What's made you smile today? (Part II)

You just reminded me..

Saw a modern Audi ..with the switched 'strobing' indicators the other day in town

'Abandoned' on double yellow lines



It was black and had the Hazard lights on

Approaching from the rear it looked like a 99p store firework display

Those strobing indicators are an ill considered piece of pointless industrial design. Not only does the slender line of light not have impact from a distance, easily swamped by surrounding red light or glare, all the available LEDs are only lit briefly for a moment, the rest of the time spent off or individually turning on during the strobe. To cap it all it takes eyes longer to take notice, as the human eye is programmed to dwell on movement. A simple flashing block of light is far more effective. The strobing line is actually worse than pointless.

I couldn't agree more!! Nothing more than a gimmick, like so many of the things considered essential on today's cars. Yet, all the stupid people get excited by these things. I despair!

Interesting views. All the ones I've seen don't flash individual LEDs, but build the strip across the car to a full light. The purpose of an indicator is to grab attention, and I find these do that well. With the trend to use amber bulbs inside clear lenses they have become less distinctive, these moving LEDs reverse that trend.

I saw some on a non VAG vehicle a day or so ago, can't remember what, but it looks like they are spreading. Coming to a yellow line near you...

. All the ones I've seen don't flash individual LEDs, but build the strip across the car to a full light. The purpose of an indicator is to grab attention, and I find these do that well.

Quoting Bill above, yes that's right, I explained it poorly. They do grab attention, for too long, when your eyes need to register movement in many places at once. that's my point. Blinking blocks of light can be seen with the side of the eye, these strobes make you look right at them. Try it.
We have a thread hijack here so for balance am very happy our Ducato is about to cross 160,000 miles and the Quobo 90,000 miles and both are running perfectly... They won't now, of course..

I've always been interested in American cars - part of my obsession with Drag Racing I suppose? Back in the late '60's, when I was just starting in the motor trade, Ford produced a vehicle which was based on the Mustang but a bit "different". It was the Mercury Cougar:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_Cougar

It had lots of wee quirky touches the Mustang didn't like the headlights "hiding" behind swiveling portions of the grille. But the thing I most loved were the rear flashers:


Bulbs, not LEDs. Controlled, I think, by relays - but I'm not sure. I just thought it looked wonderful coming up behind one of these at a turning!

Mind you there is nothing, in my mind, to beat a 1960's Chevy Impala!


I've been besotted by the look of these ever since I first saw one at Santa Pod back in the heady days of my youth. I should (and will) never buy one as I'm sure it would be a great disappointment "in the flesh" to drive on British roads but I still like to dream about cruising along with maybe the beach boys playing on the 8 track!

I like the way Audi indicators draw a strip across the light the light But can see the "hazards" with both going it would be too much.

When LED indicators first came along, the OFF time was too long. BMWs were especially noticeable (or not) in that respect.

Bulbs rise and fall smoothly whereas LEDs are ON or OFF. Indicator LEDs need a shorter OFF time than filament bulbs, otherwise the gaps appear too long.

The Panda runs again.
It's been a while, replaced both front suspension legs, then did a full service and cambelt change. Then it refused to start. Then it rained a lot.
Between rain bouts, have found the issue. Crap plug leads that go tight on the plugs before they make a good connection. Simple, but very frustrating.
Last year the plug leads fell apart at service time. Couldn't get the NGK ones with long and short plug covers, so got another manufacturer's set. Can't remember the name, but a good brand. I shall order some NGK and swap them over.

Strangely, MES will not let me do a phonic wheel relearn, stating "conditions not met", so engine warning light flashing gently. Job for another day.

Some dielectric grease or even silicone grease on the plug cap seals works wonders.

I've really had to laugh at this otherwise I'd be crying! For a long time now, more than 18 months, I've had, what I thought was, a problem with my plumbing - House, nothing personal you understand, but then again? - Anyway, often, mostly in the early morning when I'm lying in bed trying to stir myself into rising, I can hear a noise like the pipes (mine are copper pipes) being "interfered" with. At first I thought it was air locking, but it doesn't sound quite "right" to be that. Then, talking to my nextdoor neighbour, I discovered that they had had squirrels in their roof and so had the people at the end of the road. You should see the mess they'd made! So I thought, Oh no, must be squirrels "dancing" on the pipes in the loft! (The noise has always seemed to come from the top of the house). Extensive investigations, more than once, revealed no evidence of anything which might even be remotely connected! So I've been living with this most annoying noise, which worries me more than a little as we've had quite a bit of trouble over the last couple of years with our heating system, blocked pipes and air locks stopping circulation - always when the weather is at it's coldest of course! What's really strange though is that this noise only seems to happen early in the morning and it makes no difference whether the heating is active or not.

This morning I had to take the Punto in to Harrisons to get it's clutch changed (more on that elsewhere) and because I was worried it might not make it I left the house a little before 7.00. - Knowing that Kenny himself is usually in early - Traffic was light and she behaved herself well enough for me to complete the journey. I then arrived at the bus stop just as "my" bus drew up so I was back in the house just shortly after 8.00. Poured a cup of tea and sat down in the living room. Darn it! there's the pipe noise! I raced up the stairs - maybe a bit of an exaggeration with my arthritis - and climbed up into the loft thinking, "got you this time"! The noise was still audible and quite loudly too, which seemed to say, yes this is in the roof somewhere. But, almost immediately it stopped. It had lasted long enough for me to be sure it was coming from the gable end where the water tank is - so that might tie in with it being to do with pipes. Went back down and got my Cree Led inspection lamp and spent the next 5 minutes or so looking. Not a sign of anything in the slightest untoward! How can this be? Thought I was going to find a squirrel nest or something worse (Rats?). Gave up and went back down to my, now tepid, cup of tea - and there it is again! Leapt off the sofa and headed to the door when I realized the noise was noticeably louder near the fire, which is a gas "hole in the wall" job on the gable end wall. Couldn't be something "fiddling" with the exhaust guard for the fire could it? Raced outside, but no, nothing going on. Not 5 minutes later there it is again! Back up into the loft and this time the noise hasn't stopped. Hopped over the joists (only the other half of the loft is floored) without putting my foot through the ceiling, and the noise is actually in the gable end itself? Then it stopped again. Can't figure this out. Oh well, make a nice new hot cup of tea. Just sat down and there it is again. Don't believe it, never heard it happening so much before. But I thought, without any really solid reasoning behind it, I wonder if something is on the roof? Raced out the front door and over to the pavement on the other side of the road just in time to see a Magpie "dancing" in our TV aerial before launching itself off in flight. Our houses are in a bit of a dip in the ground so we all have our aerials are on long poles - maybe 8 or 10 ft long - secured, in our case, to, you've guessed it, THE GABLE END! As he/she (how do you know with birds?) launched, the mast vibrated and oscillated producing the noise I've been hearing all this time! The mast is secured with two substantial angle iron brackets to the gable end wall which, I guess, is serving as a sounding board! You couldn't make it up could you! Wonder why they only indulge in this "recreation" early in the morning? Unbelievably "chuffed" to have solved the mystery at last!

After a washout weekend taking little man for a walk in the morning sun.

Gorgeous today, very early autumn.

That's what I thought. But still the caps go tight before the connector pops on.
A combination of caps too tight, and connectors not tight enough.

I've found the invoice now, they were Magneti Marelli ones from Shop4Parts, so rather disappointing. New NGK ones on thier way.

Further to Jock's magpies. When I was a child I would often awaken to a "ticker-ticker-tick" noise and of course the dawn chorus going at full chat.

I discovered the cause many years later when I fitted a new TV ariel so she could get digital TV. The old chimney mounted pole was chattering away in it's strapped on bracket - and quite probably why her signal had been too weak for digital. I fitted a new bracket and used PVC tape around the pole where it was metal to metal.

Grand Designs: who would've thought that family used to live in a 2 bedroom end of terrace house...

It's the one on the left