varesecrazy said:

Aaand.. I am fiddling with stuff the forum will be discussing @2020 :/

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I'm thinking of future proofing my Panda Fantasia with a plug in electric conversion.

Considering my quick project Uno has become "I might get it done by next track day season" "maybe" my Fantasia might be back on the road by 2020.

Used the Panda yesterday, arriving home saw that one DRL was not working. A pain to replace as it's a bumper off job, in the cold and wet. This morning, just lifted the bonnet and removed the fuse. Started engine, both DRLs lit.
Lifted bonnet, replaced fuse for horns!
DRLs still working.

I guess they'll fail again soon, probably when the weather is even colder.

The DRLs are aftermarket, fitted in place of the factory front foglamps. Fit lovely and look standard.
Horns upgraded to a pair of Fiamms. Nice bit of noise when needed.

Sitting in a car park waiting for my wife in the Citroen, had left it parked to the right in the bay so I could access the child seat on the left without hitting the car to my left if he started crying as he likes to when the car is stopped.

Bloke in a CRV pulls in and nudges the back right corner..hop out to have a look, the C3 is built for French parking so everywhere you are likely to be hit is bash proof plastic so no harm done. About to let it go..."Did i nudge you?" "Yes but it's all plastic no damage done" "This is your fault for parking with a tyre on the line of the bay, this is what happens" "Oh I see I thought you'd driven into a parked car"..

Let it go no harm done..but ffs..probably reversed into the bollard on his way out and screamed at the shop for putting it there..

Hence why I call SUVs and 4x4s Wan ker Wagons!!

just before 10pm last night, about to go to bed, phone rang. Baby brother, (55 yrs old) had drowned our sister's Focus. Lots of rain yesterday, in the dark, under a railway bridge, water suddenly got very deep. Had to be rescued by the Fire Service, using a boat! So that's a scrap car then, the day after a new MOT.

Two years ago he drowned his Discovery, scrapped that too. How long before he realises cars do not float.

So he lives in Bristol, but was in Yeovil, being checked out by ambulance people, nowhere to go, no trains or buses.

At 10:20, I was off to Yeovil, 88 miles, collected him from the hospital (convenient warm dry waiting area), took him back to Bristol, 47 miles, then returned home, 55 miles, total 190 miles. Arrived home 3:30am this morning.

Bit sleepy now.

A303 a pleasure at that time of night.

portland_bill said:

just before 10pm last night, about to go to bed, phone rang. Baby brother, (55 yrs old) had drowned our sister's Focus. Lots of rain yesterday, in the dark, under a railway bridge, water suddenly got very deep. Had to be rescued by the Fire Service, using a boat! So that's a scrap car then, the day after a new MOT.

Two years ago he drowned his Discovery, scrapped that too. How long before he realises cars do not float.

So he lives in Bristol, but was in Yeovil, being checked out by ambulance people, nowhere to go, no trains or buses.

At 10:20, I was off to Yeovil, 88 miles, collected him from the hospital (convenient warm dry waiting area), took him back to Bristol, 47 miles, then returned home, 55 miles, total 190 miles. Arrived home 3:30am this morning.

Bit sleepy now.

A303 a pleasure at that time of night.

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At least he is ok and safe... physically, mentally he needs to have a word with himself if he is going to keep killing cars by driving them into deep water, thats just not right. :bang:

AndyRKett said:

At least he is ok and safe... physically, mentally he needs to have a word with himself if he is going to keep killing cars by driving them into deep water, thats just not right. :bang:

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Perhaps he has missed his vocation..

Stunt man on 'CORRIE ' maybe

varesecrazy said:

Perhaps he has missed his vocation..

Stunt man on 'CORRIE ' maybe

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frustrated potential submariner?

Went out last night to load up our old mj for a xmas trip.

10 mins later.. back out with more stuff..

Has started drizzling..and was getting darker

I saw someting on the ground..in the road near the rear wheel.. looked like black foam..in an odd 'teardrop ' shape.

Then I noticed the door mirror was pushed back..

Oh no..!!

Yep.. you guessed .. the teapdrop was the mirror lens

I folded the casing back into position..

Picked up the water covered lens.

(It had done a great job of reflecting the night sky..!!)

It looked undamaged.. so I carefully clicked it back into the casing..

Cautious of it dropping out and smashing..

I gave it another hard push.. another 2 loud clicks..
We made the 2 hour trip without issue

Could've been worse..!!

varesecrazy said:

Went out last night to load up our old mj for a xmas trip.

10 mins later.. back out with more stuff..

Has started drizzling..and was getting darker

I saw someting on the ground..in the road near the rear wheel.. looked like black foam..in an odd 'teardrop ' shape.

Then I noticed the door mirror was pushed back..

Oh no..!!

Yep.. you guessed .. the teapdrop was the mirror lens

I folded the casing back into position..

Picked up the water covered lens.

(It had done a great job of reflecting the night sky..!!)

It looked undamaged.. so I carefully clicked it back into the casing..

Cautious of it dropping out and smashing..

I gave it another hard push.. another 2 loud clicks..
We made the 2 hour trip without issue

Could've been worse..!!

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Mate of mine at work did well with some investment and works hard, got a new Audi A5 ( not certain about the number, they all look the same) 3 years later the wing mirror glass fell out in the work car park, no impact at all, glue failed. Glued it back in with strong loctite from the factory. Merry Christmas everyone [emoji4][emoji319]?

Electric providers quote for next year.. over double this years..

Would not be so bad but they have been lousy to deal with also..

Something tells me it wont be next years provider

My noisy neighbours have apparently got themselves an 'Alexa'. (Or whatever it's called)
The whole family (5 of them) spent yesterday afternoon and into the evening shouting silly questions at it. The volume level rose as they all competed to shout over each other.

This is the future.
No matter how clever computers and robots get, they'll always be programmed by people who don't get out enough, and operated by people with few functioning brain cells.

Easy to see why computers may one day revolt against this.

portland_bill said:

My noisy neighbours have apparently got themselves an 'Alexa'. (Or whatever it's called)
The whole family (5 of them) spent yesterday afternoon and into the evening shouting silly questions at it. The volume level rose as they all competed to shout over each other.

This is the future.
No matter how clever computers and robots get, they'll always be programmed by people who don't get out enough, and operated by people with few functioning brain cells.

Easy to see why computers may one day revolt against this.

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I can't imagine anything worse than having those money-hungry bastards at Amazon listening to every word said in my house.

Had a bit of a convention today

Sei had a puncture

Kit was in one punto.. spare alloy in the other..

The panda ?
Just doing its thing.. same as the last 14 xmases !!

Charlie

Sorry about image.. struggling to get it right from phone..

Better?

This made me laugh and cringe at the same time as bracing myself for potential impact.

Headed home, southbound on the A1(M) yesterday some pillock in a Jaguar I-Pace had his collision avoidance system on but every time he pulled out to overtake he did so too close to the vehicle in the right lane so it slammed on the brakes. Much to the annoyance of everyone behind him. Whenever he went back into the left lane he would cut too close behind someone and the SUV would automatically slam on the brakes again. A van had to take to the hard shoulder to avoid him at one point.

This went on a few more times before I overtook him. He looked genuinely frightened sat behind that wheel.

I hope he made it home safe and has now read the owners manual.

Liquid Knight II said:

This made me laugh and cringe at the same time as bracing myself for potential impact.

Headed home, southbound on the A1(M) yesterday some pillock in a Jaguar I-Pace had his collision avoidance system on but every time he pulled out to overtake he did so too close to the vehicle in the right lane so it slammed on the brakes. Much to the annoyance of everyone behind him. Whenever he went back into the left lane he would cut too close behind someone and the SUV would automatically slam on the brakes again. A van had to take to the hard shoulder to avoid him at one point.

This went on a few more times before I overtook him. He looked genuinely frightened sat behind that wheel.

I hope he made it home safe and has now read the owners manual.

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This is not how collision avoidance systems work.....

The clue is in the name Collision avoidance, the car monitors the speed of the car in front and would only apply the brakes if the car was closing on the car in front too fast and the driver wasn't taking appropriate action following warnings.

you wouldn't have the car slam on its brakes because you pulled into a different lane too close unless you where literally about to have an accident. If a van had to take to the hard shoulder then that's 100% the van's fault, though I suspect this is one of your usual tall tales.

The collision avoidance systems I've so far encountered only work within min and max speed parameters, usually around 10-40mph. Below the low parameter it does not work, otherwise it would be impossible to edge close to something intentionally, a real pain if the car would only just fit in the garage for example. Above a max parameter they don't function as the radar would have to 'look' further ahead, with a greater possibility of false readings and too many 'panic' moments.

They also do not work if the closing speed is grater than the vehicle's speed. This avoids it braking on single-carriageway roads with bends, when for a short time you might be facing directly at an oncoming vehicle.

More likely in the case above could be his adaptive cruise control. As he signals to overtake it reduces the 'following' distance to accelerate the car ready for the lane change and overtake, but when he moves out too close to the passing vehicle, the cruise then reacts to slow him. Adaptive cruise will use the brakes when necessary, including lighting the brake lights. Again as he dives back in, he is again too close, so the cruise brakes.

Even before he ever had adaptive cruise he probably always followed too close, and now his new car is fighting him. Reading the manual will probably not help him, he needs a knowledgeable driver trainer to spend a couple of hours with him, explaining how it all works and getting him to understand safe following distances. I doubt that thought would occur to him, having got himself a Jaguar, he'll not consider that driver trainers are for him any more.

portland_bill said:

having got himself a Jaguar, he'll not consider that driver trainers are for him any more.

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Or maybe the ones with velcro strap fastenings..

Sounds like adaptive cruise to me too.

Seems to me that none of this tech is yet better than a well trained competent driver who is concentrating on the task of driving? There's too much "stuff" in cars now which people who have no interest in cars and pride in their driving take the time to understand. But it insidiously and dangerously makes them feel "safe and invulnerable" - I bet they know how to "link" their mobile phone or use their music source though!

I would be the first to say that I'm not a perfect driver but I'm hard pressed to think of anything I've done which could be described as even remotely dangerous. On the other hand, during a typical journey to pick up one of our grandchildren - which consists of a journey through the city and then fast "A" roads - I frequently see someone doing something which frightens me and makes me think "There's a driver who, one day, will probably kill someone"