The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
Panda TA battery is quite a big thing too.
What's made you smile today?
- Thread starter angel
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What's made you smile today?
If you do the sensible thing and compare equivalents..
My old 1.6 Mazda the factory battery was 330cca this lasted 8 years before needing a replacement. The Toyota with it's diddy little 1.2...is 660cca.
Even if it dropped by 50% it's a got a reasonable chance of starting the car... although the chances of it dropping that far without also not producing 12v are pretty much 0 you'd imagine a dead cell would be the only reason it dropped that hard.
The Stop start battery on My Punto Evo was something mad like 750CCA (it was a diesel so a little more resistance to turn over than a petrol) which in days gone by would easily start a truck. Even when it was knackered and unable to start the car anymore, it would have probably still worked fine on a petrol.
Ironically the Stop start battery of the EVO is the exact same one needed for my Golf, so when the punto went off on the back of a truck the battery was kept and still resides in my garages.
The one for the Citroën is 760cca.
To start a 1.2 3 cylinder petrol...which also has a capacitor.
Good news is I can probably jump start 2 other petrol C3s simultaneously with the engine off and not hurt the battery much
I have a massive soft spot for Saabs, this popped up on Facebook just now
It reads:
The Saab 99 which was left impaled on a railway bridge after a transporter driver had misjudged the clearance, received national publicity last week. But quick to turn the accident to their advantage, the local Saab dealer exhibited the car in his showrooms at the weekend and took great delight in demonstrating that despite the strain on the body shell, the doors still opened and closed and there was no distortion.
The comments below this are hilarious
It reads:
The Saab 99 which was left impaled on a railway bridge after a transporter driver had misjudged the clearance, received national publicity last week. But quick to turn the accident to their advantage, the local Saab dealer exhibited the car in his showrooms at the weekend and took great delight in demonstrating that despite the strain on the body shell, the doors still opened and closed and there was no distortion.
The comments below this are hilarious
Eer Guv! I can do you a nice deal on a brand new Saab, ask no questions, let's just say it fell off the back of a lorry wink, wink.I have a massive soft spot for Saabs, this popped up on Facebook just now
View attachment 456906
It reads:
The Saab 99 which was left impaled on a railway bridge after a transporter driver had misjudged the clearance, received national publicity last week. But quick to turn the accident to their advantage, the local Saab dealer exhibited the car in his showrooms at the weekend and took great delight in demonstrating that despite the strain on the body shell, the doors still opened and closed and there was no distortion.
The comments below this are hilarious
Mind you I recall a brand new Ford Orion with delivery mileage my old boss picked up cheap, that had genuinely done that and had to be re body shelled as to much value to scrap.
Spotted on my commute...
It's been about 50 weeks since I retired and I'm enjoying the snot out of it. Save for Mrs.Cheests' Cancer and the ankle unpleasantness. Anyway, one of the few people left at the shop that I still like called and asked about a certain kit and what was involved to do a field installation on a finished machine for someone who has never done one. Once I got done laughing, I said talk the customer out of it.
I'm the only guy in North America that's ever installed the kits post production and I've done them since 1998. None of the people I've attempted to train at the South Carolina facility stuck around to do one by themselves. Every installation was different and every one was an exhausting pain in the butt. Part of the job requires a Certified Welder, which I'm not. That adds a whole 'nother layer of cost. The kit, as it comes from Italy, is woefully incomplete. Also, BSPP threading and Metric tube fittings aren't really popular on this side of the pond. That's another problem when one is short of the parts needed. The Gravy Seals and Meal Team Six guys that get hired on won't fit in the inner sanctum of the machine to do the plumbing. So, myself, after the special welding is done, 2 to 3 days depending on what surprises I find. Someone that's never done it before, 10 days to 2 weeks.
I said I wasn't volunteering. Maybe put my services out there for $25K plus expenses just so that they never ask me.
I'm the only guy in North America that's ever installed the kits post production and I've done them since 1998. None of the people I've attempted to train at the South Carolina facility stuck around to do one by themselves. Every installation was different and every one was an exhausting pain in the butt. Part of the job requires a Certified Welder, which I'm not. That adds a whole 'nother layer of cost. The kit, as it comes from Italy, is woefully incomplete. Also, BSPP threading and Metric tube fittings aren't really popular on this side of the pond. That's another problem when one is short of the parts needed. The Gravy Seals and Meal Team Six guys that get hired on won't fit in the inner sanctum of the machine to do the plumbing. So, myself, after the special welding is done, 2 to 3 days depending on what surprises I find. Someone that's never done it before, 10 days to 2 weeks.
I said I wasn't volunteering.
Maybe put my services out there for $25K plus expenses just so that they never ask me.Enjoy your retirement, the money is never worth it.It's been about 50 weeks since I retired and I'm enjoying the snot out of it.
I said I wasn't volunteering.
As I'm reading Cheest's post above, I'm watching a council worker (local authority Cheest) who has just pulled up in a brand spanking new electric powered van (roughly transit sized). He's been sitting in it for almost 10 minutes now doing something on a computer tablet "thingy" before getting out of the van with a fancy back pack (like a rucksack) and carry tool box in his left hand and walking two houses down to knock on their front door and be allowed in. I presume the laptop/tablet procedure was him updating some sort of work record? but who knows. Before computers this chap would have just rocked up, grabbed his tool box and got on with the job. Isn't it amazing/sinister that pretty much everything we do these days involves some sort of electronic device, either it collecting "stuff" about what we're doing in the background or forcing us to actually tell it what we're doing. My new car is permanently connected and I wonder exactly what it's collecting about me?
Honda and others in the US have already been submitting driving data collected by the car to insurers with some receiving letters from their insurance stating that they’ve been terminated due to subpar driving standards. Crazy stuff.
As much as I like to cry about the EU, I am grateful sometimes for hard stances on things like privacy and the legacy it still will have in our own UK legislation.
Some high up Council office worker on £100K + Index Linked Pension Salary has probably justified his existence by setting this up to monitor the minimum wage bods at the bottom of the ladder, whilst at the same time fiddling his expenses and working from home.
In a large fleet context it makes sense..not sending someone from 20 miles away to do a job when there's a bloke already doing a job 1 street over who's due to finish the one he's on before the other bloke would arrive.
Everyone has climate targets and net zero etc etc and if you're call out business van miles are huge amount of your carbon footprint so reducing them with smart scheduling that can be updated on the fly as jobs come in makes sense. It reduces your fleet costs and carbon footprint without you actually changing how many vans you're paying for or how many people are in them by just making sure they aren't doing daft things. His tablet will likely have all information they have about the client, any previous call outs, any information on what he's there to do etc etc, it'll also be linked via gps to the customer who probably got a text telling them he was 15 minutes away and that he has arrived.
In theory anyway...sometimes these things are clever sometimes not so much.
How that applies to always on data connections in cars on the other hand...no idea.
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My carbon footprint must have been something as we only had two guys covering the continental US. Sometimes a third, but the youngsters never stuck around. Jay also had Hawaii and I had Mexico and Puerto Rico. We were so glad when our shop trucks grew wings. Man, it was a three day drive from Chicago to Missoula, Montana.
The two biggest reasons the youngsters gave for leaving were, one, the travel schedule. Admittedly, it could be grueling at times. I've done Chicago to Phoenix, to Oakland, back to Phoenix, to Minneapolis, back to Chicago, in 26 hours. Chicago to Boston, to Dallas, to Guadalajara, Mexico, back to Dallas, and back to Chicago in four days. The overseas trips were multi week affairs. The second reason was that none of the older equipment was fitted with self diagnostic setups, so they had to do real mechanicing and figure out what was wrong by trouble shooting. That was beneath them. So now, with Jay giving management the middle finger last spring, they have no one to do field repairs and have to contract it out.
And those clowns running the show thought Jay and I were expensive.
The two biggest reasons the youngsters gave for leaving were, one, the travel schedule. Admittedly, it could be grueling at times. I've done Chicago to Phoenix, to Oakland, back to Phoenix, to Minneapolis, back to Chicago, in 26 hours. Chicago to Boston, to Dallas, to Guadalajara, Mexico, back to Dallas, and back to Chicago in four days. The overseas trips were multi week affairs. The second reason was that none of the older equipment was fitted with self diagnostic setups, so they had to do real mechanicing and figure out what was wrong by trouble shooting. That was beneath them. So now, with Jay giving management the middle finger last spring, they have no one to do field repairs and have to contract it out.
And those clowns running the show thought Jay and I were expensive.
There's so much ass-covering these days.
My partner gets a visit from a district nurse every weekday morning to administer her insulin. As I am often out early some days, they decided it was better for them to do every day, rather than a changing ad-hoc system. (At least if she has any issues, a visiting nurse every day gets a fast track to other medical attention, removing the hassle of trying to get a doctor appointment.) They usd to record their visit in a folder, a brief summary of her condition, and a statement of insulin administered. Due to staffing difficulties, they asked if I could do weekends, which I now do. I would record this in the folder. Then they went digital. So now their visit is 10 minutes longer, because typing onto a tablet is slower than writing in a folder. Upside, is that the record is visible without having to visit the house. However, there's no way for me to update weekend dosage, so obviously the record is not as a patient record, but purely to cover them in case of issues. But this has cost a tablet for each nurse, plus the software, and the mobile account for each tablet. Another nurse recruited might have been cheaper.
When we've had amubulances attending, one of the crew seems to spend almost all their time typing into a tablet. But if they take her to hospital, nothing gets transferred to the hospital, as they will ask all the same questions, starting from scratch.
We have a 'hospital bed', with air mattress, which gets an annual service inspection. 10 minutes to inspect and test, 15 minutes to update the computer record.
Whilst working for a major parts supplier, we had an issue with batteries failing early. Warranty costs were high. Serial numbers were added to batteries, and had to be quoted for all warranty claims. It became apparent that all the early failures occurred on batteries that were over 6 months old at time of sale. Dealers were keeping excess stock, and not keeping them charged/maintained. A dealer training programme reduced the battery warranty to almost zero. Batteries allowed to drop below 12.4v for more than a few days are unlikely to last more than 2-3 years.
I had a '93 Panda 1000, that had been registered very soon after build. When I bought it at 3 yrs old, it still had the original battery, and that lasted until about 7 years old. Replaced with a new Seicento, that had sat around in dealer stock for 4 months. Battery failed at two years old.
My Panda came, at 4 years old, with its original battery. That lasted until just over 7 years old.
The Fabia, now at just under 10 years old, with stop/start, has its original battery. Battery is a little weak, refusing to do the stop/start thing until after a run each time, but otherwise seems fine. The Doblo, at just under 8 years old, is still on its orginal battery, but stop/start is a very rare occurrence. Strangely, a normal battery for stop/start.
Ate a usual combination of rubbish, including some extremely spicy food as I do this weekend... Woke up 1am Monday morning, something not right. Very unsettled. Sat for about three hours fearing it was going to turn into an explosion of one kind or another. But it just stayed... really bad. As time went on, I realised there was more to it than an episode of anxiety or something like that. Finally took a Rennie and that seemed to help.. Got barely any sleep but dragged myself into work anyway yesterday feeling very rough. I had a half day booked yesterday as well, so it didn't feel as bad. I planned to wax and detox the car in the garage (with heating) for the half day. Only booked to use it before I lose it in the New Year. So much for that! Wasted. In bed, aches / pains. Feeling rough as hell all of yesterday.
Though I managed to get decent sleep... woke up feeling much better today - got to work, got a lot done. One of the only things to look forward to when unwell is the first day after you're 'better', where just existing in peace is more than enough to make you feel happy. I feel alive again. Not the worst case of illness, for sure, but still enough to have me smiling today all the same. God knows what the issue was! But it was very real.
Though I managed to get decent sleep... woke up feeling much better today - got to work, got a lot done. One of the only things to look forward to when unwell is the first day after you're 'better', where just existing in peace is more than enough to make you feel happy. I feel alive again. Not the worst case of illness, for sure, but still enough to have me smiling today all the same. God knows what the issue was! But it was very real.
Glad you are getting better now.
I was a bit concerned we might see some photos after reading the above.
The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
I looked at my fuel gauge and it had 0 bars on it and the light was on, and had been for a while. It swallowed 33.5 litres so STILL, half a gallon left.
Yesterday was a GRUMPY DAY THOUGH. Puncture through my o/s rear Michelin Alpin. The lucky bit was it was right in the centre and could be repaired........
For £37. At least it was done on the spot. The tyre sensors worked and it still had 18 psi left so no extra damage. At least rebalanced the carfeels better.
Yesterday was a GRUMPY DAY THOUGH. Puncture through my o/s rear Michelin Alpin. The lucky bit was it was right in the centre and could be repaired........
For £37. At least it was done on the spot. The tyre sensors worked and it still had 18 psi left so no extra damage. At least rebalanced the carfeels better.
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Feeling better today, myself. Those damn flu and Covid shots took more out of me than I thought. I finally got out to the garage* today to fart around on a couple of old camp stoves. Another of my 'too many' hobbies. Today was replace fuel cap seal day. Both stoves were old Prentiss Wabers suitcase style stoves, though the newer of the two went by Preway before the doors closed. The last time either was used, several years ago, the seals failed and we ate cold food.
First up is the Preway. This model dates from the late fifties to early sixties and competed against the Coleman 425. When the seal works, it's impressive.
The other is a Prentiss-Wabers Auto Kook Kit 409. This one is from the late forties and what folks had in the trunk(boot) of their cars when they went on a cross country journey. There was no fast food.
I should put this one in the back of the DeSoto for car shows but with the cast iron grill and burners, my mileage would drop. I have several of the Auto Kook Kit stoves, dating from the Model T days to the Tri-Five Chevy's.
*The correct pronunciation of 'garage' in the upper Great Lakes states is the single syllable, 'GROJ'.
First up is the Preway. This model dates from the late fifties to early sixties and competed against the Coleman 425. When the seal works, it's impressive.
The other is a Prentiss-Wabers Auto Kook Kit 409. This one is from the late forties and what folks had in the trunk(boot) of their cars when they went on a cross country journey. There was no fast food.
I should put this one in the back of the DeSoto for car shows but with the cast iron grill and burners, my mileage would drop. I have several of the Auto Kook Kit stoves, dating from the Model T days to the Tri-Five Chevy's.
*The correct pronunciation of 'garage' in the upper Great Lakes states is the single syllable, 'GROJ'.
