On the Road Again!

Well, new to us anyway.  We had a look but during the pandemic it was difficult to get test drives. Even so we visited our local Nissan dealer after some Googling different makes and models, and got the test drive we needed. I had a look at the Toyota C-HR hybrid that my brother has and whilst the prices were around our budget the mileages were all over 24000!  I don't have much confidence in the battery situation! My brother has his serviced every year and they warranty the battery. It was a surprise when the Nissan dealer offered us part-exchange on both the Insignia and the Corsa against the Juke. The total package means we need to raid the piggy banks for £10000!   With WFH I am not using the Insignia very much. In fact the last year with the pandemic and all I managed only 3379 miles between MoT tests. That was February 1st 2020 to February 3rd 2021. Usually we do between 7000 and 8000. They are getting a good deal as both cars were serviced in February under th...

So rather than waste my time with the dbPower unit I decided to call the RAC.  We buy their breakdown insurance most years and it's not as though we use them very often. The technician arrived just before 11am and I gave him the details.  He connected all his gear and the battery was showing about 5.5 volts.  My dbPower is 600 amps and with his 800 amp charger connected it the electrics worked but there wasn't enough to turn the engine over.   So with it connected to the van it started okay first time.  The computer went through its checks and showed that the battery was about 12.8 volts. The charging system was working fine, it just looks as though the battery had well and truly had it. As we stood there looking at the display it was discharging and way below 11 volts when we disconnected the computer. He had one on the van and although it cost a little more than maybe at a local dealers or car parts place, it wasn't too bad. Plus ...

Our expedition to Hythe was delayed as the car, my car, was as dead as a dodo. At first I thought the battery had run flat in the key fob. When it didn't work with the spare it was obvious a bigger problem. It was too late to do much about it. With a total shutdown where even the door locks don't work I guess it's a battery problem.  With the key in the ignition it was completely dead as well. I have charged up the dbPower unit and will see if it puts some power in it in the morning.

When it comes to MoT time, unless you have a fantastic car or motorcycle, then there is always that heart in mouth when it goes in to test. Even when you know there is nothing wrong, or assume, as it drives, steers, stops, starts, brakes properly that there might be something it will fail on......  Today is that day for me. The car is at Caffyns in Ashford for the MoT and service.  It will be there all day I expect. I asked for it to be ready for around 3pm in the hope that it would be ready before the evening rush hour starts, My Insignia is what I call a bump-magnet.  It has three corners where someone else has been so crap at parking in the marked spaces in car-parks that they have made some contact.  If I was that shit as a driver, then I would accept it and at least leave a note to say I had bumped into another car and caused damage. Sadly the drivers of Folkestone and Hythe prang your car and piss off.  What a way to live your lives eh?  Dishonest sku...

I had my renewal email yesterday and I didn't look at it. It's gone up by £4.24 over last year to £194.61. I logged into the comparison sites and the best I could get was £194.44. It's not worth changing for 17p!! So RIAS get another year of my money. 

The hunt for that elusive holy grail of 50mpg still goes on. See Even a 500+ mile mostly motorway and mostly 60 to 65mph cruise with cruise control on for miles and miles couldn't do it. Maybe it's simply unattainable.

It was booked in for 8am and so given the "limp mode" situation, I set off at 7.20am. The plan was to take the A20 but as I left Hythe the "road closed" signs were still up on London Road and so I had to go through Saltwood.  As a result I ended up on the M20. On two hills out of Hythe I was down to 8mph on one and I managed 10 on the other,  flat out. Once on the motorway I got up to 45mph. As there are long term roadworks to build a new junction that wasn't a problem. It turns out that the problem was that the pipe to the turbo had split. Parts came to about £240 and labour even more. With VAT added, the bill came to £670.03 Gulp. At least it is back. * I had no ideal that "limp mode" was a real thing!

The day before we are due to set off on holiday, this pops up. Oddly, a few days before we went in holiday last year it threw the timing belt and me and the RAC man managed to get it back on. My neighbour John has a garage and they checked it over. Just in time. Of course it's not due a service. Only having done 4000 miles since it was done in February. I rang Caffyns and they say it is not only that but they need to see it. I have it booked in on August 12th when we get back from Devon. Luckily we have Claire's Corsa. It's much smaller but we will have to see that we can squeeze in. posted from Bloggeroid

When the Insignia had its MoT in February the test showed that apparently my front brakes were at 80% worn.  I've not had them done in the five years I have owned it so I thought that the remaining 20% should last another year. As we are having a staycation this year with a thousand miles of driving (approx) I decided to get them done. Dropped it off at Fairways in Dymchurch and they are done. I could do them for myself and have done over the years but I'm sure Claire feels safer with it done professionally!    

Clipped over on the way home from work. 40000 since I bought the Insignia in January 2014.

Saturday AM had the new Goodyear Eagle fitted.  The guy showed me the damaged tyre. The screw about 3 inches long and lots of damage inside to the structure of the tyre.  So that's another £150 spent!!!  Bugger.

So dropped the wheel off at Kwik-Fit in Cheriton and the guy had a quick look and thought that the self-tapping screw that had buried itself and then lost its head was too close to the shoulder of the tyre. But would get the tyre off today and check inside.  I missed their phone call at about 0846 this morning as I was on the train in tunnels. I called back. Bad news. The tyre inside is damaged and they can't repair it and so it will have to be a new one.  I asked them to order the same Goodyear tyre to keep them matched at the front. Very annoying as the buggered one has less than a 1000 miles on it. Luckily I was at work so I was unable to get too angry and swear a lot. Pick it up Saturday morning. I hope.

Always when you are in a hurry.  At least the Insignia comes with a tiny spare wheel with its narrow little tyre attached. But not what you want at 0720 in the morning when you are heading to the station on a Monday morning. I changed it in slightly longer than it takes an F1 team to change all four wheels on a race car and was off. Only missing my usual train by two minutes. With work all week I am driving all the rest of the week on this squeaky very shiny piece of plastic rubber. Hopefully I can get it fixed on Saturday if I leave it at the tyre shop all day.....  The tyre is only a few months old and the nail has gone into the tread not the side wall..... and at £125 I hope they can fix rather than replace!! Update . Have physio on my shoulder this afternoon, pain and stiffness not aided by the wheel removal either!!! So I will try and drop the wheel into the tyre shop near the station this afternoon and if they can do i...

It's that time of year again - La danse macabre de l'assurance  begins. My current insurers sent the renewal quote and a note to say that it would be automatically renewed 5 days before it was due - on the 18th September. La danse macabre All would be well if the premium hadn't gone up from £251.93 to £282.31 (£30.38)! Considering the depreciation on a 7 year old car and the lower risk a break-even quotation might have been acceptable. As it was, La Danse was just beginning. Take your partners.... I logged into my account with the Meerkats .  I have successfully used them before and have always saved money.  The trick seems to be to change companies every year to maximise the "new business" enticements. The first few pages of insurers wanting my business were all cheaper than last year's quote (!) and I chose the cheapest. Choosing the cheapest may not be the best way, always, but after checking that all I ne...

Since I bought the Insignia four years ago I have put 34000 miles on the clock. Apart from an annual service and tyres both end (once) and a new battery in Jan 18, it's not been too much of a problem. A broken spring after some Scottish potholes of monumental depth is about it. Forget about the local Kent drivers who on FOUR occasions have managed to run into it... Last evening I got home from dog walking, following Claire into the drive. The coolant light has been on for a few days and I guess that the level was low. On checking I could see it was about 2mm below the max line. I topped it up with about 200ml of clean tap water and that took it to the line. Dipped the oil and that was okay. To check the light and warning panel was off I started the engine. The steering wheel was stiff. The aircon was on but nothing came out of the vents. Then the warning lights for battery and charging all came on. I turned off. Like all good chaps I googled th...

Finally getting around to getting the damage to the car sorted. The rear was done over a year ago when someone ran into the car at Sandling Station car park. Hard enough to split the rear bumper/fender. Whoever it was left a trace of dark blue paint lower down than the crack.  I looked for a car that matched that for a while and never saw one! So I expect if it was a regular user they knew they had done it.  CCTV was useless. The front damage is actually two different hits! Once in the Aldi car park and more recently at the station car park at Folkestone West. The Aldi damage was dome after dark and we only saw it the next  day.  The scrapes covered by mud so I guess it was a 4WD of some sort. This knock damaged the headlight unit so that it has damp in and it "mists" up from time to time. It passed the MoT though. The latter has left most of the damage that can be seen below. On the local residents Facebook page there were recommendations for...

Wow. It's around a year since the Insignia needed new tyres on the front. This time it's the rears that needed replacing. They have been on since I bought the car and in my care have done around 30000 miles. I searched the net again and Asda came out cheapest as before. This time I opted for Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 100Y in the size 245/45R18. At £253 fitted I had the guy put the fronts on the back and the new ones on the front. Immediately the drive and feel is totally different. More confidence inspiring.

Battery I hope. Trouble is when these things happen on a Sunday we are still pretty much screwed here. Luckily I have the portable power pack to revive Pepé between rides and that started it, if a little sluggishly, earlier today. I have booked it online at a local autocentre where they will fit a new one and dispose of the old one. All for a price a little less than a few where I could DiY and then have to get rid of the old one. But. That isn't until Tuesday. So tomorrow my run to the station will have to be after boosting it again. Getting it fired up took the power pack down to 73%.  Hopefully it will be okay to get to work and back home again. At this rate I may take it to work and charge it there to ensure 100% for an evening start. Fingers crossed. Update 08/01/18 Came out this morning. Luckily no frost or ice. Flipped the bonnet/hood and attached the dbpower unit. Switched on. Jumped in drivers seat. Turned key. Sweet f.a. Checked connec...

It's getting on for that time of year again when my car insurance is due. I used to be with Direct Line but the quote gory higher and higher every year and so I started trawling the comparison sites to get a better quote. Last year this turned out to be the insurers that sell under the banner of the RAC motoring organisation.  They had the cover I wanted and although not the cheapest quote, were the cheapest of the companies I had ever heard of. This year my renewal arrived and they quite matter of factly tell me that this year my premium will go up £50.  The car is a year older and therefore less valuable.  The risk hasn't changed much. So it is back to the comparison sites. What has really happened is that premium last year was a new business discounted amount. This year they are trying to get some of it back. Sadly for them I will go elsewhere.

Once I had managed to remember the tyre details for the Insignia's tyres I had a search online for local fitters and get some prices. Tyres now come with a scale from A to F for their efficiency in two fields, fuel consumption and wet grip. Ideally you will look for AA rated but once you see the prices then you start to go through the list to find the best rated at a price you can afford. In the end I opted for these CA rated Uniroyals. Most of the online places had them but Asda came out the cheapest with an all-in price, and have a local fitter.  The most local fitters are only open weekdays and so I had to pick the second nearest.. A garage that although I have used for petrol on many occasions, I had no idea they did tyres.  We'll find out tomorrow morning. Asda Tyres One of the tyres is the original from when I bought the car in January 2014 and at the last MoT it was noted that it would need replacing although legal.  I've done about 25000 mil...