Bluemarlin

I thought private clamping was illegal? I'd have called the police.

It's a £400k Rolls, they're not going to be flooding the streets. Interestingly in 1900 Charles Rolls said "The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration. They should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged."

If it's anything like mine (RX 450h) then the whole plastic trim piece unclips, with the metal part attached. I would imagine that's what Lexus are quoting at £160. If so then just ask the breaker to remove that instead of trying to separate the flimsy metal bit.

Thanks Phil. I'm prepared, as the dealer I took mine out with (Battersea) has since shut, and so I've contacted Guildford, who are aware that such a thing exits, but have never processed one before. I'm currently waiting for the service manager to look into it and get back to me.

Phil, did you get a prompt/reminder to renew your 10 year plus extended warranty, or did you have to ask the dealer to renew it?

I'm not sure how using two technicians can save much time on an interim service, which is basically an oil change and a few checks. A single technician can do the checks while the oil is draining, and then fill up with new oil/filter. Probably doesn't take one guy more than an hour. I tend to share the view that cutting time leads to cutting corners, and don't really care how long a service takes, and only that it's done properly. Now, if they offered to cut rates, say an optional cheaper rate if you didn't want a courtesy car, or collection and delivery, then I'd be open to giving that idea some thought.

Costco Reading today £1.49 for regular and £1.57 for premium. Didn't spend too much in the shop either 🙂

No, it was bang in the middle, so that aspect was fine, it's just that apparently they're told not to repair Crossclimates. I don't know what the reason is. My local garage repaired it without question though.

A point worth noting regarding the Crossclimates, which I just discovered today, is that it seems if you get a nail in the tyre many main tyre places won't repair them. I have no idea why. I also discovered that National Tyres offer a lifetime guarantee against accidental tyre damage for £7.50 a tyre at time of purchase, if you buy from them. https://www.national.co.uk/information/guarantees I wish I knew that when I bought my last one from them a few months ago, as that now has a nail in it. I've dropped the car off at my local garage, and hopefully they'll repair it.

That's very true Eric. Some of their own branded stuff is good quality/value, and some stuff expensive, so I try to be picky. I still usually spend more than planned. The big hot dog and drink, for £1.50 is good value though 🙂

Oh dear, I'll be passing near Costco Reading next week, and will be in need of a fill up. I fear anything I might save in petrol will be more than offset by what I spend shopping.

I agree with Peter, and use premium petrol. I'm not so concerned about the ethanol content, although Esso E5 is zero ethanol, but premium has fuel additives/cleaners in it already. For me it's worth it, as the additional cost is offset by the slightly better mpg I get using premium, so might be worth experimenting with a few tankfuls to see what you get. Personally I wouldn't take their option though, and would just add one of my choice if I felt it necessary.

Surely that depends on the vehicle though? A zero emissions vehicle is going to produce zero emissions, regardless of its size or weight.

You're welcome Andy. Hope you find it as useful as I did.

Hi Andy, I used it to wash the car at the weekend and it was great. It has a jet and fan spray attachments for the lance, as well as a multifunction nozzle, and all seemed to work well. It was quite powerful for a battery unit, and more than enough to do the job. The little foam bottle was adequate to snow foam the car, and then I rinsed off. It worked well with both a 3 litre drinks bottle, or drawing water from a 25 litre bucket. One bucket was more than enough for my snow foaming and rinsing, and battery life seemed plenty (I got the 4ah version). Obviously I can't comment on durability, as I've only used it once, but performance-wise I'm really pleased with it, and will probably use it instead of a hose from now on. Definitely glad I bought it.

I'm not sure that drugs are the answer 🙂

In fairness, the author openly hates SUVs. For complete disclosure, I drive one, so I'm biased too 🙂 It wouldn't surprise me to see a weight based tax at some point. Not for planet saving purposes, although that would be the excuse, but for revenue generation.

I have no idea what covid has to do with EVs and petrol pricing but, as you're the electronics engineer and I'm not, I'll trust your expertise in claiming a link. Firstly, I'm not fully aboard the EV bandwagon. I've already said that I don't think it's entirely there yet and, if I had to buy a car today, it would likely be petrol or hybrid. My previous car was 4 litre petrol V8. Nor do I understand why you keep repeating £60k as the entry point for EVs, when they're available for half that. In 10 years time we'll probably see price parity. If I fail to see problems with boosters after being fully vaxxed it's because I'm not aware of any. What I am aware of though, is that since vaccination (and boosters) arrived, there's been a substantial decllne in the number of people dying of covid. Another spooky coincidence perhaps? Nor have I been required to wear a face mask or be tested since being fully vaccinated. Of course some people will still be hospitalised; vaccination isn't a cure, it's mitigation, that can never be 100% foolproof. In fact, with the lifting of mask mandates, and people returning to the normality of mixing in groups, an uptick in cases and hospitalisations was bound to happen. For an engineer I'd have thought you'd have more understanding of cause and effect, and value it more highly than coincidence. Nor do I need to be an electrical engineer to know that any new car built today is capable of having the same digital control and monitoring technology fitted, whether EV, ICE or steam powered. Pretty much all new ICE cars have sat navs and ECUs that can be configured to do the job. EVs are not special in that regard and, if EVs were dropped, and governments really wanted to do the things you claimed, they'd digitalise whatever form of transport was available. Not being an expert like you though, I accept that you might have a point. So perhaps you can highlight what is unique about EVs that enables them to be controlled and monitored in ways that no other vehicle can? You're right on one thing though. I have little to no knowledge of lithium batteries. However, I'm not sure how they fit in with the conspiracy, as you didn't mention them in the last post I replied to. You also failed to answer my question about pointing me to the WEF literature that matches the claims you were making, so maybe the switch to lithium batteries was a distraction, or another mole to whack. As for towing, I've already accepted that there are presently limitations to EVs. That said, Autocar paints a slightly more positive picture of the Skoda as a towing vehicle than the anedoctal tale in the Sun that you referred to. https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/range-game-how-viable-are-evs-towing Either way, I have never claimed that towing limitations are a scare story, they're a practical reality. The scare stories are covid conspiracies, WEF secret agendas, and that governments are only pushing EVs to control us. As for good news, the Sainsurys local in Putney has since dropped to £1.59, and Esso in Sheen to £1.60. They're obviously monitoring this thread and acting accordingly. Or is it just coincidence 😉

From what I read recently, it seems that the Thames Water hosepipe ban may continue until the new year. That being the case I thought I'd look for an alternative solution. I'm not a fan of overly powerful pressure washers for car washing, but I picked up one of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09YRLG17T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 On a quick test, it's not as powerful as a mains pressure washer, but certainly a lot more powerful than a hose, and plenty good enough to wash a car. It has a longish hose that lets you draw water from a bucket or other water source, or it has an attachment that allows you to fit a 2 or 3 ltr drinks bottles to it, as well as a foam bottle. If the weather's ok I might give it a try over the next week or so.

I don't know where you get the notion that the WEF wants the average person to own nothing. I'm aware of the quote you're basing it on, but am also aware of its context, which you've ignored; which is that it was a comment based on people shifting towards subscription/hire/rental models, instead of outright purchase. As such, it was a prediction, based on current trends, and not than a goal. Their actual goals, which are openly published, and I've posted before, are: “By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance.” Thats seems to be in direct contradiction to what you're claiming, so please point me to the WEF web page that supports your claims. As for your other claims, electric cars are no more digital than your kettle or cordless drill. What makes something digital, in the sense you're claiming, is the inclusion of computer wizardry, that enables them to collect, collate and transmit information, as well as offer remote monitoring and control. This can just as easily be applied to a bicycle or an ICE vehicle, as it can an EV. In fact, probably one of the more sophisticated uses of remote monitoring and control is the Predator drone, and that is powered by a 4 cyclinder, 4 stroke engine, running on 95 octane aircraft fuel, and lubricated by regular engine oil. Think of something logging on to your car, and getting it to fire missiles at a group of people, that's the ICE vehicle for you. So, if you have legitimate issues about EVs, such as limited range, or lack of charging facilities, then fair enough. But scare stories, based on misrepresenting the scientific and real world practicalities, aren't amongst them.

In my earlier post the point I was making was that progress and innovation has resulted in subtantial improvements for the poorer members of society. In referring to poverty, what I didn't say was the capitalism is the cause, or socialism the cure. Both have their benefits and disadvantages, which can be used for good or bad. That said, if you have resource rich countries, such as in Africa, coupled with substantial poverty, then it's hard not to conclude that politics, corruption and exploitation don't play a part, regardless of what political flag it operates under.

I think the poor of this country would agree that they're better off than the poor of 2 or 3 hundred years ago, which is what I meant, but you knew that;) That's not to say the poor are well off, here on in other countries, because they're not, by a long way. And that is more about politics, unequal distribution, and exploitation, than it is progress or resource availability. Something the WEF and their Great Reset appears to want to address;)

Me too. But every time I do, I think about central heating, indoor toilets, and toilet paper. I'd sacrifice a lot of things before I gave up those 🙂

You don't sound like a socialist conspiracy theorist, or even particularly grumpy. I get your point, the minority wealthy have aways exploited the minority poor. I don't think that's the fault of progress itself though, and instead is just people taking advantage of new opportunities to exploit. Something they would have done with or without any progress, Despite the fact that progress can be exploited by the few, it's also benefited the many. Due to progress we llve longer, healthier lives, and in greater comfort than at any point in our history. Heating, sanitation, healthcare, life's luxuries, were once the preserve of the rich, and are now available to many. The fact that this is witheld from poorer nations is less about progress itself, and more to do with politics, greed, and the unwillingness to distribute those benefits more fairly and equally.

I don't know if that's true Malcolm. According to my service records my plugs were changed at 60k miles (6 years), prior to my ownership. At 12 years (97k miles), the plugs were changed again, and they gave me the old plugs back in the boxes the new ones came in. The cost of that major service was £616, as part of my service plan. The usual major services are £459 on my plan, so not a prohibitive uplift for the cost of the plugs and the extra work required to change them. If it were me, I'd check the service records to see if they changed the plugs at 60k/6 years. By default they would have done, unless asked not to. If they did then I'd insist they find a way to remove it and change the plugs, as they were ones who got it stuck in the first place.