Bluemarlin

Yes Eric, I do ask the questions. Every time you post an unsubstantiated claim I look it up, and each time it turns out to be someone either cherry picking data, or taking it out of context, making an assumption about it, and presenting it as fact. If I'm honest, I get the impression that you don't ask any questions, and simply listen to the sources that tell you what you want to believe, and then do nothing to try and verify their claims, as most of them are very easily debunked. Take your excess deaths claim, for example. Even the guy who made the claim acknowledged that there's no proof that links Covid vaccines to excess deaths. Instead, he cherry picked data from two months to make an assumption, and yet ignored all the other months that didn't support his assumption, and even had a negative correlation. Most of these claims follow the same pattern of taking a small sample that supports a claim, and then falsely equating correlation to causation, without any proof, whilst ignoring all the evidence to the contrary. https://healthfeedback.org/claimreview/data-doesnt-show-that-vaccines-are-responsible-for-2022-excess-mortality-contrary-to-alex-berensons-claim/ I'll go back to what I said before. There may be some truth to the things you believe about Covid, EVs, and local authority traffic policies, which many people might share with you, but only at the factual level. However, once you go down the rabbit hole of government led genocide, and nefarious schemes to control the masses, then people switch off. Perhaps it's my lack of education, or maybe there's a special kind of logic, reserved for engineers and PhDs. A kind of quantum logic, if you will, where the normal rules of logic don't apply, as your claims make no logical sense. Take government conspiracies to commit mass murder and control people. During covid, we had a government led by a guy who could barely keep track of how many kids he has, and ministers blundering into mistake after mistake, and yet we're asked to believe that they're somehow evil genuises, capable of complex, secret plots. What about those plots, like controlling the media? Imagine I was an evil genius. One would have to assume I'd be reasonably intelligent. That being the case, I'd be well aware that it would be impossible to control the entire world's media, and get them to dance to my tune. However, as a genius, I'd be acutely aware that in a modern, connected society, it would be far easier to spread doubt and mistrust in the media, than try to control it. The same goes for the world's scientists. Why would I engage in the futile endeavour of getting them all onboard with my evil schemes, when I can just sew the seeds of doubt in science, and watch the paranoid and suspicious spread them. It's the conspiracy theorists doing this, who seem to have the agenda, either to make money, boost their ego's, or they simply want to believe that the world's against them. A more logical conclusion would be that we have a mixture of some inept and some corrupt politicians, who are driven in sometimes well meaning but misguided ways, and sometimes for personal gain. We have a media that's largely populatued by people who want to find the truth. Sure, sometimes they might be led by their own views, and sometimes they might act on inaccurate data, but they have competitors and colleagues to call them out, and either verify or refute any claims, or present counter arguments. And we have a scientific community that's driven by the desire for knowledge. One that employs a model of presenting claims and theories to their peers, specifically so that they can fact check them and pick holes in it. Of course they'll make mistakes, that's the very nature of new discovery; but the process is to identify them as quickly as possible, and either refine them, or discard them and start again. So, the whole process of politics, media and science can't possibly be perfect. The best we can hope for is to refine the systems sufficiently that we can identify when we're on the wrong path, and change direction. That lack of perfection though comes from lack of knowledge, and so is to be expected, and not a reason to assume it proves some kind of deliberate and hidden agenda every time something doesn't work out well. We can take any occurence, or set of data, and retrofit an explanation, based on our own personal views and prejudices. That doesn't meaan that we should though, at least not without proof; otherwise we'll go back to believing that our crops failed because we didn't sacrifice enough virgins to the sun.

More satisfied, but yes. I'll be even happier when the aches subside 🙂 Happy Easter!

Today I did my spring wash. It included rinsing the underside, snow foam and then washing the car with a mitt. That was followed by decontamination with Korrosol, and then a wipe over with a clay mitt. Then I washed the wheels and applied some wheel protector. After drying everything I applied a coat of Autoglym Lifeshine, as well as their glass treatment, and then buffed off. Five hours of that and I'm exhausted.

Assuming they can get both Range Rovers to start 🙂

I wouldn't worry about it Barney, if you were happy with the price at the time, then that's all that matters. If it's any consolation, I sold my last car to a dealer, also complete with full service records, and he immediately advertised it for more than twice as much. To be honest, I didn't mind, as I got what I wanted without the hassle of a private sale. If anything I felt a bit sorry for him, as it was still for sale a year later.

Just so as you know, "sold as seen" is meaningless if you bought from a dealer. Dealer's aren't allowed to do that, and are still subject to the normal consumer protections, regardless of what they write on the invoice. As such, you have the right to repair or reject in the first 30 days if the car is of unsatisfactory quality. 30 days to 6 months, and any fault is assumed to be present at time of sale, so the dealer's responsibility to fix.

I think they're a reasonably snug fit when seated properly Barney. I remember removing mine initially, because of rattles, but then had to replace it to cover something and it hasn't rattled since, even over speed bumps.

I think it's perfectly normal that infants who have underlying health conditions, that make them more vulnerable, are offered the vaccine. In fact I'd think it was scandalous if they weren't. From what I read, it's just being offered, no-one is being forced. I'm really struggling to follow your logic with these claims of using the vaccine to commit genocide. Let's imagine for one minute that I wanted to kill millions of people. Surely I'd have had more success doing nothing, while people dropped liked flies from the virus, rather than producing a vaccine that almost immediately reduced the number of deaths. Maybe a small number of people died from vaccination complications, but millions of deaths were prevented. As for 15 minute cities and low traffic neighbourhoods, it's swings and roundabouts. A 15 minute city is not much different to a village, and lot's of people like those. Equally, the "villagey" type areas in many cities/suburbs are often the most popular and expensive. That said, it doesn't suit everyone and won't work everywhere. Naturally though, the hard of thinking types in local authoritiies will see this kind of thing as the answer to everything, and feel it makes them look as though they're doing something. The end result is that there'll be some poor implementation, some good, and some will get scrapped; pretty much the way local councils deal with other stuff, like parking and bus lanes. Most likely things will get implemented badly, but that wlll be largely down to incompetence rather than an evil plot. There are some valid arguments against 15 minutes cities, as well as against other measures taken in the name of climate change or local pollution, where people might agree with you. However, ridiculous claims of genocide and population control aren't amongst them, and only serve to bounce the discussion into loon territory. If I was a conspiracy theorist, I'd say that you were secretly pro vaccination and 15 minute cities, and were trying (quite successfully) to make the arguments against them look ridiculous 😉 🙂

It should be compliant. Only thing I can think of is if it's had a reg plate change and the records haven't updated. Have you transfered a personal plate from a non compliant car?

You'll need to take a good look at it yourself but, as Malcolm says, underseal alone won't fix it. It may just be surface rust, in which case you can clean it all off and then treat and underseal it, or it might be the start of something worse, and the reason for sale. Either way though, some corrosion is to be expected on a 20 year old car. For the record, there's a place in Herts called CSK automative that does rust treatments. Whether you choose to pay for something like that depends on how much you pay for the car, how long you plan to keep it, and how much you're prepared to do yourself.

Making sure it's seated properly woud be a good start. Also worth checking that the rear seats are secured fully as they can sometimes rattle too. If all else fails then strategically placed self adehesive pads should do the job

The trouble with rust is that what you can see if often only a small part of it. I had similar with a previous car, where I was having the sills cut and welded, but the rust kept reappearing. In the end the only cure was to replace the sills entirely. It may be worth doing that now, rather than periodically patching things up. Whichever way you go, I will say that it makes sense to apply some kind rust proofing on a regular basis once you've got it fixed. Bilt Hamber do a couple of spray wax products (Dynax) that are easy to apply, and come with a lance attachment to get into places like sills and other crevices. Alternatively, or as well as, a good spraying of ACF 50 on the underside, arches and sills, with a pump garden sprayer once a year, will help keep further rust at bay.

So does that work then? Do you place the burgers directly on the solar panel to cook, and the wind turbine cools the outside so they don't burn? 🙂

I use both Google maps and Waze, and switch between the two (I like to have a backup). The main problem I found with Waze is that for some reason it's quick to drain the battery. Anyway, the other mild annoyance was having to add favourites/destinations to both, which I've now solved by using what3words. I now use that to store all my destinations and it then asks you which map app you want to use when you set off.

I had a similar requirement for a different use, so I bought an off cut of carpet, and had the carpet shop cut it to shape and do the edging. In the absence of a genuine Lexus one it might be worth a try, and you can use the rubber mat as a template.

Personally I'd avoid a Cat N car, unless it was ridiculously cheap, and on a 10 grand car I can't see how it would be written off if it was only rear bumper damage. So it's probably a good thing that you're giving this one a miss. For future reference it's worth getiing a history report. Vcheck will provide a full report, including any write off history and, as far as I'm aware, are the only ones that include photos of the damage before repair, so you can see the extent of it for yourself. It's also worth getting a pre purchase inspection from somewhere like the AA. I used Clickmechanic when I bought mine, who were about £150 and seemed pretty thorough. Other than model specific stuff, other things to check are a look around the sills, wheel arches and underside for any signs of excessive corrosion. Also have a feel of the carpets for damp, and check the boot area for any signs of leaks. Excessive rust and water ingress are things you don't want to be dealing with. Service receipts will show you if things like timing belt, spark plugs, transmission oil, where applicable were done to schedule, so have a search online for the service schedule and print it off so you know what to check when looking. Good luck.

If you're considering a service plan it might be worth asking if they offer any discount for a longer term. I took out a 5 year plan and got 15% discount.

They're clearly playing for time, as they know the covid vaccine will have finished us all off by then 🙂

You don't get it Eric, do you? When it comes to things like climate change, electric vehicles, speed limits, congestion charges, and yes, even covid, there are some valid arguments on either side of these debates. Those arguments might be political, financial, social, scientific, or even simply opinion or preference based. A valid argument might go against the available science, but have merit due to its social or financial benefits, or a scientific argument might have social or financial costs, but have health or environmental benefits. Either way, each side presents their case, supported by evidence and facts, and intelligent debate ensues. What isn't valid, is to take a whole host of issues you don't agree with and, without presenting the merest shred of evidence, claim that it's all the doing of some secret cabal that are out to get you. That's just delusion and paranoia. Some events aren't normal, nor are some policies ideal or welcome, no-one is claiming otherwise, only that there are logical explanations for them, backed up by evidence, that don't require elaborate conspiracies to explain them. In any case, if the ICE ban is part of some global conspiracy to control the world, then why is that it's only the UK who appears to be wedded to it, while others are backing off? Sounds more like incompetence than skullduggery to me.

I just read that article. The upshot is that a residential street is being shut to traffic for an hour in the morning and 45 minutes in the afternoon. For the record, it was originally planned to be shut 24/7, but was reduced to an hour and three quarters following consultation with residents and local businesses. Doesn't sound like the kind of Rio based Illuminati conspiracy to me, and just typical local government activity. Similar LTN trials were carried out on roads I've used in the past, some of which were removed after the trial period. Given that thisismoney is owned by the Daily Mail, the alarmist outrage against Islington council is hardly surprising.

I guess we should forget about ULEZ and congestion charging, EVs, lithium batteries, 20mph speed limits, net zero, and Covid vaccinations then, as they aren't going away anytime soon, and so talking about them is futile 😉

When you say buzzzing, do you mean a vibration of some kind, or an electrical sound? If the former then I had similar on a previous car, which some strategically placed foam between dash a windscreen cured. Would probably help if you gave a bit more information.

I wouldn't be in too much of a rush to have them replaced until and unless you have any excess play in them. I was advised the same at a Lexus health check around 18 months ago, with similar costs. I believe the high cost is less about the cost of parts, and more because the Lexus procedure is to lift the engine out, so I'm sure a good independent will have found a cheaper and quicker way. That said, since then I give them a spray with silicone lubricant every 6 months or so and they haven't been mentioned since.

No idea about the socks ot zip ties, but what you get will depend on where you intend to use them. In some parts of Europe snow chains or winter tyres are compulsory in the winter months. I had a similar dilemma a couple of years ago for a winter trip to Europe, and didn't know what to get. In the end I fitted Michelin Crossclimate tyres, which are snow rated and they worked pefectly in the snow.

Well how about this then? As a relatively wealthy nation we were a net contributor to the EU, and thus funded roads and infrastructure improvement in poorer member countries. Once they cleaned us out they pushed sufficient migrants onto us to drive enough people to vote for Brexit. Ironically, as things decline here, and roads and infrastructure fall apart, we may be the ones wishing to migrate to those European countries we've helped to build and improve, but forgot that freedom of movement works both ways, and so we're stuck here. It was all a plot by the EU to take our money and then shut us out 🙂