LenT

How infuriating! No doubt you’ve informed the Police and Insurers - and they may even send someone round to deliver helpful advice about future security. There’s always a touch of horses and stable doors after such events. Was anything else stolen or was the Lexus the main target? If the latter’s the case then the car was either taken to order or for its parts value. Rather than just waiting for Insurance to take its course, here’s a thought you might like to try. Place a Lexus wanted ad in the local papers, using a cell phone contact and suggesting a location well outside Greater Manchester. Keep the description fairly general. Use such phrases as ‘No dealers or time wasters!’ Many years ago our then local paper reported how a van owner had had his tools stolen when left in a car park. He advertised for a similar lot of kit and got a call. Two lads came round with his property. He knocked them down on price and then left the room to get the cash. Instead, he called the Police who turned up and arrested them! Of course, the weak point of this Plan now is that it might take a couple of days to get a response! Still, you never know!

I had one of these for three years and 90K miles. I would say that dynamically it was superior in every respect to my IS250. But then I don’t drive the Lexus in the same way! The MR2 was a joy to drive and a pleasure to own. It was a strict two-seater but if you wanted to get away for a few days then you had to be a bit creative in stowing luggage behind the seats and under the bonnet. In all the time I had it, it only required regular servicing and the replacement of one main beam bulb. I’d be very happy to get in one again today - but I’d probably need a hand to get out! 😊 PS. Just noticed… unlike the photos, mine had the steering wheel on the correct side of the car. 😊

Is this typical of your usage over the last four years? If so, it may have been insufficient to maintain the battery condition, which may explain its reduced life. Do you have a battery charger? A CTEK will not only provide a trickle charger but also has a conditioning programme that may help to extend battery life in the future.

As a generalisation, no mining is ‘good’ for the environment. It’s a matter of judgement whether the process of extraction is more damaging than the benefits of exploitation. For example, the landscape of Cornwall was radically altered by the extraction of China Clay, of which it was once the world’s largest supplier. And without which there would have been no Wedgwood, Spode or Minton. As for using fossil fuels to generate electricity, that’s clearly something that has to change and successive Governments are clearly guilty of inaction. But I don’t see the conspiracy in this - just incompetence. And ignoring the science-based recommendations for political expediency.

😆 A classic example of the ‘Jumping-to-Conclusions’ mode of thought. The dangers of Deep Vein Thrombosis- although relatively slight - are well recognised on long flights ie over four hours. They occurred long before Covid-19 made an appearance and as the percentage of vaccinated passengers increases, so will the number of them who may suffer DVT. But that may also apply to people who had the in-flight meal. Or wear Y-Fronts. The dangers of these false associations are well illustrated by Andrew Wakefield’s despicable attempt to link autism with the MMR vaccine. The maxim is that correlation does not imply causation.

Your original claim was: Replacing every car in the UK, and just the UK with an electric one would use up 75 to 80 per cent of the all the world's nedynium, cobalt, copper and lithium. It will NEVER happen. Since your argument appeared to be based on the limited supply of rare earths such as neodymium - which is what I presumed you probably meant - I thought you might be reassured to know that technologies involving iron nitride are demonstrating not only superior performance but also less of a supply problem regarding the raw materials. Apparently, it hasn’t.

A very well argued case, Linus, and my feelings exactly. I have always bought ‘Premium’ brands and a minimum of 3mm tread depth has been my replacement point. However…there are Premium brands that also make budget tyres in order not to miss out on a major chunk of the market. Chosen wisely - and used as intended - they can be a aafe and sensible purchase. For example, when I worked on Esso they launched a range of Esso branded tyres, batteries and accessories. The tyres were aimed squarely at the budget market. They were actually made by Pirelli- I recall going to watch the process - using the same carcasses and compounds as on a regular Pirelli production line, but using a different mould. The reason why they could be offered as a ‘Budget’ tyre - apart from being sold to Esso in the first instance- is that they were produced in a very limited range of the most popular sizes. I do recall seeing a list of Premium tyre brands that also make a budget range under a different name. Provided the differences are mainly cosmetic then I expect they would be an acceptable alternative for many motorists.

Neodymium, perhaps? A rare earth of which China has quite a lot! However, I do believe that magnets made of iron nitride are proving to be even more powerful than rare earth based magnets.

Just to reassure you, Eric - and I can only speak for myself in this respect - this something I have never said and indeed never will! 😊

Now there’s a thought! 😉

A very impressive demonstration. But to be fair, the signs did clearly say: “Private Parking. CEO only.” Some people just won’t be told…

It certainly is, Kevin. So far I have nothing but praise for Lexus Milton Keynes. A couple of years ago I filled in the regular, after-service questionnaire with my usual complimentary responses and the last question was on the lines of: “As a valued customer, is there anything else we can offer you to improve our service?” I replied: “Lunch”. Still waiting! Hmm….South Woodford, you say?

Well I can’t speak for ‘and Co’ but spookily our Spring Vaccine Booster invitation arrived this morning…thanks for asking. It’s in six weeks time - so still plenty of evolutionary opportunities for a stealth attack by an ambitious young virus!

Indeed so. And it survived a local cull by the Post Office. You may very well ask that. I couldn’t possibly comment. 😉

I think you’ll find that the situation is a general presumption of a ‘universal’ use of ‘digital’. Just as there is of a universal possession of a mobile phone. But since you ask about ATMs… last week. There’s one outside a nearby Tesco store. Normally, we get cash from our village Post Office which has an arrangement with my Bank. This suits us very well!

Yes, that’d work, Paul. Might not be so clever over speed bumps, mind you. I remember when I had a Citroen DS, the chassis was so low when parked that there was no room for a trolley jack. So it was cat-theft proofed before they’d even been invented.

With all due respect, I can't imagine those planks presenting much of problem to a hefty crowbar. The general advice seems to be that that you'll make things the most difficult for Chummy by parking with the exhaust side against the kerb. Or against a fence or wall. It just makes it that much more difficult to get a trolley jack under the car. Possibly not so effective if the cat is located in the centre of the chassis!

Very neatly done, Stewart.

Good choice, Anthony. And for next Christmas, you could ask for this CTEK accessory connector. It has a traffic light indicator system so that it gives a fair indication of the battery charge at a glance https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/accessories/car-accessories/indicator-eyelet-m6

You’re suggesting that a thread you started to discuss the disappearance of a thread that discussed conspiracies might suddenly disappear as a result of a discussion involving conspiracies? Does it involve Bill Gates in any way?

It is not unknown for aspiring thieves to activate alarm systems in the hope that they will eventually be turned off. But if it’s something you’re determined to do - at least until any possible little critter dies a natural death - then maybe consider additional measures if you haven’t already. Such as: Leaving the wheels on full lock. Fitting an overnight steering wheel lock. And depending on where you leave the car overnight: Installing security lighting. Installing security cameras. Fitting security gates - or those neat little posts that can be locked upright to block a driveway. Buy a spray can of some suitable insect killer.

I'd agree. By their very nature, the elderly residents of Care Homes tend to be vulnerable to respiratory infections such as pneumonia - which is normally the more commonly cited cause. During the pandemic, GPs who certify Care Homes were, as I recall, advised that it was acceptable to initially name Covid-19 as the cause if it was actually present - but on the basis that later tests would confirm it or otherwise. If you're referring to the San Francisco fire of 1906 then, sadly, this event is all too true. It rates as probably the worst natural disaster in American history. It was caused by the earthquake resulting from the slippage of two tectonic plates at the San Andreas Fault. There was another, lesser, earthquake at the same site in 1957. The US Geological Survey has predicted that another tectonic slippage event similar to that of 1906 could occur within the next twenty years. Something to bear in mind if you're offered any cheap real estate!

And the relevance of this to your claim that alert warning messages are ‘controlling nonsense’ is……what, precisely?

Just to recap, Eric.... Your original claim was: I showed you that there are annually many natural events that 'trouble the average Briton' whose damaging effects could be mitigated by an advanced alert warning. In our own village there are about 40 homes susceptible to field run-off caused by flash floods. The local Water Authority does a fine job issuing web-based warnings, emails and such-like. But they are scant consolation when you discover torrential overnight rain has left your ground floor ankle deep in water. No-one here is going to feel that being woken up in order to deploy a flood barrier is the devious machination of a controlling Government! However, your answer to that point was to ignore it. Instead you ask: This is not a question many would ask as most people appreciate the distinction between climatology and plate tectonics. However, this event, the rupture at the San Andreas Fault, probably did mark the start of seismology as a science. Along with volcanology, the ability to predict such natural events has progressed significantly and when effective alerts have been issued, lives have undoubtedly been saved. A better example would have been the San Francisco Fire that followed, which destroyed 80% of the City. More importantly, it killed 3,000 people - almost all of whom might have been saved had they had the technology to receive an alert warning message. Apart from those paranoid few, obviously, who deemed them a Government plot to control the population of the City...or something.

A small selection of recent ‘them situations’ which I suggest did trouble some average Britons. I suspect a ‘controlling’ alert warning would have been well received. https://floodlist.com/europe/united-kingdom/flooding-worst-storms-20-years https://floodlist.com/europe/united-kingdom/floods-jonas-gerturde-scotland-england https://floodlist.com/europe/united-kingdom/floods-heavy-rain-snow-easter-april-2018 https://floodlist.com/europe/united-kingdom/storm-dennis-floods-england-wales-february-2020 https://floodlist.com/europe/united-kingdom/flash-floods-peterborough-july-2021 https://floodlist.com/europe/united-kingdom/floods-storm-franklin-february-2022 Many others are available.