LenT

Quite right Malcolm - although of course he only actually owned one Jag, the other being a Ministerial car of which he had the use. However he never felt the need to apologise for enjoying the luxuries of success. Apart from being ‘Two Jags’ the other thing he himself thought he would be most remembered for was his reaction to being assaulted by the egg throwing Craig Evans. As a successful amateur boxer in his youth, he greatly enhanced his reputation by responding - most appropriately - with a straight left. 😊.

I have never been - and am never likely to be - a Labour Party voter. But there are several members of that political Party that I both like and admire. One such was John Prescott - Lord Prescott - whose death yesterday at the age of 86 has just been announced. Unlike some of the current crop of Labour ministers, John Prescott never felt the need to enhance his CV. He was very proud of his early career as a Ship Steward with Cunard and then equally modest about his genuine BSc in Economics at the University of Hull. The tributes today will be fulsome and well deserved and will come from those who represent the whole range of political opinion. I doubt we shall see his like again! ☹️

Milenco was getting complaints that the weight of the bar was marking expensively leather covered wheels. It solved the problem by supplying soft rubber pads shaped to fit the wheel and clip on to the lock. Unfortunaly they created a new problem! I found that these pads tended to drop off the lock before you could get it on to the wheel. I solved it by using a couple of cable ties to tether the pad to the bar - as I hope the attached photo demonstrates. I did this in case I wanted to return the item. I did come across another Milenco user who’d drilled a hole through the pad and then threaded a cable tie through it. It’s a much neater solution if you’re sure you’re not going to return the lock. I’ll copy it if my way ever fails! Here’s the location for the rubber pads: https://www.milenco-outlet.co.uk/security/milenco-steering-wheel-soft-pad-pair.html

Yes, I have tried that Salv. I then found I’d trapped my left leg and had to contort myself in a most unseemly manner to get out! I agree it’s the position the steering wheel naturally comes to rest, so maybe I should persevere. I’ll try moving my leg before fitting the lock! That might work! 😊

Indeed they are Phil. And there’s many a crash victim that owes their life to being cut out of their vehicle. But as you say, it usually starts with the roof in order to provide access. I would not fancy cutting in a confined cabin with the chance of the blade kicking back while trying to cut between the solid steel bar and the wheel spoke. In the interests of fellow members, I would normally offer up my own vehicle on which to conduct an experiment. Unfortunately, I have just had a stone chip repaired on the driver’s door and fear that cutting the steering wheel might render that investment pointless! 🤭

I think that certainly applies to the Stoplock, but I suggest that the Milenco is a tougher proposition. It has two steel pins which locate either side of a steering wheel spoke and then lock in to a very substantial steel bar. Just cutting the steering wheel wouldn’t free the Milenco. I think a thief would have to cut the wheel either side of the two pins and then cut through the spoke - which would not be a straightforward task. Not only would this be noisy and time consuming, it would also be quite dangerous in such a confined space. So it would surely also contravene Health & Safety Regulations. 😋 This is how I fit mine…

No need to question yourself, Paul. In my short experience of Lexus, I feel that they delight in placing some components in odd locations. Or in making them a little harder to replace. For example, when I went looking for my Tyre Pressure Monitoring System reset button, I ended up on my back in the driver’s footwell with a torch in one hand and the Manual in the other! I think it may be to do with the Japanese sense of humour.

Now that you’ve found the fuse box, Paul, I presume you’ll be looking for a permanently live feed for the dashcam. I have a BlackVue which is wired in by what they call a Power Magic Pro. Once the ignition is off, it supplies current to the dashcam in Parking mode. It monitors the consumption and disconnects the camera if the battery voltage drops below a preset level. I don’t know if Nextbase offers something similar - or indeed why the BlackVue product wouldn’t work just as well with a Nextbase camera. Anyway, here’s a link if it’s of interest. https://blackvue.co.uk/products/power-magic-pro/

I have a Milenco, which is one of only two steering wheel locks to pass a 5 minute attack test - the other being the Disklok. In the past I have had Stoplocks and Diskloks, but now feel that the Milenco is the best compromise for me in terms of convenience of use, its obvious visible deterrence and cost. Although if you’ve just spent a substantial sum buying a new Lexus, then the extra cost of a Disklok may not be significant - and I believe they are regarded as the gold standard in auto security. I’ve attached one test of steering locks that you may find helpful - there are many more online. https://www.whatcar.com/news/best-steering-wheel-locks/n26807

Of the process? Yes, I suspect she is. I wonder if we’ll be able to watch the proceedings over here? Turn it into a movie and it could be as influential as the 1939 “Mr. Smith goes to Washington”. Apparently, the Senate was never quite the same again!

Like Dr. Birx, I too am looking forward to the Senate confirmation hearing of RFK Jnr! As for RFK himself….I suspect not so much. If Dr. Birx is involved I can imagine it will indeed present a unique and public opportunity to expose RFK’s beliefs to forensic analysis. BTW: Slightly puzzled by your reference to the date Nov 27. What year was that? Or - as is entirely possible - have I misunderstood it?

And possibly sooner than anticipated, Malcolm. I looked out of the window at 7am and saw a couple of inches of snow blanketing the landscape! It’s so totally unexpected that the BBC local forecast is STILL only aware of the possibility of ‘light rain’.

Very well put, Stephen! It’s a long time since a politician could unite a Nation by declaring that the only thing he could promise was… “…blood, toil, tears and sweat.” Now what works is the promise of a giant leap to the sunny uplands and an America that’s great again. Well, what’s not to like? When I have listened to Trump tub-thumping I used to wonder why he also wasn’t claiming to cure all known diseases and bring Peace on Earth. Now I am beginning to think he may be correcting that omission!

https://www.nbcnews.com/video/watch-dr-birx-reacts-as-trump-suggests-injection-of-disinfectant-to-beat-coronavirus-82518597530 A great find, Stephen! Clearly the highly regarded Dr. Deborah Birx had no illusions as to what Trump was suggesting. It would be interesting to know if she will feature in his new Administration….

In a nutshell, Marcus! The advantage of a democracy is that it enables the citizens to choose their law makers. The disadvantage is that they can only choose from those prepared to stand! I’ve long believed that voting in the UK should be compulsory for adults - but that the voting slips should have an additional box…None Of The Above! I think that many Americans found they had an invidious choice to make. After all, even our new Government managed to back the wrong horse!