What's made you smile today?

[The Panda Nut]

Yup, I did use the one stop reporting. At the time seemed like a great way to do it rather than individually notifying. This is probably where they picked up my name and address. I'm aware too that the law in many respects is different in Scotland to that in England so, although I much appreciate your offer to "lend" me your brother, he may not be completely au fait with the position in Scottish law?

I'm actually not an executor but my oldest boy is - being the oldest we always assumed I'd be "shuffling off" first. The main executor however is my brother's lawyer who is specifically named in the will as such and that he's to handle "everything". I know he is at present collating all the financial side of things and that a valuer has been employed to value his considerable possessions for probate - I've supplied the solicitor's name and business address to the tax people and also stated that in no way am I my brother's "representative" as they keep addressing me. I've asked for all future correspondence to be sent via the solicitor/executor. Of course I am a benefactor from the will but I don't see how that can make me his "representative"? Considering the circumstances the whole approach has been conducted thoughtlessly and in very bad taste. I think I'll just wait and see if they send me another letter or whether they start corresponding with his solicitor who will know much better than me what the legal position is.

Wow. You may be right about him and Scottish law, I had for gotten about that. I know its quite different in some ways, but that doesnt excuse what I regard as insensitivity verging on rudeness from HM Revenue . This things are so often auto generated though and as my Mrs points out they do usually respond properly in the end. She used to be a National Insurance Inspector and knows her way around the tax system and keeps them in order. Over the last 15 years of my working life she saved us £20K in overpaid tax. They actually chaged me for 2 company cars one year. Bearing in mind we are just average and never high earners its pretty appalling when I think of it and I wonder just how much overpayment the average household makes. The inflexibility and inaccuracy of some of the system and possibly people is not funny. The pathetic manner in which they continue to demand tax returrns from someone with a PAYE pension and state pension and nothing else is irksome. Especially when you see they finally got round to catching a handful of benefit cheats who took us all for over £54 million recently. Patting themselves on their back for doing so rather than spotting the fraud before it occurred. It demonstrateshow well they are doing...... Ok different departments, but all in the Governments service.

I hope its all sorted quickly it does feel like a millstone round your neck until the is. I am shortly to blow my funds almost to nil buying my youngests first house. The tax man will be so disappointed, no savings and any money coming in will be loan repayments so not their concern. The hoops you have to jump through to buy anything using up your own multi taxed savings are mind boggling. I really think it would be easier to buy and sell columbian cocaine and machine guns, and it would certainly attract less 'authority' interferance.
One things sure they will get not a penny of mine when I go.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I've got nothing particularly helpful to add to Panda nuts posting but hope you're doing ok and feel better Jock.

Thanks Steven. Lovely pictures as I've come to expect from you.

Very glad to be able to report Mrs J came downstairs about half an hour ago and is sitting sipping a cup of tea beside me. She's pretty peely wally and hasn't managed to eat anything yet, might try her with a bit of dry toast later. Also been drip feeding her with water/sugar/salt rehydration mix. She'll probably benefit greatly from a good night's sleep.

By the way, just in case you were all wondering why I'm posting all this doom and gloom in the "smiley" thread? Well, you've just got to smile at it all or otherwise you'd end up crying!

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Wow. You may be right about him and Scottish law, I had for gotten about that. I know its quite different in some ways, but that doesnt excuse what I regard as insensity=vity verging on rudeness from HM Revenue . This htings are so often auto generated though and as my Mrs points out they do usually respond properly in the end.

The second time I managed to get through to someone they did tell me I could challenge the fine later if I thought I had good reason but it has to be paid by the due date to avoid further action. The cumulative fines will also apply if the return is not received by the revised due date.

She used to be a National Insurance Inspector and knows her way around the tax system and keeps them in order. Over the last 15 years of my working life she saved us £20K in overpaid tax.

Sounds like we have "wives in common". Mrs J was a school administrator for many years and is very good at keeping track of our finances. I'm not a squanderer but we'd be far less well off if it were me looking after our money.

Bearing in mind we are just average and never high earners its pretty appalling when I think of it and I wonder just how much overpayment the average household makes.

The system is just far too complicated. It relies almost totally on the individual sorting it out or making claims for stuff they are entitled to. When I worked with my learning disabled gardeners we had a member of staff who spent most of their time sorting out benefits and payments these people were legitimately entitled to but would never have received without help. Many people never know that they're entitled to something because no one ever tells them and they don't think to look for it because it's too difficult.

The inflexibility and inaccuracy of some of the system and possibly people is not funny. The pathetic manner in which they continue to demand tax returrns from someone with a PAYE pension and state pension and nothing else is irksome. Especially when you see they finally got round to catching a handful of benefit cheats who took us all for over £54 million recently. Ok different departments, but all in the Governments service.

One of the things that really rankles with me is that anonymous people are making these decisions which can impact deeply on people's lives and mental health but, if they get it wrong, they themselves just go home happily at the end of their working day, paying no personal price for the misery they've created. Doesn't apply only to this subject but happens in many big businesses too.

I have no great hope that resolution of my brother's complicated affairs will be at all quick and wouldn't be surprised if we're still wading around in the mess at this time next year! I'm truly terrified to contemplate what the solicitor's bill is going to be!

 

[AndyRKett]

I've got nothing particularly helpful to add to Panda nuts posting but hope you're doing ok and feel better Jock.

On thread subject...bit of day trip.

View attachment 443544

Of course you have to take this photo...

View attachment 443545

Now where's my bed?

First house in the UK to be fully lit by electric lighting if memory serves

 

[AndyRKett]

Thanks Steven. Lovely pictures as I've come to expect from you.

Very glad to be able to report Mrs J came downstairs about half an hour ago and is sitting sipping a cup of tea beside me. She's pretty peely wally and hasn't managed to eat anything yet, might try her with a bit of dry toast later. Also been drip feeding her with water/sugar/salt rehydration mix. She'll probably benefit greatly from a good night's sleep.

By the way, just in case you were all wondering why I'm posting all this doom and gloom in the "smiley" thread? Well, you've just got to smile at it all or otherwise you'd end up crying!

On the plus side if it is a 24hr type bug she should bounce back pretty quickly, sounds like you’ve been doing all the right things.
Wishing you all the best and hope you can get back to some normalcy soon it’s been a very rough few weeks by all accounts

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

On the plus side if it is a 24hr type bug she should bounce back pretty quickly, sounds like you’ve been doing all the right things.
Wishing you all the best and hope you can get back to some normalcy soon it’s been a very rough few weeks by all accounts

Yup andy, I can see her improving by the minute - just got a smile a couple of minutes ago! Regarding "doing all the right things" because I was out all day with my gardeners, 6 of them, just me and them, I did an enhanced First Aider course (full time one week St Johns) - have to say I've forgotten quite a bit of the finer detail, unless you're doing it every day you tend to forget it - but what I do remember is always useful at times like these.

Yes, it's not been a lot of fun but if I can just get over this hump then getting the buildings sold and his business affairs resolved can take place in a bit of a less pressurized way.

Thank you all again for your expressions of support - What a nice bunch of folk you are!

 

[vexorg]

I literally acknowledged that they share parts under the skin but as I also pointed out the body and interior of an Audi is now nothing like a vw.

Yep, and as said, a few cosmetic changes to charge more and create this social status symbol.

As stated all manufacturers share platforms, the juke being a prime example and one of the most expensive cars on that platform so again what makes the juke demonstrably better than other cars that use that platform….

Last i checked jukes were cheap and really carry no pretentious status like vag cars.
When the old shape juke was released, the base model was £13k new, hardly an expensive car. They are really not worth all the praise you give them - you are falling for the german view of expensive is good, the juke is neither.
(And no amount of deflecting to the juke hides a vag fanboy view...)

 

[varesecrazy]

Don't you own a Nissan Juke which shares the same platform as a dozen other cars with the juke being probably the most expensive of them?

Also the juke was historically the "fashionable" version of the Qashqai with 3 doors and less practicality.



^^^^^^^
One day someone will say something new but this is the same tripe that everyone one who ever hated VW always comes up with. It would be nice is one day someone had a new opinion rather than regurgitating this over and over.

Literally every major car company do this, or they go bust.

Weve got a 500 and a Pands

Same dash layout, same engine options

Window buttons :
same location.. Different buttons


Wiper Stalk :
Same location, Different functions

Oh. And they effectively went bust

 

[AndyRKett]

Yep, and as said, a few cosmetic changes to charge more and create this social status symbol.


Last i checked jukes were cheap and really carry no pretentious status like vag cars.
When the old shape juke was released, the base model was £13k new, hardly an expensive car. They are really not worth all the praise you give them - you are falling for the german view of expensive is good, the juke is neither.
(And no amount of deflecting to the juke hides a vag fanboy view...)

I am a car fanboy, I like all cars. you can call me a "fan boy" all you like but thats no better than slinging insults to cover up for your floored argument.

I am making a comparison. You claim that all VAG do is dress up a car and charge more, that is your entire problem with them, but what is a juke if not a dressed up clio? The bits under the skin are the same which is your main sticking point apparently and you were happy to pay out considerably more for a juke than say a dacia duster...... that uses the same platform.

I am not telling you, you have to love vw. I am telling you that you are just hating on them for the sake of it, like many other people do...... I think I highlighted further up the problem with the tribalism that exists in the motoring world.

at the moment the only person who is making judgements on what people choose to drive is the person who holds the belief that VW and Audi Owners drive around looking down on people when the truth is they couldn't care less.

I couldn't care less if you drive a juke or a Dacia but if you're going to throw stones then you need to take a look at your own choices first and not criticize others. Do you drive around looking down your nose at Dacia drivers.? You know, Lada used that platform on some of their cars, do you look down on Lada drivers?

This is my point, this is your perception and its simply not the case.

Nah, my daughter liked the 500, and it has many issues. I cant think of a single fiat in the past 40-45 years that I would make of point of wanting to go look for one to buy. Whereas toyotas I've have, and owned a few GT4s.

So remind me, who is it who is looking down their nose at people ?

 

[AndyRKett]

Weve got a 500 and a Pands

Same dash layout, same engine options

Window buttons :
same location.. Different buttons


Wiper Stalk :
Same location, Different functions

Oh. And they effectively went bust

I think fiat's problems stem mainly from never updating anything and putting customers off They reached the position of needing to merge because they didn't have any money left in the kitty from all the other companies they bought out while neglecting to update any of their old models.

The only example of a truely new platform from fiat in recent years was the 500e which as so bespoke to that car it has not been used on any other car, yet cost a fortune to develop.

 

[StevenRB45]

I also have a Petrol Particulate Filter which, I believe is unavoidable on a modern petrol. I'm told they don't give problems like those on diesels though because they operate at much higher temperature so just burn up the solids.

I meant to quote this and totally forgot.

Just drive like you're using engine braking that's how you regen them none of the "simply sit on the motorway at 80 for 8 miles".

Just select a lower gear on a downhill section off throttle as the engine is running lean exhaust temps are hot enough to burn the crud off.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I meant to quote this and totally forgot.

Just drive like you're using engine braking that's how you regen them none of the "simply sit on the motorway at 80 for 8 miles".

Just select a lower gear on a downhill section off throttle as the engine is running lean exhaust temps are hot enough to burn the crud off.

Thanks, that sounds very interesting. I know nothing about Petrol Particulate Filters and intend to have a conversation with the lads at AVW next time I'm passing. I wonder slightly about what you're saying here because most petrol injection systems simply cut fuel being injected at all when on overrun? Always interesting to watch the real time petrol consumption figure on the dash display climb into the high hundreds of miles per gallon when descending a long hill on a trailing throttle! Of course maybe the ECU program includes an intervention to inject enough fuel to achieve a very weak burn and so accomplish what you're saying? I just don't know. I'll be interested to hear what the lads at the garage have to say. If it's any different to what you're saying I'll be sure to mention it on here for everyone's info.

Thanks very much for chipping in with this though, I hadn't really given it any thought.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Thanks, that sounds very interesting. I know nothing about Petrol Particulate Filters and intend to have a conversation with the lads at AVW next time I'm passing. I wonder slightly about what you're saying here because most petrol injection systems simply cut fuel being injected at all when on overrun? Always interesting to watch the real time petrol consumption figure on the dash display climb into the high hundreds of miles per gallon when descending a long hill on a trailing throttle! Of course maybe the ECU program includes an intervention to inject enough fuel to achieve a very weak burn and so accomplish what you're saying? I just don't know. I'll be interested to hear what the lads at the garage have to say. If it's any different to what you're saying I'll be sure to mention it on here for everyone's info.

Thanks very much for chipping in with this though, I hadn't really given it any thought.

I was thinking further on this and it occurs to me that every week we are out at my boy's house at least once caring for the grandchildren. There's a long moderately steep hill - A68 from the A702 city bypass south towards Pathhead which, of course, on the return journey is descended at 60MPH on a trailing throttle. That should clear her out nicely!

 

[StevenRB45]

Thanks, that sounds very interesting. I know nothing about Petrol Particulate Filters and intend to have a conversation with the lads at AVW next time I'm passing. I wonder slightly about what you're saying here because most petrol injection systems simply cut fuel being injected at all when on overrun? Always interesting to watch the real time petrol consumption figure on the dash display climb into the high hundreds of miles per gallon when descending a long hill on a trailing throttle! Of course maybe the ECU program includes an intervention to inject enough fuel to achieve a very weak burn and so accomplish what you're saying? I just don't know. I'll be interested to hear what the lads at the garage have to say. If it's any different to what you're saying I'll be sure to mention it on here for everyone's info.

Thanks very much for chipping in with this though, I hadn't really given it any thought.

I get what you're saying re. It just cutting fuel when you're off throttle. it may be as you say if the car thinks it needs a regen it'll add just enough to raise the exhaust temp without melting things.

It may be they all do it slightly differently across manufacturers (there's one method involving retarded ignition timing and another messing with the AFR at least) but the 2 constants seem to be that regeneration requires raised RPM and a closed throttle so an engine braking situation would seem ideal.

They don't generate a huge amount of crap anyway so unless it's always in town there's reasonable chance it'll always be passively regenerating without the need to force it to do so.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I get what you're saying re. It just cutting fuel when you're off throttle. it may be as you say if the car thinks it needs a regen it'll add just enough to raise the exhaust temp without melting things.

It may be they all do it slightly differently across manufacturers (there's one method involving retarded ignition timing and another messing with the AFR at least) but the 2 constants seem to be that regeneration requires raised RPM and a closed throttle so an engine braking situation would seem ideal.

They don't generate a huge amount of crap anyway so unless it's always in town there's reasonable chance it'll always be passively regenerating without the need to force it to do so.

Thanks Steven. I actually talked about the PPF with the surprisingly knowledgeable, sales man and he said that, unlike with the diesels, PPFs just don't seem to have a problem and, unlike with DPFs, I'm not reading shed loads of stuff about problems with them. There's also the fact that we tend to take Becky (our Panda) when doing local journeys around the town so the Skoda mostly does longer journeys. It's not something I'm concerned about but I am interested in it.

 

[Cheest]

Nothing happening here regarding cars or stomach bugs.Yesterday was the start of both grandsons' soccer(football for the rest of you)season. They picked the second coldest day of April to do it, the coldest being today. Grandma and grandpa said "Nope" to today's game after suffering through two games yesterday.
Owens' first ever game was yesterday and his team got slaughtered 4-0. It was hard to watch. Eli, though, has been playing for three years. He started where Owen is now and is at his second year on a travel team. They went up against a girls team who are scary good. They beat Eli's team in the finals last year. Eli's team is a mix of white and Latin kids that play well together. The girls team is really diverse; white, black, Latin and Asian. The white girls, though, are eastern European immigrants. Having played against my three adopted Ukrainian nieces in the nineties, I know that those girls play dirty and play for blood. The refs weren't calling penalties on the girls, so Eli's coach told the boys to take the gloves off. It was a rough game. Eli's is 5' 3" and 110 lbs at 11 years old, the biggest kid on the team. He was told to be the freight train when necessary. And he was. The biggest girl on the other team was pretty close in size to Eli and the two of them collided a couple of times. There were some epic body slams.
When the dust settled, Eli's team won, 3-1. That was the girls teams first ever loss. They play again next month. I'm pretty sure the girls will be out for revenge.

On another note, I climbed our stairs in a normal fashion last night. I was slow and had a death grip on the hand rail, but I made it. I still slid down on my butt this morning, it's still progress. That makes me chomp even harder on the bit to get out on two wheels.

 

[vexorg]

So remind me, who is it who is looking down their nose at people ?

I have no problem in seeing fiat as cheap cars and that people choose them for cheapness, I'm not pretending to be something I'm not

Again more defection away from vag love.

 

[AndyRKett]

Again more defection away from vag love.

Just going to keep coming back to that ? It’s not really an argument.

I'm not pretending to be something I'm not

What do you think people with VWs or Audis Skodas or Seats are trying to be then? Honestly it seems you’re just trolling at this point, no actual opinion of your own and just repeating the same old crap that other people say.

I note you don’t deflect you just ignore everything you can’t argue against. So again why pick a juke and not a Dacia, is Dacia too cheap for you, do you look down your nose at Dacia owners?

And let’s put things in context here, I own a vw and a fiat and a mini right now, historically I have had 7 fiats and owned only 1 vw,
Car count wise I am bigger Ford fan than VW.
Define “fanboy” if you're going to keep going back to that level of childishness

 

[The Panda Nut]

Thanks Steven. I actually talked about the PPF with the surprisingly knowledgeable, sales man and he said that, unlike with the diesels, PPFs just don't seem to have a problem and, unlike with DPFs, I'm not reading shed loads of stuff about problems with them. There's also the fact that we tend to take Becky (our Panda) when doing local journeys around the town so the Skoda mostly does longer journeys. It's not something I'm concerned about but I am interested in it.

I wonder if the big difference is that the particulates from petrol engines are finer and possible worse for health for that reason) and there are less per gallon than with diesels so the regen does not need the frequency or severity to clear them. It will be interesting to understand the process better.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Diesel claim is rumbling on. I love it cant wait to see of the lawyers can extract some money from Stellanfiat,
The big joke is that the Bravo which is subject of my claim was the best car I have ever owned by nature of being quiet, smooth and really economical. In fact the most economical car I have ever owned and by a big margin. To a great extent I wonder what the hoo ha is about. Very much unlike the downright dishonest and misleading claims for the economy of the Panda TA, the Bravo exceeded fuel use expectations by a margin,so a payout against it, will be compensation for the dishonest economy claims they made of the TA, but for no real reason in reality. Justice I feel. The real culprit of all this VWgate diesel scandal it seems is the body responsible for EU economy tests and the tests and the people who instigated them. If the tests were worth a light, were straight or carried out properly it would have helped. If the EU had just kept the hell out of it we would have no so called official economy figures and would all be better for it. We all know manufacturer economy and other claims are all garbage and would have looked at independant road tests. I despise all those organisations and people involved in the gross corruption involved.

I do urge everyone who owned a diesel when the scandal was exposed to make a claim. Its simple and it demonstrates that cheating on consumers is not a good idea, My son made quite a profit out of super dishonest VAG. Not only did they perpetrate the initial crime of getting caught, just like Fiat they were full of **** and told the court that the 3.0 diesel was not part of their dishonest streak and fraudulent claims scandal. Lying to the courts in America was not a very sensible move and I laughed loud and long when they were caught out by independant lab tests. The boy really liked his Q5 and was very happy with it and its economy, he only leased the thing anyway, but got quite a bounty from their greed and stupidity. Lets hope they all have to pay out big sums especially Fiat makers of the 90HP Panda Waze......