Well I couldn’t work out which fuse was the fog light one as the cover on the fuse box must have been changed at some point as it is off a 1997 and the van is a 2001 so nothing matches up. So I took the relay out.

Left it without a relay for an hour or so, just been and put the relay in and the lights are working correctly now….

Guessing it’s either a damp relay that’s now dried out whilst indoors, or general damp / earth problem caused by the weather.

Simular to captaincarbon, when I worked as a delivery driver a car ran into the back of my van in slow moving traffic.

I felt the impact, bounced forward, looked in my mirror to see a Seat Ibiza with the bonnet bent, headlights smashed and bumper disintegrated.

Picking up all the stuff that fallen off the shelf above the cab and hit me on the head, I got out to be met by the most stunning brunette wearing a nurses uniform just to top it. Turns out she was on her way to drop her son off at nursery before starting a shift in A&E

She was crying, kid was crying and she explained little one had been screaming and she stupidly turned to look at him and bang into my van. I kept seeing her around all the time after that and she kinda smiled everytime she passed me.

Around here, some person has introduced as I call it ” embarrassment rage ”

There is a large motorway roundabout that, quiet frankly, is a nightmare, it’s a spiral roundabout if anyone is familiar with the type. You get 3 types of driver, use it correctly, use it wrong because they don’t understand how it works, deliberate lane jumping.

Few weeks ago a sign appeared, looks professionally made. On the top is a number plate with a reg number in it. Under that it says ” get us all home safely, USE THE CORRECT LANE ON THE ROUNDABOUT”

Top marks to whoever it is as they must have been cut up by the car a few times. I actually saw the car in question on Monday as it has a private plate so is easy to remember and the girl driving looked like she fitted into the second type, not having a bloody clue…….

The good thing I’ve found about Tredz ” unique ” stock policy is, as they list everything as being in stock, when they have a sale on its easy to go into Evans and get a price match.

Before I started using this forum, I ordered something form Tredz, didn’t receive it after a week or so and got a refund off them. Useless.

I know what you are saying about flashing lights.

I have to cross 2 lanes of traffic to enter my street. A lot of the time, one lane is stopped but the other is bearing down at 30 mph +

The stationary traffic flash and wave you across, totally careless or unaware about the other lane then they look at you funny or give you a hand signal that’s not in the Highway Code when you don’t go.

Motorists who do just go on a flash normally end up in my gable end or on my doorstep…….

Dunno what you were taught regarding parked cars but we now teach to signal by road position rather than indicating for indicatings sake.

Procedure is Mirror, CONSIDER Signal, manovere.

The important bit is the consider. If for example you are passing a parked vehicle and there is a road on your offside with someone waiting to emerge out, it may be safer not to signal in case the emerging car thinks you are turning in and pulls out on you…..shouldn’t do but it happens.

Only time I’d ask a student to indicate right when passing a parked vehicle would be if we have had to go really close to the kerb to allow someone through and that position could look like we are parked to a following vehicle.

Guessing MY = manufacturing year.

That one in the link looks good and a check on the MOT history shows fails on minor things like wipers and tyres.

Looks like it’s been stood around loads as previously tyres have been advised for cracking and the brake disc are advised for going rusty. The discs may be ok if you start using the car enough.

I bought a polo in 2009 for mum and got that from a dealer and paid a bit more than private but it’s a good one. Personally, I’d have a look at the one in your link and use it as a base to judge others on with that one being a good one. Be quick though as it may not hang around.

Looks like the wheels are not standard on it, think they may be ST170 wheels.

Regarding the MY, 53 plate ran from 1st sept 2003 – 28/29 Feb 2004 so that one will have been registered early 2004.

I ride solo all the time, only about once every 18 months will I ride with anyone else or a group. Not through choice but that’s just the way it works out.

Don’t mind riding alone but, like survivor said, I don’t go mad speed. Which then means when I do ride with a group, I’ve lost all my confidence and get off and push 😳

My neighbour has a 54 plate Mk 1

Think there will be a bit of a crossover from 54 plate being MK 1 & MK 2 as dealers would still have had mk1 stock in sept 04 ( 54 plate time )

It’s is now but in the era the OP is looking at, 1998 – 2004, Ghia was top spec.

Think Titanium etc came in mid 2000’s >

Ghia is still top spec, Zetec mid spec, reckon flight and edge etc will be same lowish spec.

I find that having a set goal or ambition helps me.

Hopefully, I will be able to do some touring this year. I’ve just come back from the gym after doing a cardio class and, when suffering through the class and really wanting to stop, I just think about how I will need the fitness to climb that huge hill out of Settle or climb up Shap fell.

Same on the bike, I try to push myself to go up that hill I really don’t want to then, next ride, I will just have a Pootle ride.

From a personal point of view, I’ve been going to the Gym about 6 months now doing cardio and weight sessions.

Some are just cardio, some just weights and another class is a mix. I try to go 3 times a week, a night road ride of about 1-2 hours and a 3-4 hour ride on the MTB or Hybrid at the weekend.

I’m loads stronger on the bike since going to the gym. I’m probably still slow as but my theory, especially on the MTB is if I’m stronger in body then I’m not going to get fatigued as quick therefore I will be a better rider.

Oh the that’s the athertons up there ^^ 😀

Diskloks are only available direct from Disklok nowadays. I got one back in the summer and collected it from their warehouse in Wigan.

Their other business is Festive Lights so it was random being surrounded by Father Xmas and Reindeers whilst buying a steering lock in the middle of summer….

I don’t care about politics and basically just live in Simmy world regarding all that so I’ve no opinion about his role as an MP but as someone in a position of trust to even respond to those text messages, the guy is an idiot.

What was he thinking ? Obviously not with his brain but another part of his body.

I’ve been in a simular situation when one of my students started texting me about personal things. I told her in no uncertain terms not to contact me again and ended our lessons.

Alarm bells should have rung about it being a set up……

The Ribble at Preston flooded on Saturday. On Sunday, I rode around the Guild Wheel which most of that section was underwater a few hours before.

The waste left behind was dirty smelly mud, tyres, oil drums, trees and basically anything that’s in fields.

A large section of the route was impassable as all the debris had got stuck against a fence and in that was all kinds of stuff and a couple of drowned sheep. People were letting their kids climb over it. Goodness knows what disease etc was in that lot.

30k would mint my house up Good and proper. I would then buy another smaller house to move into which, around here will be about 70k.

Then sell the first house, which is mortgage free, for 100k so I’m back where I started.

Get a static caravan for 15k, 10k aside for a few years site fees. Camper van for about another 15k which leaves 60k.

Dunno now. Probably just cut my hours down at work to only 3 days a week or so then ride and chill rest of week.

Simply pleasures in life 🙂

On balance, if it’s a Traffic light junction there MAY be a chance. My first reply assumed it was a stand alone pedestrian crossing not a pedestrian crossing on a traffic light junction.

Still not brilliant though.

+1

Like as been said, I’m reading this that you want to use the dropped kerb of the crossing as a drive access. Unfortunately you have no chance.

Even if you did start using it, it’s only a matter of time that you will be exiting or entering and a pedestrian appear wanting to use the crossing. How are you going to enter if pedestrians are waiting to cross when you arrive home ?

It’s an offence to park on the zig zags, even for a second. As good as it seems in theory, unfortunalty it’s a no go.

I’m self employed and I’ve just bought a new bike to use on Bikeability and I’ve put that through the books.

Can’t teach to kids without demostration of the next outcome so it’s essential equipment. I wasn’t going to leave my MTB at the side of the road in a rough housing estate and risk it getting nicked when I could get a cheap bike to use at work.

I class myself as teetotal but my mate always asks me to try a sip of whiskey or beer if he gets a new one in to see what I think.

This led me to buy some Jack Daniels the other week but aye oh it’s Xmas and there is still half of it left……

An acquaintance of mine had a major drinking problem, stopped and replaced the booze with speciality cordials. I’ve never heard of them as to me, cordial is cordial, but the point I’m making is he felt the need to replace the booze with something rather than leave a gap in his life where it was.

I was in Preston earlier, sat on the service area car park next to river ribble and was amazed at the speed of the water. Debris like full trees, tyres etc were being carried downstream and I’m sure the white object I couldn’t quite make out was a drowned sheep 🙁

Went to the other side of Preston and could walk along the side of the ribble, lean over a small wall and touch the water 😯 and its raining again here.

Count me in

I work alone now so I’ve not got the joys of a Xmas party.

When I was employed, we always had a fancy dress party at a rugby club near head office where all the branches would meet up and faces would be put to names.

One year, we bought out another company and they brought all their staff along as well. Towards the end of the night, there was a long queue of blokes outside the disabled loo. Turns out the boss’s wife of the company we bought out was in there.

They were swingers and his wife loved variety. Turned out to be a multi millionaire and the main reason was inviting customers to his parties.

I’m an Instructor and Pass Plus is good.

When it first came out about 20 years ago, it offered massive savings on premiums but that seems to not be the case anymore with online comparison sites etc.

On the other hand if it prevents a student having a bump, it will pay for itself.

What I do is a brief on the rules of motorways, breakdowns etc, get them on motorway settled in then a few on and offs so they get experience joining and leaving and a couple of service areas etc. Then off the motorway to some fast A roads then find their way home via city centres.

I tend to do it in one 7 hour day with a 15 min break morning and afternoon and half hour for lunch. £130 is a good price, I charge £150……

I run my own business and I would tell the OP and his expectations to jog on.

If I buy online, I risk not seeing the item before purchase. I accept if there is a fault, I will have to wait for it to be returned, fixed or replaced then posted back.

You can’t blame Merlin for the issue with the courier. Like you can’t blame Heinz if the person who sold you your tin of Soup was rude to you or took too long. OK raise it with Merlin but don’t blame them.

Merlin are my LBS and are always 100% fine with me.

16 degrees on the car temp last night at midnight. Crazy.

Think the reading was a bit high as the car was parked near houses but as I drove home, it didn’t drop lower than 12 degrees.

Putting the money saved on heating towards Coke and other things………

No kids myself but as a child my mum left my nan looking after me and I did something wrong, can’t remember what it was but nan sent me to my room.

Bored I went for a wander in the spare room ( nan was a bit deaf so could hear me snooping about ) and found a tin of black gloss paint and preceded to find a paint brush and paint the stairs wall and spindle in black paint.

I got in big trouble……

Up there ^^ someone says its South Reddish. It’s definatly Manchester / North west area as the radio on in the cab, the dj reads out the station phone number as a 0161.

My RAC went upto a stupid amount despite me having been with them since 1999.

Following advice from here, I went on their website and realised I could get the same level of cover for a lot less. ( can’t remember the exact amounts )

So the phone call went

Me – hi mate can I cancel my cover ?

RAC – OK sir, why are you wanting to cancel ?

Me – I can get the same level of cover cheaper

RAC – who is that with sir ?

Me – RAC, and if you can offer it cheaper to new customers, why are you ripping loyal customers off by charging loads more ?

RAC – * silence *

Eventually he said he could ” apply some discount codes ” and it dropped to less than I was paying the previous year. Personally, I’ve had good service from the RAC and the local guy is sound and really goes above and beyond to help out.

I’m in the north west and the local motorway police often tweet out ” police incident ” and most of the time it’s someone on a bridge who they are talking down.

Mum just calls it Singletrack.

My mate constantly takes the mick if I mention anything I need help with by saying ” ask em on chain reaction ” or ” what does chain reaction say ? ” He knows full well it’s Singletrack, he just takes the mick.

+ 1 for not Road riding on Xmas Day, its awful.

Motorists simply don’t expect you to be there, are stressed out. Last year I saw a Roadie nearly get taken out by a family crossing the road with arms full of presents.

Seeing him scream out ” BIKE ” was slightly amusing………

Im the same, I really CBA in the winter so I’ve set the road bike up permently on the turbo in the spare bedroom. Everytime I look at it its like that rubbish car that always followed the lads on Top Gear when they were on missions which they would end up in if there’s broke 😀

I do use it though, especially for a fast 15 mins after work but to stay on it is just mind numbing.

I go to the gym 3-4 times a week, just started the occasional jog as well which both remind me how good cycling is.

Just wrap up and get out there.

crazy-legs, I did my Bikeability course on the streets near Parkhouse St and we were told specifically not to use the cycle bit as it’s dangerous.

The theory was you are rejoining at exactly the same point as the vehicles are steering back over creating a pinch point.

We went through it in primary a few times and didn’t get any hassle off motorists.

Agree with everything above, my Fiesta has the dash lit all the time. WTF does that need to be, years ago the dash lit when the lights were on.

I’ve seen loads of drivers coming off retail parks etc which are well lit without having their lights on as you simply can’t see if they are on or not when looking outside.

Anyone else notice those new Nissan Quashai (sp) with the day running lights ? They are so close to the indicator that the indicator is barely visable.

+ 1 for the timing belt.

I’d take it to your local Indy garage, explain what the water is doing and see what they say. It may be the water pump leaking which can be changed with the timing belt.

Mk2 escort 1.3 when I was 12.

At the time, my mums friend had a farm so I learned to drive around there, fixed up the engine fitted a radio, sorted the electrics etc. All good fun but it was bought out of the scrapyard so was rotten as pear. Once I put threw a spare wheel in the boot and it fell straight through onto the ground.

I hand painted it white with a brush and it didn’t look too bad from a distance. My schoolmates didn’t believe I had a car so, instead of taking them to the car, I took the car to them parking it up on the estate near school and showing them it at lunchtime 😯 I was stupid as a 15 year old.

Dunno, don’t care either.

As long as I can pay my bills and have a bit of emergency money I will spend my money on my cycling.

I don’t drink, smoke, gamble ( much ) spend on Coke and hookers so my cycling is my sanity.

It helps when all the costs are tax deductible through BikeAbility though…….