What's made you smile today?

[MaxHeadroom]

Thanks for you reply Andy

I had one of those Pure Dab jobs hard-wired into my Suzuki Jimny and have to say it worked very well. On the Jimny there was a small cubby hole where it fitted very discreetly.

Like you, Im not too keen aftermarket options either. I don't know if FIAT had an accessory option of a DAB radio when my car was built - if there was it may be the best bet, assuming I can find one, and that it fits straight in, and doesn't cost an arm and leg to do

 

[AndyRKett]

Later around circa 2016/17 I think the touch screen radio they started fitting to Punto models had Dab as well as built in satnav, the down sides to that are the cost, finding one as they are fairly rare and the quality is pretty poor it was made by a very cheap Chinese car radio company and there have been some horror stories on the forum one person had theirs die after just cleaning the screen.

You’d also need to source the relevant aerials for the dab and the antenna for the satnav if you wanted that function to work.

https://youtu.be/Mhin3gEWiPY

 

[MaxHeadroom]

Oooh thats really good information - thank you Andy

Looks like I'll sit tight and see what develops maybe go for the Pure gadget again, although wiring it in will be more difficult than the wonderfully old-fashioned simplicity of the Suzuki Jimny, I expect

 

[DaveMcT]

These looks like handy phone mounts. They use the cup holder so might be a bit low but at least not blocking the view ahead like so many muppets do with their phones.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...70.l1313&_nkw=cup+holder+phone+mount&_sacat=0

 

[DaveMcT]

These looks like handy phone mounts. They use the cup holder so might be a bit low but at least not blocking the view ahead like so many muppets do with their phones.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...70.l1313&_nkw=cup+holder+phone+mount&_sacat=0

 

[SB1500]

They gave me my old car as my courtesy car while the DS is having the parking sensors and infotainment screen sorted ?

 

[portland_bill]

They gave me my old car as my courtesy car while the DS is having the parking sensors and infotainment screen sorted ?

Change your phone number.
Then just carry on, you'll never get the call to say all done and you get to keep the Panda.

 

[SB1500]

Change your phone number.
Then just carry on, you'll never get the call to say all done and you get to keep the Panda.

How did you know my plan?! Hahahaha

Sadly, the inside is very dirty and stained, there’s an extra 1,500 miles on it and crisp packets in the back door pockets ... and worst of all, a yellow constantly lit up warning light on the dash...

The shine and lustre of the black paint though is still looking fantastic, even in the rain... and my phone connected to the radio still!

It was good to be reunited with it, for a few days!

 

[jimboy]

Recently changed the battery on my daily driver three cylinder jobby. Spent most of the time trying to retrieve a socket that I dropped in the engine bay. Spent more time doing this than the actual battery change. With the help of a magnet and a socket extension bar, I eventually got the socket out.

Today is shopping day, so off into town, damn, the one touch electric windows is not functioning. I knew they had to be learnt/programmed again, tried various scenarios few seconds up and down, but alas no. “Tinternet” is your friend, turns out you push both switches down, hold for ten seconds, up and hold for another ten seconds. Result It’s funny how a wee thing like this can buck the spirits some what.

 

[DaveMcT]

Jump leads from a good battery clipped to the battery leads can avoid these problems.

 

[StevenRB45]

Good Lord...I did not realise these were a thing.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-de...Nearly New&onesearchad=New&zero-to-60=OVER_12

Looks exactly the same as wifes except the colour...has 67bhp and 78lb/ft of torque.



No wonder the turbo takes people by surprise...this has got 60% of the power and 50% or the torque yet looks identical. Thought the slowest one had 82bhp..

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Jump leads from a good battery clipped to the battery leads can avoid these problems.

Generally speaking I subscribe to that Dave. I get very nervous about completely isolating a battery as it's caused me some nasty headaches in the past. But, I've also had some very nasty moments with trying what you advocate - connecting jump leads to the battery cable clamps so you can disconnect the battery but maintain power through the leads. If a lead comes off you've lost the feed so might as well not have bothered and if the live (positive) jump lead contacts the car's bodywork or other metal part, well!

My jump leads, being a very old set of commercial vehicle leads, are not very flexible:



Mind you they don't suffer voltage drop on anything I've ever tried them on. Watch that if you buy a cheap set of leads folks. Even used them to extend the torch leads on my stick welder a few times! but because they are not very flexible and heavy it's very easy to knock them off.

So I made up these:



They give me quite a choice of connections. Mostly I connect the wee crocodile clips on the right to my spare battery:



Then I connect the black male end (which has an internal fuse) to the female on the white lead and the male end on the other end of the white lead into the cigar lighter/power socket in the car, turn on the ignition and there you are, all powered up (in terms of memory saving anyway.) If for some reason this isn't going to work I've always got the option of plugging that male end into the other female socket (on the left of picture) which then gives me crocodile clips to connect as I want.

Being "old school" leaving the ignition switch "on" for prolonged periods with the engine not running used to really worry me - because that would be a pretty sure way to burn out the ignition coil on an old points type ignition system - but it doesn't seem to make no nevermind (as my American pal would say) on modern electronic ignitions, or does anyone know differently? The only thing to remember is not to turn the switch to the starter position because that blows the fuse!

 

[varesecrazy]

My friend with a Golf has been contemplating these things..

Modern car.. apparently they can 'lock.out the ECU' IF power is cut

Because the car is obviously immobile I would be looking at a VERY feeble low voltage supply.. just to keep the ECU fed

In my old tipo I used a 'battery booster pack' a motorcycle battery in a plastic case

It had a 12v ciggy socket output..
And a male to male lead

12v into the cars loom from a switched supply out of harms way

Of course.. the Golfs socket dies with the ignition

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Of course.. the Golfs socket dies with the ignition

Aye Charlie. Since I started doing it this way I've found it's common for that auxiliary power supply socket (previously known as the Cigar lighter - always thought that sounded so pretentious, don't you? back in the day we all smoked cigarettes didn't we?) to only be live with the ign switched on, but not necessarily engine running. I've wondered why. Surely there are many instances when you want the power when parked up? - Oh, silly me, people would then flatten the battery wouldn't they!

By the way, just in case my life insurance company investigator is reading this, I haven't smoked since I was 30! When my second child was born Mrs J insisted I become a "Responsible Adult"!

 

[StevenRB45]

Aye Charlie. Since I started doing it this way I've found it's common for that auxiliary power supply socket (previously known as the Cigar lighter - always thought that sounded so pretentious, don't you? back in the day we all smoked cigarettes didn't we?) to only be live with the ign switched on, but not necessarily engine running. I've wondered why. Surely there are many instances when you want the power when parked up? - Oh, silly me, people would then flatten the battery wouldn't they!

You'd think...one of the oddest things I've encountered in a car is that I have 2 12v sockets one on the dash in front of the gear lever one in the under the armrest in the storage box.

The one on the dash is switched the one in the centre is constant live...so er leave something plugged in at your own risk!

You'd think it was broken except they are all like that..I'd imagine there is a reason especially given the box has cable runs coming out of it, possibly to allow use of a battery keeper but it always struck as rather odd.

 

[portland_bill]

Aye Charlie. Since I started doing it this way I've found it's common for that auxiliary power supply socket (previously known as the Cigar lighter - always thought that sounded so pretentious, don't you? back in the day we all smoked cigarettes didn't we?) to only be live with the ign switched on, but not necessarily engine running. I've wondered why. Surely there are many instances when you want the power when parked up? - Oh, silly me, people would then flatten the battery wouldn't they!

By the way, just in case my life insurance company investigator is reading this, I haven't smoked since I was 30! When my second child was born Mrs J insisted I become a "Responsible Adult"!

When cigar lighters first appeared, most were permanently live, although a few manufacturers switched them with the ignition.
Then we got problems with children being left in cars. They'd push and twiddle every button and switch, but of course the cigar lighter stayed in when pushed. Then popped out again. Curiosity then finds it comes out, ready to inflict severe burns on a sibling, or make holes in seats, or even start a small fire. I've seen quite a few used cars with little round burn marks across the dash. So most then went switched,

With the loss of most cigar lighters, they could go back to permanent live.
Careful though if wishing to add a cigar lighter. The lighter socket is different than a 12v supply, missing the spring clips and sometimes not handling the higher currents, so a replacement socket also needed for smokers.

 

[portland_bill]

Doing some driver training at a supermarket yesterday, spied a notice that read:

"Ready to Eat - Aprons"


Interesting menu choice?

Same are aalso had sections for other aprons, all for sending to the laundry. Nice they're separate for the different 'deli' sections.

 

[MaxHeadroom]

I've tried them, but theyre a bit too chewy for my liking

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I've tried them, but theyre a bit too chewy for my liking

I haven't, I know the "falsies" would never cope!

 

[StevenRB45]

Was shopping in the C3...

Came back to it and the formerly empty space beside it contained a 16 year old 206.

Nothing odd, except it had 4 brand new Goodyear Vector 4 seasons on it...that's some confidence in an old car when they'll be at least 40-50% of the value of the car.

Weird to not see ling longs or triangles or some other pound shop crap. Same tyres I use on both our cars.