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Post by ChrisM on Aug 16, 2024 20:59:08 GMT
After the trip in the 100,000 mile-and-counting Jaguar belonging to a colleague, it was my "turn" to drive to Yorkshire and back (from Hampshire) this week, on my own too.
What a state our main motorways are in....... mile after mile of 50mph, inner lane coned off for additional emergency laybys to be built. What a complete mess the government has made by doing away with the hard shoulder over so very many miles.
As for the M25 and variable speed limits - with not too much traffic around, it was "guess a number" for the next sign, anywhere between 40 and 70, and in many places, changes by 20mph increments between successive signs. I'm convinced that poor management of the variable limits is causing a lot of the congestion and also maybe contributing to accidents when people jump on the brakes especially where there is suddenly a 20mph decrease. I'll have to find another route to try next time.
On a positive note, The Kuga ran faultlessly and returned just over an indicated 50mpg, not as good as the over 70mpg returned by my colleague's much sleeker Jag, and I've now put more fuel in the Kuga in the past 6 days than I had previously done all year. It had been SORN'd for 4 months until the start of August, and I drove it gently for a few days last week to "unsquare" the tyres (Crossclimate 2's) and make sure all was OK before the long trip (over 500 miles in 4 days). I've been to Brighouse and Rastrick but no sign of the brass band or a floral dance......
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Post by Martin on Aug 16, 2024 21:13:24 GMT
It’s all just the norm when you’re a regular traveller, doesn’t make it any less annoying. The one positive is that it’s school holidays, which makes a massive difference, I was in Birmingham yesterday and it felt like most of the city was on holiday at 8am. Why SORN a vehicle for 4 months? You clearly have too many!  I get there’s a small saving in tax, but surely it would be better to give it regular use…..or sell it. |
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Post by ChrisM on Aug 17, 2024 16:50:14 GMT
Cutting remarks..... when you suddenly find yourself with no job again you cut down on expenditure. I mentioned elsewhere we're having a year from hell as a family. Both daughters have also lost their jobs this year and have yet to find anything permanent. All 3 of us, if we had the time and money and felt so inclined could probably have won if we had taken our former employers to court. The Kuga suffered a cracked windscreen the day after I booked it in for its service and MoT - it was visible the next morning and had developed mysteriously overnight, first time in my life I have had a windscreen need replacing. Fortunately it was done correctly on the first attempt (!)
Elder daughter has had to sell the V70 as it was getting too costly to run; its replacement is a Zoe.
The A1 has been in the wars again, 3 vehicle crash but the person who caused it drove off without stopping and the Police won't do anything as (a) nobody got the reg plate and (b) nobody was injured. At least it is fixed now. T-Cross has also been to the body shop and the Fiesta has a recurring issue with the stop=start system and warning light coming on, but no time or money to investigate. I've also still got a cough that started about a year ago and despite several visits to the doctor and local hospital the experts don't know what's causing it... another trip to the hospital becons later this coming week. Maybe they can put me down?? I could probably write a few pages on other challenges we have faced this year...
I keep thinking that things can't get any worse, but somehow they do.
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Post by Martin on Aug 17, 2024 18:12:35 GMT
I’m sorry to hear all that Chris, but I wasn’t to know about you not having a job as you were on a work trip…. The point still stands about selling a car you don’t use.
I hope they find out what’s wrong with you and pleased to hear your windscreen was fixed first time!
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Post by PG on Aug 17, 2024 19:20:27 GMT
Sorry to hear about the job loss Chris. It's tough when things see to be stacking up. hope they find out what's causing the cough.
Could you sell the Kuga or is it leased? Or sell the Fiesta and use the Kuga all the time?
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Post by ChrisM on Aug 17, 2024 21:10:01 GMT
I'm not sure I fancy driving to Yporkshire and back several times a year in the Fiesta; the Kuga is better suited to that.
The possible issue with the Fiesta is that it has the Ecoboost (ecoboom) engine and it'sn ow 8 years old (or almost9 years from date of manufacture)...Ford are doing a replacement engine programme if you have isssues at up to 10 years and fingers crossed mine is OK having been serviced by the supplying dealer group every year "on the dot", and with less than 30k thanks to Boris and lockdown and consequential job losses etc. At zero VED it costs very little to run (depending on how much it costs to sort out the start/stop warning issue) so I am tempted to just keep hold of it.
I own the Kuga and Fiesta outright having purchased them at the end of their PCP deals
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Aug 18, 2024 15:12:56 GMT
Cutting remarks..... when you suddenly find yourself with no job again you cut down on expenditure. I mentioned elsewhere we're having a year from hell as a family. Both daughters have also lost their jobs this year and have yet to find anything permanent. All 3 of us, if we had the time and money and felt so inclined could probably have won if we had taken our former employers to court. The Kuga suffered a cracked windscreen the day after I booked it in for its service and MoT - it was visible the next morning and had developed mysteriously overnight, first time in my life I have had a windscreen need replacing. Fortunately it was done correctly on the first attempt (!) Elder daughter has had to sell the V70 as it was getting too costly to run; its replacement is a Zoe. The A1 has been in the wars again, 3 vehicle crash but the person who caused it drove off without stopping and the Police won't do anything as (a) nobody got the reg plate and (b) nobody was injured. At least it is fixed now. T-Cross has also been to the body shop and the Fiesta has a recurring issue with the stop=start system and warning light coming on, but no time or money to investigate. I've also still got a cough that started about a year ago and despite several visits to the doctor and local hospital the experts don't know what's causing it... another trip to the hospital becons later this coming week. Maybe they can put me down?? I could probably write a few pages on other challenges we have faced this year... I keep thinking that things can't get any worse, but somehow they do. I developed a cough early June after a trip to the NEC in Birmingham and a friend referred to it as the “hundred day cough” that’s been going round. I laughed it off but I still have it, albeit it’s getting better. Not been to the docs yet. |
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Post by bryan on Aug 18, 2024 15:56:18 GMT
There's something going around, I had the lurgy in March and it's never fully gone away, I feel 90% most of the time then it makes a repeat appearance for 48hours, I think I'm coming down with COVID or something (always tests negative) then it buggers off for a few more weeks...got to look on the bright side, things can always be worse!😂
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Post by alf on Aug 19, 2024 8:00:45 GMT
Yes, something is going around for sure, and has been for a while, on the "long cough" front. On the back of a chest infection in the autumn (a first for me) we both got the exact same cold that led to weeks and weeks of a cough. It was sort of like COVID, bu sufficiently different I didn't feel the negative tests were wrong. We seem to know plenty of people who have had it, and in Tina's case she quite often just gets a persistent cough in the night still. Definitely something about and a lot of people mentioning the hundred day cough! I looked it up and felt it could have been whooping cough, which would be annoying as I think that can be cured with antibiotics and we were fobbed off to a pharmacist who could not prescribe any!
Sorry to hear of all the problems Chris - really not great when its multiple people in the family at once - I wish you all better luck!!!
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I get there’s a small saving in tax, but surely it would be better to give it regular use…..or sell it. 
