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Post by Martin on Jul 21, 2022 9:29:56 GMT
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Post by Martin on Jul 19, 2022 18:34:25 GMT
Downstairs is 32C according to the thermometer in the kitchen, upstairs the one in the bedroom reads 34C. That's with a retired wife at home, windows open all day and a few fans on. At least it has now clouded over and there's a bit of a breeze blowing If it’s high 30s outside (or when it’s warmer outside than in the house) it really should be windows and curtains / blinds closed. That’s what Lindsay did today and despite being 39c today the hall is 28c and both the dining and living rooms are 27c. The kitchen / diner is 31c but it’s had the sun on the French doors since lunchtime, which don’t have blinds. Im current try sitting in our bedroom which is a very pleasant 26c, but I am considering dropping it a degree or two!
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Post by Martin on Jul 19, 2022 18:29:20 GMT
‘Elvis’, the ex F1 mechanic who’s on Wheeler Deelers, in Knutsford services on the M6.
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Purple
Jul 19, 2022 7:23:02 GMT
Post by Martin on Jul 19, 2022 7:23:02 GMT
I had a relationship with a lady at work who drove an RS2000 4x4 in that colour many years ago, would have been late 94 iirc and she’d not had it long (bought new). Anyway….. That should scrub up well and good luck! Even after all this time? Depends how she’s lived her life….. She might, she was very attractive when she was 32, but that was a long time ago (can’t believe it’s nearly 30 years!)
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Post by Martin on Jul 19, 2022 7:19:16 GMT
A fabric window seal kit is well worth getting if you have a PAC. We took ours upstairs last week when Max’s bedroom was 29.5 and it took ages to get down to 24c so I thought I’d give a window kit a try. The first surprise was how much air there was trying to get back into the room, the fabric was being pushed right back and the second was how quickly the temperature in the room came down, so it must be using a lot less electricity. A really good buy imo for £20-25 on Amazon, the only downside is Velcro on the window but it’s not really noticeable in his room.
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Post by Martin on Jul 18, 2022 21:24:53 GMT
We have a Delonghi Pinguino bought last year on your recommendation. We would quite literally be toasted without it. It’s still 32 degrees in the bedrooms on the top floor of the house at present, but 15-20 mins of the Pinguino will get it down to a far more bearable 23/24. Excellent!
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Post by Martin on Jul 18, 2022 20:39:07 GMT
I’ve looked at fixed units a few times, but haven’t gone for it because the portable unit works so well for a lot less money. I’ll look again if/when one of our units dies.
They are a lot quieter and presumably more efficient, but the last time I got a price for the unit we would need for our bedroom, it was over £2,500 installed, so 3 times the portable unit. It’s the installation costs that are high, the units themselves aren’t too bad.
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ST170
Jul 18, 2022 20:24:48 GMT
Post by Martin on Jul 18, 2022 20:24:48 GMT
A pound a day to tax though Chris. Which I will concede is a lot. It is as a percentage of the cars value, but will be offset by a lack of depreciation.
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Post by Martin on Jul 18, 2022 20:18:33 GMT
Amazingly the country hasn’t collapsed…..! It’s been hot, yes, but hasn’t felt ridiculously so because we’ve been acclimatising and the humidity isn’t too bad (35c in somewhere like Singapore is much less bearable than the 38c it was here today). It’s forecast to be 40c at home tomorrow so will be even hotter.
The highest temperature I’ve seen is 118f / 48c at the edge of Death Valley in 2012, breathing in was uncomfortable.
We’ve been fine. I was in the office for most of the day, then pre-cooled the car for 20mins before setting off for Chester and driving on nice quiet motorways sitting on a cooled seat, with the aircon gently blowing.
All good at home as well. I decided to buy a second aircon unit (Delonghi EX100) last week, moving the one from our bedroom up to the top floor into the youngest sons bedroom, as that’s by far the hottest room in the house. Apparently neither unit has struggled at all, they have been running all day but the compressor hasn’t been on continuously and no issues holding 24c, which is their default in the ‘real feel’ setting which manages humidity as well as temperature.
One of the best things we’ve ever bought for the house, it might only get c10 days use a year, but it still feels like great value, especially today.
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ST170
Jul 18, 2022 19:36:41 GMT
Post by Martin on Jul 18, 2022 19:36:41 GMT
Can’t really go wrong at that price. Is this going to be a ‘keeper’ if it turns out to be a good one?
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Purple
Jul 18, 2022 19:34:54 GMT
Post by Martin on Jul 18, 2022 19:34:54 GMT
I had a relationship with a lady at work who drove an RS2000 4x4 in that colour many years ago, would have been late 94 iirc and she’d not had it long (bought new). Anyway…..
That should scrub up well and good luck!
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Post by Martin on Jul 18, 2022 17:17:14 GMT
In terms of driving alone, I’ve done Moscow to Helsinki on my own in a day before. That’s 1,100kms. Also done London to Milan in one go more than once - that’s 780 miles door to door. I'd briefly (VERY briefly!) considered that as an option for one of our Milan trips. We can add on another 400 miles each way though, so probably for the best. Especially as the first one would have been in the Legacy, at 30-ish mpg IF I was lucky!!! Linking back to your car thoughts… I got all the way from Dover to Milan via a night in Lucerne and a mountain pass with range to spare in my 520d. It was just over 700 miles. So slightly better than 30mpg!
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Post by Martin on Jul 15, 2022 19:28:53 GMT
Not really, I think I’d rather have a Boxster if I was buying a 3rd car around that price.
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Post by Martin on Jul 15, 2022 15:46:47 GMT
I think it’ll be brilliant; you’ll be able to buy your BMW with standard 18” wheels and then do an over the air upgrade to 21” for a monthly subscription charge. Considering what BMW charge for these wheels and tyre packages from new I’ll be quids in. And switch to winter wheels/tyres when the temperature drops.
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Post by Martin on Jul 15, 2022 9:53:17 GMT
It’s not clear in picture what a great colour it is. It’s a PTS colour now on the 911 Just get your name down for one Martin. Gives you 2 years to make the man maths work I’m confident in my man maths, it rarely lets me down! Less confident in how much use one would get (for various reasons) and I’m not spending that much on a car unless I get plenty of opportunity to enjoy it (8-10k miles a year). I am going to find some time to visit my local dealer, as I really need to try one, although that’s quite dangerous.
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Post by Martin on Jul 15, 2022 9:39:19 GMT
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Post by Martin on Jul 15, 2022 9:34:09 GMT
It’s something I’d consider to replace the Golf, yes. Not sure Lindsay would be keen though!
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Post by Martin on Jul 15, 2022 9:29:39 GMT
A 992 GTS in Night blue, passing me slowly as I walked out of The Oval yesterday. It looked exactly the same as the one I posted a short while ago and looked absolutely fantastic, even better than in pictures. It sounded better than expected at low speeds as well. Still couldn’t / wouldn’t pay a £15k+ premium on a 6 month old car, but it did draw me into a man maths session again! There is a 992 in that colour which passes the office most days and I think it looks stunning. It would be my choice of colour. It’s not clear in picture what a great colour it is. It’s a PTS colour now on the 911
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Post by Martin on Jul 15, 2022 9:11:54 GMT
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Post by Martin on Jul 15, 2022 9:04:54 GMT
A 992 GTS in Night blue, passing me slowly as I walked out of The Oval yesterday. It looked exactly the same as the one I posted a short while ago and looked absolutely fantastic, even better than in pictures. It sounded better than expected at low speeds as well. Still couldn’t / wouldn’t pay a £15k+ premium on a 6 month old car, but it did draw me into a man maths session again!
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Post by Martin on Jul 15, 2022 8:09:39 GMT
It’s a good point around the extra £x per month as for a lot of BMW buyers that’s how they buy the cars anyway, so (maybe!) the extra cost plus PCP/Lease payment ends up being broadly the same.
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Post by Martin on Jul 14, 2022 21:38:28 GMT
I’ve got a slightly different view, but it depends on how it all works in reality.
I they drop thing that are standard and make you pay a subscription, then that’s not good, but if it give you an option to add features you didn’t order when you’ve lived with the car for a while then that’s a good thing as at least you have the choice. Even better if you’re buying used and can activate options the original owner didn’t want to pay for.
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Post by Martin on Jul 13, 2022 16:50:20 GMT
Most places around home are 199.9 for diesel, but BP are 196.9, so I filled up there. Only to put premium diesel in by mistake and I didn't notice until I'd gone past £100...in for a penny, in for £157!! It happened to be the second most economical full tank, but was still 30p per mile. I think I am nearer to 40p/mile at the moment!! I might manage 30p/mile on a long journey. Yes, but you've got a petrol V8 and I've got a diesel.... It was over 90% long motorway journeys. I didn't mention the price, it was 210.9. We're not even 2 weeks into July and I've already put nearly £400 worth of fuel into the cars. It's easily going to be an £800 month and I think I'll get about £250 of that back through expenses. It cost me just over £500 last month as well after claiming expenses, it's getting a bit painful.
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Post by Martin on Jul 13, 2022 16:44:13 GMT
The family truck clearly likes the warm weather, despite having the air con and cooled seats running for the whole journey. It's a very optimistic OBC, but even so that's still a fraction over 35mpg.
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Post by Martin on Jul 13, 2022 16:40:09 GMT
Most places around home are 199.9 for diesel, but BP are 196.9, so I filled up there. Only to put premium diesel in by mistake and I didn't notice until I'd gone past £100...in for a penny, in for £157!! It happened to be the second most economical full tank, but was still 30p per mile.
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Post by Martin on Jul 12, 2022 20:57:14 GMT
I'm now going away to see how I can man maths a Panamera Turbo as a 'spare' in case I have any issues with the family truck! Think about what happens if/when your sons pass the driving test..... or want a car to learn in. Not a Panamera Turbo but something that costs £30 or less VED pa, cheap to insure for all the family to drive, compact enough for town driving but also capable of the occasional motorway journey and ideally not too stodgy to drive and not an embarrassment to be seen in. OK maybe you could afford a Panamera Turbo for that but.. for me it was a question of "needs must" as I knew it would take a while to get things sorted and my daughter back with a set of wheels if I'd left her to arrange things. As it happens it was 5 months to the day when she took the Audi back; 3 Feb to 3 July BTW I have applied the "Beats" stripes to it today, not 100% happy with how it turned out (part of one door's stripes remained stuck to the "backing" paper when I pulled it off, instead of remaining stuck to the door) but it'll do; 2nd attempt after the aborted one back in March, and the issues generally stem from masking tape that wouldn't stay stuck to the car ..... and I tried taking a rear wheel off for another minor "upgrade" but it's stuck (corroded?) to the hub so I aborted any attempt to remove any of the other wheels. Some research is required; pressure from a foot, two feet and a hammer wouldn't dislodge the wheel :-( It was a joke Chris! You’re right though, I will be buying all 3 boys their first car, but I won’t be buying extras as ‘spares’! I get why you bought the Polo (not that it matters one hot whether I get it or not), I just think it makes more sense to sell it now while the market is still pretty strong than run another car that’s so similar to one you already have.
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Post by Martin on Jul 12, 2022 15:51:19 GMT
I’ve been to North Wales today and haven’t seen diesel for less than 199.9 anywhere. It makes the 209.9 at Stafford services seem fairly reasonable.
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Post by Martin on Jul 12, 2022 12:21:01 GMT
Wives’ cars are paid for by husbands so that wives get a car her husband wants to drive. That's why Lindsey has a MX-5. She initially wanted a RAV4. That sentence feels the wrong way round!
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Golf R
Jul 12, 2022 12:18:28 GMT
Post by Martin on Jul 12, 2022 12:18:28 GMT
It was in for its 4 year service and MOT yesterday, for what I thought was a fairly reasonable £391 all in including VAT.
There were five advisories on the MOT! Two were for the front tyres being down to 3mm (I thought they were c4mm), which isn’t an issue as 3mm is the point I normally change them anyway and I’m happy to treat it to a new full set and try something else. One was because Lindsay left the car seat in so they couldn’t test one of the rear seatbelts and the last two were due to some scoring in the rear brake discs. It was noted that the pads are only 50% worn and the recommendation (on the documentation and video they sent) was only to replace the discs when the pads are replaced as performance is still good?! The repaired chip on the bottom of the windscreen (below the area the wipers clear) that was mentioned last time didn’t make the list.
So, all OK really, but it does really bug me that there are advisories on the MOT test report…..
Other than that, still very happy with it as it approaches its fourth birthday and (advisories aside!) we haven’t had a single problem. I never expected to keep it this long, but am happy to extend the warranty for another year.
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Post by Martin on Jul 12, 2022 9:25:23 GMT
Wives’ cars are paid for by husbands so that wives get a car her husband wants to drive. Often the case and certainly used to be for me. It started with the 130i, which the ex Mrs Martin had when she wasn’t working. Not for the Golf though, got a car I wanted (and still do) to drive and didn’t have to pay anything. That’s how it should be really.
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