What’s your budget, annual mileage and intended use? i.e. do you need to lug 3 kids and stuff for 20k miles a year or will it only be used by you at the weekends?

Thanks all. I had escalated and I’m certain common sense will prevail (eventually). However, I was curious to know what my ‘rights’ are in this situation.

It says they will credit our account. However, just because companies put statements like these in contracts, it doesn’t make them legally enforceable.

I guess I’m asking what rights (if any) I hold in this situation.

When I had first had a flair up of sciatica, I had similar symptoms to you. I believe it started out as a lower back ‘injury’ which later became pins and needles/tingling in my right foot. It was very uncomfortable and worrying initially.

I immediately had a course of physiotherapy. This focused on improving mobility in my lower back in combination with some core strengthening exercises. Oddly, this resulted in the sciatica subsiding but the lower back pain returning. The Physio was actually pleased with this!

I’ve subsequently modified some of my behaviors e.g. I’m much more conscious of my posture and try to avoid slouching and sitting in one position (work desk) for too long. I have maintained my activity levels, so I still run, cycle, play Golf but I have built more stretching and core strength work in to my routine. Yoga also helps.

If I let the stretches and strength exercises slip or I do something particularly strenuous for my lower back (two days of digging and laying turf will do it!), I have a flare up. But, at least I now know what it is and how to get back to an even keel. I find a Nurofen helps with the symptoms if it’s really bothersome.

Any budding Melittologists want to play name that bee? Excuse the terrible photo’s, best I could grab with my iPhone this morning.

Looks like a golden brown on back of the head/thorax and legs and a white arse. This particular fellow was around 15-20 mm long.

The Bee situation has escalated slightly. It seems that they have a back door inside the house! I think the hole in the mortar may have been where an old aerial cable was run in and hadn’t been blocked off when the aerial was changed.

So the little blighters appear to be able to get in behind some boxed-in pipework. This feels like more of a problem than just the odd dozy one wandering in through an open window!

Thanks, teasel. Using some trunking to ‘move’ the entrance away from the window until they’re done, then patch up the hole seems like the best strategy.

Bumble bees…?

I think so, yes. But I’m not certain which species.

I’m well aware of their status and overall importance. Hence asking if relocation is a realistic proposition.

Get it insured in your name. Make sure the V5 is signed on the day you collect it and tax it online before driving it away. Don’t do anything other than this!

When was its last MOT? Any advisories on suspension components?

The tracking is probably out, but why? It could be any one/combination of components that are broken deteriorated in a 16 year old car. You need to treat the cause not the symptom.

Get a bluetooth code reader from eBay and the corresponding app for your smartphone. Clear the codes and see which (if any) come back.

For a 12 year old diesel, I’m gonna go with either:

– Glow Plugs and/or their controller
– Something is gunked up. EGR, DPF, throttle body etc etc
– Something is leaking vacuum. Hose, N75 valve
– All of the above

I’d check the voltage on the battery and the performance of the alternator too.

As all that’s being posted is conjecture based on half the story, I’ll submit my 2p.

He’ll be prosecuted for driving without insurance and get whatever is the standard fine and points for that offence.

The insurance company will pay out to the third party but not for the brothers car. He may even struggle with getting the payment from the Gap insurer as I wouldn’t be surprised if it has a clause that the car must be insured fully comp for their cover to be valid.

Finally, I doubt the insurer will pursue him to reclaim the third party losses. I think they’ll wash their hands of the situation to avoid potential liability for both cars. However, if they do come after him, he needs to lawyer up.

Gumtree and local Facebook selling pages. Give it a good scrub, take some decent photos, price it sensibly and write a factual advert. It should sell with no problems.

I’d agree with all the recommendations of coaching. Get taught the basics in a pool and build up your swim fitness there.

However, you’re going to need to practice open water swimming using a wetsuit – it’s a discipline in itself and rather different from swimming in a nice warm pool where you get to touch the sides/bottom whenever you want…

The new VW Tiguan with the 150ps 1.4 TSi will get you high 40’s MPG if driven sensibly. Healthy discounts and strong residuals make the PCP deals pretty attractive if you are buying new.

Cheers for the replies. The wee mans birthday present sorted!

Repair it.

https://www.excel.london/visitor/getting-here/driving-and-parking

Sorry, I understand now. I thought you meant the Royal Victoria multistorey was bookable. I am aware the Excel is bookable, hence the question about whether you needed to be a ‘guest’ to use the car park – the booking page asks which event you are attending.

You can book a place in advance online.

I looked on Parkopedia and it just states it to be a pay on exit. Do you have a link?

Cheers,

Paul

Find yourself/her a good independent financial adviser who gets his fee direct from the mortgage companies i.e. so you are not charged directly for his services.

Different lenders have different criteria, the adviser will know what is possible in her situation.

My facelift R53 MINI Cooper S was the only car I’ve wanted to drive for the sake of it since the Citroen AX GT I had at 18.

The whole point of a ‘hot hatch’ is nimble. Focus ST’s and even Golf GTI’s aren’t nimble. You can modify them to improve things, but they’re still relatively heavy. The sporty Clio’s are a good shout. If your only criteria is decent 0-60 mph, then very little imagination is required to find something. I’d wager you’ll be bored pretty quickly, though.

Only the usual caveats for ageing diesel barges – DMF, DPF, suspension/bushes etc.

The problem with this age of BMW’s is that they can still look like they’re brand new but be hiding a myriad of problems beneath the surface. Check it over thoroughly, look for a full BMW/specialist service history and a thick wad of receipts. It should be possible to find one that has been meticulously maintained but there will be lots that have had the bare minimum and are about to drop some expensive bills!

The minimum you’re going to need to get any help are the diagnostic trouble codes. Either pay someone to read them or buy yourself a bluetooth dongle from eBay/Amazon and whatever Smartphone app is recommended for BMW’s and start there.

I ran a used Golf for 4.5 years. It was very reliable, only a couple of minor repairs like a sensor and a snapped spring. I worked out that ownership (depreciation, servicing/maintenance and VED) cost me £150 per month.

I currently lease a Golf and it’s costing me £221 per month (fully maintained).

So, in that comparison, leasing is significantly more expensive. However, the car in between them was a used BMW 320d and it was a money pit. I can’t even bring myself to work out what it cost me. It was an awful experience and one I vowed never to repeat. Hence, the price premium for the lease represents good value in terms of peace of mind.

I think, given what is known about passive smoking, it’s reasonable to hold the position that passive vaping is a potential danger as there is simply no data on the effect of long term exposure. Therefore, steps should be taken to minimise the exposure to vaping for those who don’t voluntarily partake in the habit.

Taken from the link to the NHS website, posted above:

E-cigarettes release negligible amounts of nicotine into the environment, and no health risks to bystanders (e.g. passive smoking) have been identified

I’ve highlighted the important bit. Just because the NHS study didn’t identify any health risks from passive vaping, it doesn’t mean there are none. This is also a long way from stating it’s dangerous.

The short of it is that the jury is still out. All that is confirmed is that vaping and passive vaping are significantly less harmful than smoking and passive smoking (and to be absolutely clear – less harmful does not mean harmless).

Looks like someone has pissed themselves in the passenger seat. London based implies short journeys may be common. Is this the case? If so, high mileage diesel is not the best option (assuming it has a DPF).

How bad is the fuel economy on your current car? How much is it going to cost you to change vehicles (plus add a few quid for the inevitable repairs/extra maintenance on the new car as an unknown quantity)? If you can put a price on it, how much fuel would that buy you? It may be more cost effective to hang on to the petrol car (with the added bonus of not having to own a diesel).

Mazda 6.

Points to note: the quoted price is negotiable and some companies offer an extra discount for finance – so, if the in-laws are cash buyers, it may be worth looking at the option of taking the finance to get the extra discount and paying it off immediately (depending on any early settlement penalties).

There can also be a huge difference in price just for simple things like the configuration of the openings. No idea why, by we found this when looking at replacing our french doors – we thought adding a small opening to the side panel wouldn’t be significant and it doubled the price. Salesman was clueless as to exactly why – suffice to say we went without!

Not all double glazing is of equal quality. Do a bit of research up front. Also, the install is as important as the quality of the glazing/frames.

Ha, perfect! I’ll just do that and return the valve head. Much easier!

Orange and grey are typically pump / boiler control, blue neutral, so the other two will command valve position

Yes, blue is neutral. On the new valve, orange is live. I appreciate that if I get live, neutral and earth right then it’s 50/50 with the other two. The question is about certainty over which of the existing wires is the live – beige or orange.

My fall back position is the cannibalise the existing valve and check which wire is connected to the resistor. That should at least confirm which wire is the live!

The junction box is boxed in to the corner of the airing cupboard with no access panel. So, without cutting a hole in the wood panel, I can’t access it. My plan was simply to cut the existing valve off at the valve end and use a terminal block/chocbox to connect the new valve and protect the connection.

When I expose the existing wiring beneath the cable jacket, I’ll be able to see if the beige wire is actually a discoloured white. But I wanted to sanity check my assumption before I start cutting.

EDIT: I’ve also emailed Honeywell to ask if they have the wiring schematic for my existing valve, but all they could provide was the current schematic – the same as included with the replacement valve

I’ve googled everything I can think of and can find no schematic that has anything other than the white etc. listed in my OP.

There’s a nice classic bike under some of the modifications. If the fork is an original Spinner (should be stamped on the dropouts) and you’ve got an MC1 (Klein bar/stem combo, but not 100% sure if these were spec’d with them), then the ‘fuselage’ i.e. frame/fork/bar/stem combo is probably worth £300 or so? It looks like some of the components are original too, if these are in good condition you might be able to add another £100 from those.

I guess if you could get it back to near original spec and it cleans up well with no serious damage anywhere then it could sell for £500?? That feels very optimistic though.

You’d need much better photos than these and be willing to ship to Europe to get top dollar. As mentioned, get some better pics and get over to Retrobike.

No idea what healthy weight is. Is there any suggestion his current weight is unhealthy? What’s his BMI.

Just eating more and gaining weight would likely just be build up of visceral fat. A very unhealthy thing.

Exercise and building muscle mass is the answer.

When did we start to understand the localised impacts of NOx?

I was taught the risk and potential impacts of SOx COx and NOx emissions during my A-Levels between 1995-97. Obviously this information predated that by decades either through study of the health of workers in heavy industry or the work on climate change pioneered by UEA in the 1970’s.

If clearance is that big an issue (although it doesn’t sound like it will be), could the beam be situated on top of the existing wall? i.e. modify the trusses/roofline along the beam width to ‘incorporate’ it in to the roof?

It’s a low risk but big impact i.e. you’re unlikely to write-off the car but if you do, the Lease Co. will want the full invoice value of the car.

If your car insurance policy has new for old, great. If not, then gap insurance covers you.

Also consider that a total-loss will leave you car-less. There are Gap policies that not only pay the difference between the car insurance payout and invoice value but will also give you a cash payout to fund the upfront payment on a replacement lease.

Expect to pay around £100 for a policy on a ~£25k car from a third party.

Interested also. Rechargeable/battery powered would be nice too!