Graham Butcher

I doubt Westminster would allow references to the EU funding. 🤣

And it needs to aid EV take up otherwise the plans might stall.

But the whole thrust of the video was IMO about the fact charging needs to be just as easy as buying petrol is. Older folk especially have a built in mistrust of any cardbased or app based system and would much rather pay a cashier than hope that they can get a signal or whatever. My Mil for instance has a mobile phone that BIL got her, she has it for a while now but does not use it. Touch screen is not user friendly and anyone with Parkinsons will struggle. These are the real issues that the video was making and cards that need preauthorising are a bad idea if they downscale if there is not funds in bank to cover it. People could be left stranded away from home.

Nailed it at last👍

There are still DOT checks on major routes in England and they dedicated sites sites with buildings and even pits in them which they use for HGV checks, cars and light vans are also directed to these sites at times by vehicles with "Follow Me" signs switched on.

Last time I paid at the pump, a few months ago was at Asda and the did away the cashier office/shop years ago at my branch so pay at pump or no fuel, it's your choice. And they do precharge your card £100 each time. Last visit they had 8 pumps, 4 of which were out of service. And there are zero chargers.

@Lee I'm not sure what you are trying say, I get it that the Germany TUV might be tougher, but are quibbling over the inclusion of the word "strict" in my post or are you saying that each tester/inspector makes their own rules up on what comprises a pass or a fail, I'm confused. Having worked alongside many DOT inspectors for a number of years and I mean worked closely with them when they came to the bus garage to carry out the annual inspections on the fleet, I can assure you that the tests are extremely through and there was no such thing as that will be near enough, they have strict benchmarks that have to be met, even if the brakes were just 1% below the performance levels required for a pass on their brake meters, it was an automatic fail, likewise on emissions, yes they had emission tests years ago, and it was a clear-cut pass/fail test, no corners were given. So using my experience and seeing my local Skoda test centre carry out MOT's it still seems to be pretty strict to me, even down to I have to remove the TomTom satnav from the car as it is mounted low on the dash as I'm very tall and can clearly see over the top of it, the MOT tester is short and always insists it is removed prior to the test.

Correct, ECW bodies were well built.

Oh please, I never said it was either, I'm saying that the payment system needs to be sorted and quickly, people will get stranded miles from home. I just knew that someone would rush to the attack as it seems that loads of EV owners cannot see the problem that he was highlighting and you just proved the point and took it as me against EV, which is utter rubbish.

Nope, I agree but other google references to do use the term strict, but it doesn't alter that there are pass marks and fail marks set out in the test sheets that MOT testers and also department of transport roadside inspectors used to decide whether your vehicle complies to the standard or not i.e., pass or fail or indeed receives an immediate prohibition order, it is not down to the person at the time decide their own pass or fail ratings.

No, I have been pulled over many times in my life by roadside DOT spot checks with police doing the official flagging down and directing motorists into a lay-by that has been turned into a mini test centre for random spot checks for roadworthiness, fuel tax dodging for diesels that could be running on red diesel, overloaded lorries etc.

Yes, I am retired but that still doesn't stop me from driving on long trips to distant air shows, to look at a car or even visit relations and I will often drive for 3 Hours without a break because some events are time restricted.

That is not what the DOT claim, to them, it is a strict test, fail that, and you don't get a MOT certificate, get spot checked at the roadside and fail slightly, you have 10 days to get it sorted or could be prosecuted. If your vehicle fails the emissions test at the roadside by a serious amount, and you will get an immediate ban on using the vehicle and may also get prosecuted, so its not a thing to take lightly. Good luck in getting a MOT test done while the engine is still hot, not of a chance in England, they are normally booked up well in advance and most want you to leave the vehicle with them for a while. Emissions testing - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Hmm, this is most certainly something that needs to be sorted out and sorted fast, or are you EV lovers going to defend this kind of nonsensical carrying on, someone could get stranded.

Well to be perfectly honest, I was only really getting practise of driving on the road in the 100E, I actually taught myself how to drive while working at the bus garage as every Thursday the entire garage floor had to be washed with caustic soda crystals to clear up any oil drips etc so every bus and coach in there had be moved out of way while the floor was washed, and I just jumped in the driver's seat and started to move them and then put them back again, that could involve up to 100 buses and coaches depending on the time of day. It was all OK as it was on private property, but when I was able to drive them on the road for road tests after they had been serviced (for some reason very few of the mechanics could drive), so I was drafted in to that job. But before I was covered by their insurance I had to go through their driving centre and I went and drove about 6 miles and was told to return to the garage, where my boss was told that I was good a driver as any they had seen, so then I got sent each day to drive the buses and coaches that been serviced during the day on test with the mechanic on board. My favourite to drive were these beauties, rear engined, riding on airbags and were so comfortable and quiet and fast to boot. Not for this company, but I can't find any photos of them in the livery of my company.

I have hardwired my dashcam and also my aftermarket TomTom satnav in and I used fuse no 47 to piggyback from and there are no power interruptions with SS system, everything just works perfectly.

Dont go there.

Yeah, back in the day they did sometimes get things right. I wish that vehicle designers were also made to do work on their creations and then I'm sure we get cars were quicker and easier to work on, especially get at things that do need to be accessed at times, like headlights, oil filters etc.

Arh yes the car that claimed it had a tighter turning circle than a London Taxi.

Yes, but it was all good fun as well, I spent a weekend tinkering with all kinds of cars etc both for myself and less mechanically minded friends. It started with my first car, a 1957 Hillman minx, then the Vanden Plas 3Litre (Ex Peak & Freans directors car, which had been chauffeur driven all its life till I acquired it), then the Isetta, Cortina and the last vehicle I personally owned until I retired was Ford Transit van, then I progressed onto having various company cars so never needed to own one for over 40 years. I did also have the use of V4 Ford Zephyr from a neighbour for bird pulling (transit not good for that job). I did co-own for a while with my parents a Rover 3Litre, then a Rover 2000SC. Then a few years later I found a derelict Vauxhall Victor which needed loads of TLC with tin worm, broken springs etc, which I got for a song and set about restoring in my garage over a few months and I completely resprayed in the same colour as the one here, and gave it to my parents when their Rover 2000sc got written off. Wish was still able to get and get under and get on with some repairs, but I'm not as young or fit as I was and also cars are not DIY much these days, but it comes to us all sooner or later.

I don't think the V engines had a good reputation. I know I had to rebuild a V6 in Zodiac and also in a Zephyr as well for friends because of problems with the inlet manifold which if IIRC used to suffer from coolant leaking into the inlets as the manifold would deform slightly?

Arh yes the Corsair, remember it well with the toggle indicator switches and it also had some of the best dashboard warning lights I ever saw, like the indicator warning lights in the car were IIRC arcs of green in the top of the temperature and fuel gauges and was powered by a V4 engine.

Mk1 Tincorner, I presume you mean the Mk1 Cortina like this one? This was the car I brought after the BMW Isetta, same colour as this example as well, immaculate condition apart a little old lady owned it before and the dammed thing would not go faster than 45mph. The garage I got it from had to fit a new engine to cure the problem, but before that they chucked everything apart from the kitchen sink at it, but nothing worked until the engine swap.

You may and happens to be the car that I learnt to drive in and take my driving test in. God they had those awful vacuum windscreen wipers, dam things would almost stop when pulling hard, like going up hill, and they would go berserk on the way downhill. 😎 Many drivers today don't know how lucky they are with modern cars.

Yeah, the Capri is the red car next to the Classic.