
5. unclip bulb, and withdraw
6. Place new bulb in and put bulb clip back
7. Re-plug in wiring
8. Put headlight backing on and clip back
9. Put headlight Assembly back into position
10. Screw back screw.

Job done!! How easy is that!  Compare this to changing bulbs on the Renault Megane:

1. open bonnet
2. Take wheel off
3. Put arm into wheel arch
4. Scratch arm
5. Try to reach bulb through the smallest hole in the world
6. Cut arm,
7. Swear lots and get annoyed
8. Cut finger
9. Get first aid kit
10. Put wheel back on
11. Drive to halfords
12. Stand and laugh at assistant trying to replace bulb and repeating steps 1 to 9.
13. Sell Renault and vow never to buy a French car again!

Headlight bulb - decided it wants a holiday

Why is it that Headlight bulbs decide to "do one" during the winter, when you really need the damn headlights on?  Mine has obviously decided that it is in need of a winter holiday to the sun, and left me on the shortest day of the year.

My Ford Focus is now short of one main beam bulb - meaning a trip to Halfords at some point over the next week.  But - there are a few choices to be made.

1. Do i upgrade to Xenon bulbs?
2. Do i try and fit them myself, or watch a pleb from Halfords do it and lose skin, blood and tears whilst i stand and try not to laugh?

Xenon bulbs would be much better - but would be more costly.

Fitting bulbs to a Ford Focus is much, much easier that on a Renault Megane (Click here for how hard that is!) but still not "that" easy - and i have the patience of a mouse in a room filled with cheese.

Whatever my decision, i need to get it sorted soon - having only one working headlight at the end of December in the UK, is pretty risky and will more likely get me pulled over by the police, who want an easy time over the Christmas period.

"Miles to empty" Calculation

On my Ford Focus this morning when  I got to work the computer told me I had 15 miles until the fuel talk was empty. It has always been pretty accurate, even though i suspect its being a bit panicky and theres probably at least another gallon in there.  On starting the car to go home it decided there was now enough for 38 miles! How did that happen? Where did it just dream up18 miles from?  Perhaps a small field mouse has been using my fuel tank to urinate in during the day!? That mouse urine is potent stuff so I hear!

I will be interested to see how many miles it thinks Ive got left tomorrow morning.  More likely it will be a big fat ZERO!

I would much rather my car being a few Miles out though than it being like my wife's Renault Megane.  It quite happily tells you how much fuel there is left until theres 40 miles left, then it lets out a terrifying scream and the display goes blank! Its being typically French at this point and screaming "Help.. i don't know anymore, i don't know how much fuel there is - i surrender!!"  and starts waving the white flag!  Whats the point in having the display if it just gives up when its less than 40 miles of range left?  Pathetic!