What's made you not grumpy but not smile either today?

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What's made you not grumpy but not smile either today?

Arent the brightest systems supposedly 'self levelling' : aka SMART..

I am still thinking a lot of these are just clueless operators not adjusting the headlight adjusters when laden.. but assumed the Tech should stop this?

Regards the marking the interior like daylight..

I'm regularly very glad of multiple things, first thing being our cars slightly high window line and ride height. It moves you above the beam cut off of all but the tallest 4x4s. Second is that for some reason the spec included limo dark rear tints and third, automatically dipping mirrors.

None of this should really be necessary obviously...

Regards self adjust, most manufacturers do this in the bare minimum way. Basically there's a ride height sensor on the rear suspension and it does exactly what the little wheel does on the dash in a halogen car. That's it..so if you are up a hill or on an undulating road your lights will still be all over the place following the movement of the body shell. They are not gyroscopically stabilised or anything of that nature.

Whether that still applies to the latest l.e.d. matrix beam stuff I don't know. They are smart enough to pick out and shine on pedestrians, road signs, and shutter themselves away from oncoming traffic. When walking in winter I've seen them pick me out then move on to something else it's quite impressive. But very few cars have these... basically high end Germans or Vauxhall. Most you see are just a dumb bulb in the same way halogen is.
 
The self levelling is only to compensate the car being heavily loaded in the back. They are heavily damped so that bumps or road changes dont affect them.
 
I still say it's a matter of pattern than brightness. A laser could burn your eyes out, but if not pointing at you in the dark then you'd barely notice it. I've had a few newer cars and the lights seem to go too far up the road signs compared to older cars.
Im sure you are right on this. Overall brightness is still a real problem specifically because of the bad adjustment. Badly adjusted halogen lights are a big pain but can be tolerated. Police forces should start issuing penalty notices to drivers who dazzle, and then people would ensure their lights are properly adjusted. I have several times had to bring my car to an emergency stop due to thesesuper bright lights in a poor state of adjustment. This is novel and its extremely dangerous. I am another driver who tries very hard to avoid night driving for exactly this reason. I cannot overstate how much I resent being forced of the roads by the people who are too lazy and ignorant to get their vehicles maintained properly.

The stupid lights make it easier for idiots to drive at high speed at night compounding the pr oblemwhen they arise. The sooner these things are properly regulated the better. The UK should just ban them!

On the subject of lights my 2 Panda 319's have apparently poor lights. In this case its a design issue. The dip and main beams are broadly set within the unit. As delivered from the factory the full beam lights are set too high when the adjustment is set on 0 and the dipped beams are correctly aligned. To increase the effectiveness of the lights I have to run wiht the adjuster on 1 or even 2. This makes the electric adjustment for load somewhat pointless. May be there is more of this sort of dumb lighting around than we imagine?
 
Am I the only person who also finds the lack of proper road markings now prevalent in the UK a big issue? Driving at night on wet motorways with neither cats eyes nor proper white lines is taxing to say the least!
Maybe thats an East Coast thing

Most of my m.way travels are good for that..??
 
Maybe thats an East Coast thing

Most of my m.way travels are good for that..??
Well I havn't been driving a lot for a few years but M2,M20, M11,M25 were appalling when last I had to use them regularly. There seems to be a drive to remove old type cats eyes, no doubt purely on cost. I(f we are lucky they replace with vastly inferior new types but in the case of the M11 there were for years no left or right markings and no lane dividers either. In moderately heavy trafficit was a complete mightmare. Its only when they go that you miss them.
The old cats eyes made of bronze frame and a very ehavy rubber with glass eyes must be getting towards the end of their life and hence grand scale removal.
I wrote at length to RoSPA in the vain hope they might raise it with the Highways Agency but to no avail. These things save lives and are a necessity on bad visibility. Its amazing how much extra energy is required to stay correctly located withoutn them and also how much this detracts form a sense of security.
Its not just a case of reduced numbers butincorrect fitting as well. Properly alighned at an angle they reflect back to the approaching traffic. Incorrectly fitted theyir effect is something like 50% less effective and with the new types this reduction seems to render them almost useless. Gone are the days where you could see the line of te orad for 1/4 of a mile in dipped beams. Anyway Im glad its not such an issue where you are,
 
Noises outside prompted me to look out. The fencing men are back.
Opposite, I'm looking at the backs of a row of houses in the next street. A week ago, these two men were working in a back garden, dismantling a piece of fence that was starting to lean. I've not looked since, but their arrival today highlighted their work.
The fence between gardens is a vertical boarded one, and the section nearest the house had rotted posts. That has now been replaced, not with new posts and vertical boards, but what looks like a single long panel, slightly taller than the rest of the fence. But why is it leaning? It is clear to see. Against the house wall, with its brick lines, no excuse for not being vertical.
That bit looks finished, as they are now working on the other side of the garden.

I have some paving slabs needing replacing, some reseating. Those guys, definitely not the ones for the job.

Having taken a pic, when magnified, it shows more detail than I can see form my window. The 'new' panel appears to be temporary, a scaffold frame, and lots of cable ties. Makes me wonder just how long it takes to do the job properly, rather than twice.
 

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Having taken a pic, when magnified, it shows more detail than I can see form my window. The 'new' panel appears to be temporary, a scaffold frame, and lots of cable ties. Makes me wonder just how long it takes to do the job properly, rather than twice.
Depends if they can get a new panel. I remember a few years back there were issues with getting hold of 6ft fence panels.

As I am not in the market these days for a fence, I have no idea about any of the finer points of procuring panels, but looking at the state of the rest of the fence it may be they are replacing the whole thing, have ordered the panels and are waiting on delivery but still needed to block the whole to stop pets or feral children getting out/in
 
Depends if they can get a new panel. I remember a few years back there were issues with getting hold of 6ft fence panels.

As I am not in the market these days for a fence, I have no idea about any of the finer points of procuring panels, but looking at the state of the rest of the fence it may be they are replacing the whole thing, have ordered the panels and are waiting on delivery but still needed to block the whole to stop pets or feral children getting out/in
Two miles down the road is a timber merchant specialising in fencing and other outdoor wood products. Very busy, and looking in as I pass, barns full of fencing. (It's on a farm) They took down the old panel. It was leaning a lot, but if no replacement available, could have been shored up for a while.
They seem to be doing a lot of work, for little change. Making hard work of it.

At least, while there is a large hole in the outer fence, the dog is not out in the garden barking at nothing. Small mercies.
 
Had agreed to go see family members on holiday, it was in reasonable driving distance.

Except of course, car needs a new CV boot so while it's not parked up and isn't screeching, clicking, popping etc..3 hours at 70 miles an hour seems a bit like pushing small job into the big job.

Where they are staying is 10 minute walk from the train station, it's on the east coast main line and the difference between driving and public transport is about 40 mins.

So train tickets booked, bus to town...then east coast mainline it is. He loves buses and trains...but he's never been on a general service bus except on day trips to York etc and the only trains he's been on have been historic.

Usually whenever I use public transport it makes me regret it..and I've got a 4 year old in tow..what could possibly go wrong?

Hopefully it'll be a fun day..and he'll enjoy it... hopefully..but if not I've got journey sweets.
 
Had agreed to go see family members on holiday, it was in reasonable driving distance.

Except of course, car needs a new CV boot so while it's not parked up and isn't screeching, clicking, popping etc..3 hours at 70 miles an hour seems a bit like pushing small job into the big job.

Where they are staying is 10 minute walk from the train station, it's on the east coast main line and the difference between driving and public transport is about 40 mins.

So train tickets booked, bus to town...then east coast mainline it is. He loves buses and trains...but he's never been on a general service bus except on day trips to York etc and the only trains he's been on have been historic.

Usually whenever I use public transport it makes me regret it..and I've got a 4 year old in tow..what could possibly go wrong?

Hopefully it'll be a fun day..and he'll enjoy it... hopefully..but if not I've got journey sweets.
"Sweets for the journey" A family institution for us.
 
Well they came in handy as every single train and bus was late...at least in the modern era you can track them so when they are going to be late you can not bother turning up on time.

Did manage to accidentally send a very important stick to Edinburgh and a Dinosaur hat to Bristol though. Whoops replacement to order there...

Does anyone not do "Sweets for the journey???"

Despite the lost items..he had a lot of fun though.
 
Well they came in handy as every single train and bus was late...at least in the modern era you can track them so when they are going to be late you can not bother turning up on time.

Did manage to accidentally send a very important stick to Edinburgh and a Dinosaur hat to Bristol though. Whoops replacement to order there...

Does anyone not do "Sweets for the journey???"

Despite the lost items..he had a lot of fun though.
If you PM @Pugglt Auld Jock , he might be able to collect the stick from Edinburgh station, and maybe put it back on the next train home again?:ROFLMAO:
 
If you PM @Pugglt Auld Jock , he might be able to collect the stick from Edinburgh station, and maybe put it back on the next train home again?:ROFLMAO:
In fact my older boy works at the Waverley Station. If you, Steven, want to supply some detailed description about this stick I could ask him if he could check with lost property or whoever to see if it's been handed in?
 
In fact my older boy works at the Waverley Station. If you, Steven, want to supply some detailed description about this stick I could ask him if he could check with lost property or whoever to see if it's been handed in?
🤣🤣🤣 Brown and Sticky?

The chances of it avoiding a cleaners bin bag are slim to none.

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Said stick and hat...prior to their respective incidents.

The hat may well be in lost property in Bristol..but collecting it is likely more of an endeavour than replacing it.
 
🤣🤣🤣 Brown and Sticky?

The chances of it avoiding a cleaners bin bag are slim to none.

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Said stick and hat...prior to their respective incidents.

The hat may well be in lost property in Bristol..but collecting it is likely more of an endeavour than replacing it.
What a cracking picture! See what you mean about about the stick. When we were very young - 1950's - my middle brother was very keen on sticks. wherever we stopped he would insist on finding one to take home, sometimes they were so long the journey would be completed with a window open and the stick lying across us all on the back seat!
 
What a cracking picture! See what you mean about about the stick. When we were very young - 1950's - my middle brother was very keen on sticks. wherever we stopped he would insist on finding one to take home, sometimes they were so long the journey would be completed with a window open and the stick lying across us all on the back seat!
We have many to replace it that's for sure... although it was his favourite for shooting people out the car window with.

I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of his favourite stick from our lakes trip in the boot of C3.
 
Job has come up at work..

It is a job I've done, it is a job that pays about 20% more than I'm currently on.

It is also a job I was glad to see the back of..however one of the reasons it was such a flipping pain is gone and the other is no longer directly involved. Also would be part of a team of 3 rather than a 1 man show.

Hmm decisions..as to whether I do it myself again.. although to be fair reason 2 may not want me again 😂
 
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