skomaz

I think how good IKEA units are is down to how well they are assembled. We've got various wardrobes and bookshelves and they are solid, but then I've assembled them properly and added glue in various places to strengthen and stiffen them.

On the first point - Probably better given that most of the time the buses had minimal usage due to the unreliability they created in the first place... free flow traffic would be the result with the potential capacity to flow 1860 cars or more an hour through the same point. Allow for the two minutes or so the buses caused an issue and that equates to 62 cars roughly... so probably a balance if the bus was totally full. As for the second - yes it might speed up the said buses but, as has been pointed out - the network outside of London isn't suitable for a large part of the population and even if it was providing a regular (10 minute) service throughout the day on routes that have minimal usage (eg rural ones) would require massive subsidies. I do agree with your point re a change in mindset though - but it needs to encompass all modes and be reflective of need - unfortunately most people are too blinkered one way or the other

Oh yes - I can name a number of locations both local and further afield where traffic lights have been deliberately set to hold back traffic and meter the flow. A prime example being a particular local authority where one of the local Councillors lived on a side road that fed into a major road on the strategic road network. The Council and Councillor had been campaigning for a bypass for years but analysis of the traffic signal specification and timings clearly showed they had been set to give priority to the side road even when no traffic was waiting on it - thus artificially holding back traffic on the SRN, thus creating congestion to back up the request for a bypass. Sorry but that is just wrong on all counts and not uncommon. I've managed the installation of traffic lights that have special 'MOVA' control systems (effectively they self-manage and optimise the signal timings to maximise operational capacity) that have been designed, set and refined on-site whilst live by our staff but, on revisiting to check their operation at a later date as part of the set-up regime we've found that the MOVA control system has been turned off by the Local Authority...

As someone who has a degree of involvement in the scheme I disagree - the economics are flawed and, for the money, a large number of other schemes could be progressed that would provide more benefits to the population on both a local, reginal and national scale - be that Public Transport related or not. As you yourself pointed out - pick the right tool for the job...

Not wishing to cause offence but in my neck of the woods it's invariably the buses that slow all other traffic down with their antics at stops (not wanting to pull in / rivals blocking each other in at the stop etc.). At work we have the analysis from the bus GPS trackers and video and it's quite clear...

Personally I don't like the look of the Coupe - its as if it's trying to be something it isn't and has too much of a naff 'BMW coupe SUV' vibe to it. I'd guess it wouldn't be as good for the dog either

Looks great.... I suggested it to one of my daughter's friends who was looking for a car but she's just bought a Corsa...

Unless it's an EV you're talking about and then, according to your posts, energy costs are all that matters...

Is it actually the control unit or the USB socket at fault? I ask as ours was intermittent for a while until I checked the socket and found it had worn a little and the 'springs' in it that helped the lead make contact had been pushed back. I adjusted them with a pin and nipped up the end of the lead too and all is now OK.

The belts on the Teac I mentioned earlier were the same... They'd disintegrated to a thick black sticky mess

May as well keep and fix - if only for the pleasure in doing so... I repaired my FIL's Teac A150 a few years ago for similar reasons - it's still functioning but not used as he's now passed away but one day I'll bring it home and use it. Also for reference there area few Sony TC-K570 on ebay going for decent money...

We were similarly torn moving from a MK2 Octavia 4x4 but SWMBO felt the Superb was 'too big' so we ended up with a Kodiaq which whilst still big she has no issues with. The ride and visibility out is very good on it and it's very stable and quiet but worse on fuel. She didn't like the automatic as she didn't feel in control of it sooner went manual. However, I could imagine a Kodiaq might not suit dogs getting in and out due to the higher loading lip.

But not on the Spring which is the car we are talking about colours on...???

Did you not see my earlier posts?

Yep - I've driven a lot of automatics over the years (my parents have had 4 or 5) and again I can see how they appeal from a lazy / relaxing point of view (we tried a DSG in a Kodiaq and for some of the driving it did seem to suit that car) but overall they are not really for me and one pedal driving seems even less appealing

Another point to remember is that for many people (and probably a lot of people on these forums) owning a car and the act of driving one is about more than just economics, or outright speed. I see a lot of posts banging on about electricity being cheaper than petrol or diesel and electric cars being cheaper to run (although the initial outlay is often higher) and also about how fast they are 0-60 and the like. But honestly those two factors really don't bother me too much. yes I'm in the fortunate position of not having to worry too much about running costs (I do but not to the same extent as others) so it's lower down my priority, as is the ability to do 0-6 0 in 3 or 4 seconds (who cares about that - the novelty will soon wear off and it's not like we have roads that are so clear we can do it all the time, regardless of the legality in some areas). What I enjoy is the act of driving, even in traffic and congestion - the act of steering and the hand / leg / ear / eye coordination needed to change gear in a manual car smoothly etc. is what appeals and what I enjoy and EV's don;t seem to offer that experience. Maybe it's juts me - I see the appeal to some but I'm not yet there - maybe when I'm old and decrepit I'll appreciate the qualities of an EV...

I sincerely hope not as it's a right fiddle if it is...

Have you checked the rear propshaft doughnut coupling?

Not dimishing your comments and desire to hold the dealer to account but you've probably spent more time, energy and electricity cost posting about this issue that you would have changing the filter yourself. Anyhow I'll leave it there and refrain from further comment.

The trouble is they don't seem to recognise that their attitude and pricing is driving customers away. If they dropped. Thier rates a bit and had a better attitude they'd keep more customers which would be better and more profitable for them in the long run.

£43 to replace - they're having a laugh! Dealer servicing and labour rates are just plain daft these days... as is their attitude in a lot of cases - glad I don't use them and have never taken out any service plans or other 'extras' when we've bought ours in the past.

Depends how you value your time and effort... but that's your shout. Personally I wouldn;t bother

To be honest the filter is a £10 part and easily done DIY... it's not worth arguing over IMHO

So using some rough and ready maths based on 53,000 applications for financial support and 90,000 non compliant vehicles removed per day and @wyx087's £50,000 cost to change the ULEZ expansion has cost Londoners anything from £2.65trillion to £4.5trillion... OUCH!

The above isn't surprising really as we all know people have been changing their vehicles or avoiding the areas - which is what the ULEZ was designed to for. However, the question on many people's minds, especially those who have had to scrap or change a perfectly good older vehicle will be at what personal cost to them. I note no mention of that impact in any of the statements or links provided...