What made you feel good today

[Hinfrance]

We never use the Ford dealer, but do get quotes from them for comparison. Clearly they were rather off on this one. Re, they didn't use the OBD computer, it's not the kind of problem that would show up on there, it's purely mechanical.

[anglefire]

Its like parts - I get most of my parts from independents or motor factors - generally half to 2/3 the cost of main dealers and the same parts, often the same boxes!

[Alfonso_Frisk]

Its like parts - I get most of my parts from independents or motor factors - generally half to 2/3 the cost of main dealers and the same parts, often the same boxes!

Im with Mark here.
I have just changed the king pin bearings on my Jimny. £25 for the parts and its the same that Suzuki use.
 Main dealer wanted over 200 notes to fit them and then 60+ for parts.

[Reinardina]

I am totally out of touch, with the ins and outs of car ownership, since I had to give up my licence. (Over thirty years ago now.)
I don't think I could afford to run a car these days.

[Hinfrance]

Its like parts - I get most of my parts from independents or motor factors - generally half to 2/3 the cost of main dealers and the same parts, often the same boxes!

I'm with Mark here.
I have just changed the king pin bearings on my Jimny. £25 for the parts and its the same that Suzuki use.
 Main dealer wanted over 200 notes to fit them and then 60+ for parts.

Couldn't agree more - I use one of the French factors or Eurocarparts depending on the exchange rate, and I always buy bits for the Corvette from Mid America in Chicago or Corvettes of Houston - even with shipping and import duty it's half the price or less than the US Chevrolet dealer's tariff.

[Alfonso_Frisk]

I am passing this on because it definitely worked for me today, and we all could probably use more calm in our lives.

This morning, I read about a doctor who says the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started. So I looked around my house to see things I'd started and hadn't finished.

Since then, I have managed to finish off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of Chardonnay, a bodle of Baileys, a butle of wum, a pockage of Prungles, tha mainder of bot Prozic and Valiuminun scriptins, the res of the chesescke an a box a chocletz. Yu haf no idr how bludy fablus I feel rite now.
 
   

[Oldboy]

I am passing this on because it definitely worked for me today, and we all could probably use more calm in our lives.

This morning, I read about a doctor who says the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started. So I looked around my house to see things I'd started and hadn't finished.

Since then, I have managed to finish off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of Chardonnay, a bodle of Baileys, a butle of wum, a pockage of Prungles, tha mainder of bot Prozic and Valiuminun scriptins, the res of the chesescke an a box a chocletz. Yu haf no idr how bludy fablus I feel rite now.
 

Cheers!   

[anglefire]

Not today really, but first time I've been on here for a while.

Bought a new car. After nearly 7years and 170000miles I'm going to sell my beloved Land Rover Discovery 3 and go for something (hopefully) more economical and cheaper to maintain. Its going to be hard letting it go, but it's time.

So, what is this eminently sensible and "cheap" car you may ask? Well its a 2014 BMW 530D M Sport Tourer. 

[Oldboy]

So, what is this eminently sensible and "cheap" car you may ask? Well its a 2014 BMW 530D M Sport Tourer. 

Two a penny round here! 

[anglefire]

Wish they were a penny Oldboy!

To be fair, a Mondeo is probably a rarer car these days.

Just got to learn to not use the indicators and drive as fast as I can in the outside lane flashing anyone in the way and only brake as a last resort!

[Oldboy]

Just got to learn to not use the indicators and drive as fast as I can in the outside lane flashing anyone in the way and only brake as a last resort!

Just watch out for red traffic lights as they tend to jump them. 

[Hinfrance]

For those of you who have not driven a recent BMW, the reason drivers hardly ever indicate is because it is almost impossible to turn the bl**dy things off once they have started. I drove a 3.0D M5 Sport from here in SW France to Reading (a visiting friend had to fly back to the UK urgently, I drove it home for him) - and spent most of the trip trying to turn the indicators off, they don't work in a sensible way like they do in most cars. You have to turn them 'on' again to cancel them, but most of the time they just stay on. So you flick the stalk to the opposite side and then that one starts and won't stop. Much easier to just not bother. The cruise control was just as weird. And as for the entertainment system, I just gave up. Did nothing for me to be honest. The Beemer was obviously faster than my humble Mondeo (but nowhere near my Predator tuned 'vette, obv) but rolled a lot more in the corners (probably because my friend is an animal behind the wheel and it was completely worn out). The biggest shock of the journey was the price of a last minute one way ticket through the Chunnel. I told the guy I only wanted to go through it once, not buy it . .

[jinky]

Modern cars eh! My wife got a new Yaris last year and the biggest annoyance to me is the wash wipe on the front wiper blade. Oh no not for them the age old , tried and tested  squirter that you can direct to a position of choice from the bonnet. No the  build it into the line of the wiper actually on it. Means that when i go to clean the window the wiper is in rest usually and it goes off to the left missing the window. I have to  turn on the wipers and guess when to release to squirt water where I need it. getting a bit of bird boo becomes an episode of the Golden Shot with Bernie the Bolt (for those oldenough to remember!)

[Hinfrance]

There's always something eh? In the Skoda is the location of the heating and ventilation controls which are at the bottom of the dashboard console where it meets the gear lever, so the display is impossible to see without leaning down and squinting. And the 12v auxiliary socket is behind the handbrake. The Mondeo's irritations are minor - the front and rear screen electric heater switches always confuse me, because the front one is further away from the driver than the rear one - seems a bit about face to me. And the windscreen wipers when used with the washers have the annoying wait three seconds and then sweep again function which tends to indicate to me that whoever designed it had never had a windscreen covered in ice of a morning. With the Corvette it's the annoying American assumption that everyone with a driving licence is an idiot and consequently it is irritatingly liberal with pings and bongs and sundry chimes and warning messages. The stock Bose sound system is lovely though, if rather long in the not having any bluetooth teeth. With my Mercedes A Class and before that the Suzuki jeep the fun was in guessing which was the next thing that would break.

[Oldboy]

I have to  turn on the wipers and guess when to release to squirt water where I need it. getting a bit of bird boo becomes an episode of the Golden Shot with Bernie the Bolt (for those oldenough to remember!)

They used to forget to say stop before saying fire!