pinkpanther

Not a bad end to the day..........

Lovely at Carburton this evening........

Smashing Bluebells at Gunby Hall today..........

Mine has exhibited this 'characteristic' right from day one. It's had considerable input from the supplying main dealer for other mechanical issues, although nothing forthcoming regarding it's tendency to stall. It certainly drives better on E5, although this did not improve it stalling sadly. The older 1.4 TSi is a considerably better partner for the manual gearbox in my view. I now regret not going for an Auto😒

Car is now sold 👍

I had this exact issue when I returned to a previous Skoda Rapid and found the battery totally flat. Whilst I was able to access the car with the mechanical key, the bottle holder in the passenger door bin fouls the bonnet release, thereby preventing access to the battery. As the car was under warranty I called breakdown cover who connected a power source, via the cars 12V socket, which provided sufficient power to operate the central locking. I recall the (?AA) guy telling me he'd had loads of similar call outs. Clearly a car designed for LHD markets 🤔

Spotted my first Duckling of the year earlier..... 20240402_185125~2.mp4

Updated mileage & price

A few from Attenborough nature reserve............

A few other shots from yesterday.....

A few from Calke Abbey this afternoon...........

The AA guy looked a little puzzled and was presumably seeking advice from Head Office? I was passing in my 21 year old V8, but suspect a jump start wouldn't have helped matters ⚡️

A pretty quick car back in the day I imagine. Must admit I always preferred the Vauxhall offerings to their Ford equivalent (Manta vs Capri / Firenza Droop Snoot vs Escort RS2000).

A Droop Snoot no less👍 The bodywork looked to be mint

My daughter sadly lost a nearly new Michelin Cross Climate to a particularly savage pothole and whilst having a replacement fitted I came across this beauty. The owner was happy to chat and gave me permission to photograph it (although i obscured the reg plates)👌

Sky cleared after a deluge earlier......

Couple from this evening's walk........

The car bought for members of the family to learn to drive in has now clocked up fifty thousand miles! I bought it pre-registered in January 2019, in the 'pre-crazy car price' era for £7500 and in fact it was worth more than its purchase price for at least the first 3 years of its life!! I swopped all 4 tyres for Michelin Cross Climate all-seasons 20k miles ago. Beyond annual servicing, it needed new front discs and pads and the rear drum brakes have never worked satisfactorily, despite repeated attention by 2 different main dealers. Whilst under manufacturer warranty it needed a new electric power steering motor and replacement rear shock absorbers. None of the SEAT main dealers we used were especially helpful, or offered exceptional service, so it now goes to an independent VAG specialist for annual servicing - https://autohausdolby.co.uk/services-volkswagen-passenger-cars/ Despite 'only' 59 BHP it's great fun to drive and has averaged more than 50 mpg (at a fuel cost of 12.5p/mile) thus far👍 Total fuel cost has been £6268.68😳 Despite CO2 emmisions of 96 g/km the government's ill-considered VED policy means I pay the same for annual road Tax as a similarly aged Range Rover😠 I now primarily use it to carry bike(s), which had less effect on MPG than anticipated (September 2023 onwards). I'm hoping for a similarly uneventful next 50k miles, although I guess that might be wishful thinking🤞 In my view it is a sad reflection of the car industry (? possibly driven by government policy) that such inexpensive cars are no longer readily available at reasonable cost.

A couple from last night..........

It turned into a lovely evening last night, despite the earlier ☔️

A great outcome, although disappointed to hear of the initially poor response from Skoda.

Lovely skies this evening:

A couple from earlier @ Rufford Park:

Despite this morning's rain it was a glorious Spring afternoon 😎

A friendly goat I happened across in Derbyshire earlier today ........