This morning i came across an interesting sight. It was truly one of those things that you would never expect to see. Right up there with the news of Tony Blair having a sex change operation, and his wife Cherie looking attractive! It just won't happen!
I passed a car this morning who had had a puncture and was at the side of the road. Nothing out of the ordinary here. BUT... on closer inspection the person trying to change the wheel was not using a wheel nut tool. they were using a fork!!! A standard steel cutlery set type of fork!! I presume therefore that they had used the wheel nut tool to eat a philly cheese steak, or in some other way got the two things confused. what other possible reason could there be? I would have stopped to offer assistance, but i was too busy laughing. Thinking about it, i should have offered to provide a desert spoon and a knife, to complete their set!
I would guess they are still at the side of the road now. I will let you know tomorrow if they are, and the resulting amusement!
What a crazy world!
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Friday, 24 February 2012
Cyclist Takes Revenge on Rude (?) Driver
There has been a video posted on MSN today of a cyclist taking is revenge for a driver being "apparently" rude.
Check it out here:
I am on the drivers side on this one. The silver car was not entirely at fault, its not as though he intentionally went to ram the bike off the road. The cyclist got into his blind spot, and where as he probably should have seen the cyclist sooner and stopped, he didn't get to the point where the cyclist was rammed off the road. There was still a few few feet of space! Just me thinking this? The cyclist more than likely was having a bad day, perhaps he was turned down for sex the night before, or woke up and found a badger had eaten his weetabix? Basically he should be made to pay for the damage to the car.
Check it out here:
I am on the drivers side on this one. The silver car was not entirely at fault, its not as though he intentionally went to ram the bike off the road. The cyclist got into his blind spot, and where as he probably should have seen the cyclist sooner and stopped, he didn't get to the point where the cyclist was rammed off the road. There was still a few few feet of space! Just me thinking this? The cyclist more than likely was having a bad day, perhaps he was turned down for sex the night before, or woke up and found a badger had eaten his weetabix? Basically he should be made to pay for the damage to the car.
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Texting whilst Driving!
On my way to work this morning I noticed a girl behind me in a silver Corsa who appears to have her eyes shut. I thought that perhaps she had managed to get hold of the only Corsa that can drive itself, whilst the owner catches up on some sleep. These are seriously the thoughts that go through my mind!
That appeared not to be the case though. She was in fact obviously looking down at something. Now either there was something very interesting going on by her feet such as a fight between some flies, or a weird shaped pebble or she was texting on her mobile phone. the likely one being the latter here, as she was looking up from her phone about one every 10 seconds to check she hadn't crashed into something whilst texting someone, or sending naked pictures to people.
This made me worried. Not because of the naked pictures, but because of the fact she was likely to smash into the back of my car. The traffic was slow and i needed to brake a fair bit, and as i did so i could see she was getting close to my car, and then braking once she'd realised what was happening. Luckily after about 10 mins i turned off but this is a disaster waiting to happen. She could very easily lose concentration and plough into the back of a car, or run a pedestrian over. It is times likes this i wish i had a set of blue lights and a police siren to properly scare the crap out of people who are pure driving idiots.
Don't text whilst driving. It is likely to end in death and / or injury and likely to land you in prison also.
That appeared not to be the case though. She was in fact obviously looking down at something. Now either there was something very interesting going on by her feet such as a fight between some flies, or a weird shaped pebble or she was texting on her mobile phone. the likely one being the latter here, as she was looking up from her phone about one every 10 seconds to check she hadn't crashed into something whilst texting someone, or sending naked pictures to people.
This made me worried. Not because of the naked pictures, but because of the fact she was likely to smash into the back of my car. The traffic was slow and i needed to brake a fair bit, and as i did so i could see she was getting close to my car, and then braking once she'd realised what was happening. Luckily after about 10 mins i turned off but this is a disaster waiting to happen. She could very easily lose concentration and plough into the back of a car, or run a pedestrian over. It is times likes this i wish i had a set of blue lights and a police siren to properly scare the crap out of people who are pure driving idiots.
Don't text whilst driving. It is likely to end in death and / or injury and likely to land you in prison also.
Saturday, 18 February 2012
Another slow driver! Arrrghhhh
Here's an example of one of the many slow drivers i have to deal with everyday!!
doing 30 / 35- mph max on a 60mph road. The weather was fine, it was light and the road was otherwise very light on traffic! You can easily do 70mph down this road.
Arrrrghhhh!! More than likely just out for a Sunday drive, on an errrr Friday
I didn't go for an ovetake - in case you are wondering. There was some oncoming traffic!
doing 30 / 35- mph max on a 60mph road. The weather was fine, it was light and the road was otherwise very light on traffic! You can easily do 70mph down this road.
Arrrrghhhh!! More than likely just out for a Sunday drive, on an errrr Friday
Friday, 10 February 2012
Overtaking behaviour
There has been some brilliant opportunity for some overtaking this week due to several people wanting to crawl along at ridiculously slow speeds on the way back from work. Honestly, India will have conquered how to build a Mcdonalds on the moon, before some of these people will make it home!
One person decided they would do 35mph on a 60mph road, with a long straight. The car behind that hesitated and wanted to stick behind it, sniffing its rear exhaust. So i went for it and overtook both of them. No hastle, so fuss - overtaken safely and made it home before the next Ice Age. That was Tuesday.
Wednesday, another one decided they would do 40mph on a 60mph road. I didn't hesitate, i went for it and overtook as soon as it was safe, and again all was well.
No doubt it was me who was seen as the reckless driver here - but i was not taking risks, i was completely safe. If you don't think its safe, don't do it. If you hesitate, don't do it. Only perform an overtake if you are sure you can keep control of your car.
If you get overtaken constantly, surely you should be thinking "perhaps i should go a bit faster?"
One person decided they would do 35mph on a 60mph road, with a long straight. The car behind that hesitated and wanted to stick behind it, sniffing its rear exhaust. So i went for it and overtook both of them. No hastle, so fuss - overtaken safely and made it home before the next Ice Age. That was Tuesday.
Wednesday, another one decided they would do 40mph on a 60mph road. I didn't hesitate, i went for it and overtook as soon as it was safe, and again all was well.
No doubt it was me who was seen as the reckless driver here - but i was not taking risks, i was completely safe. If you don't think its safe, don't do it. If you hesitate, don't do it. Only perform an overtake if you are sure you can keep control of your car.
If you get overtaken constantly, surely you should be thinking "perhaps i should go a bit faster?"
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Do I have a Diesel Particle Filter on my car?
I have recently been researching Diesel Particle Filters - which are fitted to some Diesel cars. The reason being that I have a Ford Focus, which is reaching its 75,000 mile service. If it does have a DPF then this is the time it needs replacing, and this could be up to £1000.
during the year my car was made, it seems the DPF's were optional - so I'm hoping that i do not have one!
What is it?
It is basically a filter that sits around the Catalytic Converter in the exhaust system- that collects diesel particles, and produces cleaner air from the end of the exhaust. These are now standard of diesel cars to produce less emissions. There is a system within the DPF that burns off the particles.
How do i know if i have one?
There are various ways of finding out.
1. Take note of the VIN, and phone the dealer to ask them
2. Take a look underneath the car, and the exhaust system - approximately underneath where the handbrake is there should be a small box with two tubes running to it as part of the exhaust system. If you have this, you have a DPF.
3. Do you notice white smoke coming of your exhaust sometimes for a few seconds? If yes, you have a DPF - that's the particles getting burnt off.
This is what a DPF might look like - depends completely though on car manufacturer:
Are there problems with having one?
Yes, there can be. Below are a few to be aware of
1. If you have a DPF, and just do short town journeys the filter can get blocked up and cause engine management problems. You need to take the car on a 30 minute motorway journey once a month to clear out the system. Ensure you are doing over 2,500 revs for at least 15mins.
2. Whilst your road tax may be cheaper because of the lower emissions - the servicing could be costly. The DPF's use a fluid to help burn off the particles, this needs renewing over time and is expensive. the DPF also needs replacing at some point, and this is very expensive!
3. You need to ensure your servicing is kept up to date, otherwise you may end up with some very costly bills!
Hope this helps. I for one, am hoping i do not have a DPF!
during the year my car was made, it seems the DPF's were optional - so I'm hoping that i do not have one!
What is it?
It is basically a filter that sits around the Catalytic Converter in the exhaust system- that collects diesel particles, and produces cleaner air from the end of the exhaust. These are now standard of diesel cars to produce less emissions. There is a system within the DPF that burns off the particles.
How do i know if i have one?
There are various ways of finding out.
1. Take note of the VIN, and phone the dealer to ask them
2. Take a look underneath the car, and the exhaust system - approximately underneath where the handbrake is there should be a small box with two tubes running to it as part of the exhaust system. If you have this, you have a DPF.
3. Do you notice white smoke coming of your exhaust sometimes for a few seconds? If yes, you have a DPF - that's the particles getting burnt off.
This is what a DPF might look like - depends completely though on car manufacturer:
Are there problems with having one?
Yes, there can be. Below are a few to be aware of
1. If you have a DPF, and just do short town journeys the filter can get blocked up and cause engine management problems. You need to take the car on a 30 minute motorway journey once a month to clear out the system. Ensure you are doing over 2,500 revs for at least 15mins.
2. Whilst your road tax may be cheaper because of the lower emissions - the servicing could be costly. The DPF's use a fluid to help burn off the particles, this needs renewing over time and is expensive. the DPF also needs replacing at some point, and this is very expensive!
3. You need to ensure your servicing is kept up to date, otherwise you may end up with some very costly bills!
Hope this helps. I for one, am hoping i do not have a DPF!
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Smart battery charger will save you money!
Thanks to the icy mornings this week my 6 year old car battery decided it had finally had enough,and failed to start the car this morning. (cold weather wreaks havoc with older batteries)
My car flicked the headlights on and off in protest, which is a fabulous way of conserving energy for starting the engine. What did Ford think when they designed the car that way? "i know, when the battery is low, lets make the car turn the headlights on and off, wasting valuable volts that could be used to turn the engine over!" Thanks Ford!!
A new battery from Halfords is £120, but it might be able to get it cheaper "somewhere else"
A few years ago i bought a RING - Portable power Powerring Smart Battery Charger. This can not only rapidly charge a battery, but reconditions the battery to provide it longer life,even for deeply discharged batteries! This process can take about 20hrs to complete but it works. I used it on a car battery a few years ago, and that battery lasted a further 6 months before having to be replaced.
So if you want to save some money and get your car working for a bit longer - check it out. I bought mine for about £30 a few years ago: http://www.ringautomotive.co.uk/product_list.asp?cat1=7&cat2=31&cat3=167
My car flicked the headlights on and off in protest, which is a fabulous way of conserving energy for starting the engine. What did Ford think when they designed the car that way? "i know, when the battery is low, lets make the car turn the headlights on and off, wasting valuable volts that could be used to turn the engine over!" Thanks Ford!!
A new battery from Halfords is £120, but it might be able to get it cheaper "somewhere else"
A few years ago i bought a RING - Portable power Powerring Smart Battery Charger. This can not only rapidly charge a battery, but reconditions the battery to provide it longer life,even for deeply discharged batteries! This process can take about 20hrs to complete but it works. I used it on a car battery a few years ago, and that battery lasted a further 6 months before having to be replaced.
So if you want to save some money and get your car working for a bit longer - check it out. I bought mine for about £30 a few years ago: http://www.ringautomotive.co.uk/product_list.asp?cat1=7&cat2=31&cat3=167
Monday, 16 January 2012
White van man - lost identity
This morning I was following a white man on a 60mph road. Now you would have thought that i would have to be really hard pushed to keep up with him, as if stereotypes are true he would have been doing about 150mph, sideways, talking on his mobile and smoking a sausage roll!
Quite the opposite - he was barely doing 30mph! It seems he had lost his identity, and was not actually a "white van man" - maybe he was used to riding the Teacup ride at Thorpe Park all day, and got lost on the M25, and accidentally found himself in a white van!?
Quite the opposite - he was barely doing 30mph! It seems he had lost his identity, and was not actually a "white van man" - maybe he was used to riding the Teacup ride at Thorpe Park all day, and got lost on the M25, and accidentally found himself in a white van!?
Thursday, 29 December 2011
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!
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!
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