difflock

BUT! I routinely ignore "Road closed" signs, since in the vast majority of cases they are NOT closed, simply a try-on to reduce the traffic, but I am always impeccably patient and polite if there is actually a real issue. Btw, the Police bytimes are too ready to direct HGV'S to use unsuitable narrow "C" class roads in the event of an accident on a main road, and even to my direct personal knowledge directed an old bloke who cycled to his work to take an onerous uphill long diversion around a single vehicle accident scene on a staight and bloody wide main road with wide verges. WTF Plod could not have instructed the bloke to proceed, or simply have walked him past the scene I do not know. The car had slid off the road through a hedge so no gruesome sights to be avoided, and anyway the bloke was a hairy arsed gravedigger!

I cannot commend this comment highly enough. Especially with my Council employment background . . .

Weirdly when I am "down" I am not interested in alcohol. I am also uncommunicative. And I know alcohol is an additional depressant, but that does not come into it. Now when I am "up", a pint of stout or two, an ah cud slabber for Ireland. I also had a few conversations with another bloke, a workmate, who was intelligent and articulate but suffered from depression, and candidly discussed his inability to stay away from alcohol when depressed, even though he KNEW it was definately NOT going to help. We are all different.

The hybrid is a dream, either select the function which automatically applies the parking brake with a firm** application of the foot brake, then release and the brakes hold until the accelerator is pressed. Or leave this function unselected and the car creeps very positively on relaxing the pressure on the footbrake. All very intuitive and idot proof. **The real genius of this function is that if in slow moving traffic light pressure on the brake pedal will hold the car, but releasing will cause it to creep, but firm pressure will bring the parking brake on.

Co Antrim. BT53 8AB

Cept mine bes the POS DQ200 dry DSG. Not one of the proper wet DSG's Anyway I am liking the hybrid driving experience, cos ah plumb HATED the zero low speed control of the DSG, the dry box may be worse than the wet type, but I understand even the "proper" wet DSG's are frustrating(to put it rather mildly!) to manouver in a tricky tight situation ESPECIALLY if any incline is involved.

Not to worry, since several others within senior government circles appear to have a sufficient excess of testestrone . . .

Rodney did say the compression was poor or "goosed", so the cylinder probably needs replaced, it would only really be for sentimental reasons and/or curiosity that I would possibly try and get her going again. I will mull it over, as I do. waaaaaay too much. thanks all Marcus

Re me wee 026, I had a brief rummage through the box of bits. The cylinder has one score that would catch a fingernail, and the piston only has a couple of small nicks to the top outside edge(and I reckon it might be re-usuable?) But can, or how? does the crankshaft split to examine and possibly? fit a new bearing, the needle bearings are certainly "in bits" since the connecting rod is very loose, i.e flailing about everywhichway. The bloke said a new crank would be £200.00 so by implication he reckoned it was knackerd. Are the needle bearings in a cage or do they possibly run on the crankshaft direct? I know nothing about 2 stroke engines btw. thanks mth

We had that on our only decent Beech tree a few years ago, a limb fully 10-12" across fell across the lane, no signs of wounding or decay, and let go close to the bole. It came down overnight though, which was a bit odd.

BUT! Thats a Husquvarna, that 592XP is, I can only imagine(but I would rather not tbh). Am away fer a bar o soap to wash me mouth out with after that. Cheers mth

Picked up the Toyota on Tue, a dream to drive, especially the superb electric slow speed control and selectable and entirely automatic parking brake function working purely off the foot brake, or you can set it to creep instantly on release of the footbrake and take-off like a traditional TC automatic. And it goes like stink when asked. Mth

P.S. Re the DSG. Ours is the infamous dry 7 speed DQ200, fitted to the smaller petrols and the wee 1.6 diesel i.e. NOT built by the OEM (Sachs perhaps?)who built the reliable wet DSG's and apparently when VAG asked them to design and build the dry DSG within their specified packaging/weight and cost constraints, they looked into it, and concluded that it could NOT be done. They were correct. But VAG found another company (and it might have been *Getrag?) who said they could build it to within the packaging/weight constraints and to price They were WRONG! Mechatronic already replaced 3 year ago. Probably the selectors? But could likely also need the clutch packs replaced with 140,000 on Plus the Dual Mass Flywheel, ditto. Then likely Siemens injector issues plus need a timing belt sometime soon. Too many birthdays all in all. And the DSG is HATEFUL when slow speed manouvering especially on any incline, DOUBLY so in reverse. Cheers, Mth *I was posting a comment about the Toyota and found it was probably Getrag, not Luk.

Thanks all. (I)Yaris being collected Tue or Wed, the clutch will not properly disengage, despite the slave cylinder being thoroughly bled, twice. Either a warped/knackered/collapsed clutch plate, or failed slave cylinder, but no fluid loss, anyway I understand a gearbox out job since the slave cylinder lives inside the bell housing. Bought a 362C today, an animal compared to the wee 026. The saw I lusted after and should probably have bought in 1997! The bottom end needle bearing had collapsed in the 026, knackering the crankshaft and fragments had also got trapped between the piston and the pot. I did think I had briefly heard an odd noise! Oops! My bad. Thanks for the suggestions re the Renault Tragic btw, it will be going back to the bloke she bought it off, who is also the bloke sorting the Yaris. He is hard to pay, in that he was reluctant to be paid for his labour servicing the Yaris this past few years. More a hobby for him apparently, and he picks his customers. Thanks all.

I was sent that footage by our son, and sat open-mouthed as it unfolded. That particular cop should have been charged with murder for his disproportinate murderous actions against a helpless and non threating person. Quite appalling.

Only right run in too! So sommat light and powerful for firewood duties. And my nearest bloke is a Stihl dealer. Marcus P.S. This on top of 3 gearbox failures in 3 different vehicles over this past couple of weeks. (i) Totally Knackered DSG in the Skoda(for the 3rd and final time) 10+ and 140k on. (ii) The "bulletproof" Yaris has a duff clutch or clutch slave cylinder, and her only be 10+ with 150,000 on (iii) The linkage in the low miles Renault van is also out of kilter, but will the daughter get it looked at . . . In the circumstances I hardly dare go near any of the other vehicles . . . Signed, Disgusted of Dervock. Might? look at battery stuff?

Wots wrong with a helicopter.😁 (Bring on the cargo drones perhaps?)

I saw some such study referred to recently, but with respect to increased IQ, I however suspect it was US based, though it may have been Swedish in orign. Must try and find it.

A brilliant sunny warm forenoon yesterday, but turned britterly cold in the afternoon(13 deg, but with a biting Nth wind chill-factor), and upon opening the patio doors at 06:00 this, the longest day morning, me testicles were running for cover from the lazy Nth wind. Brrrrr.

A mate had some done for 9.50m but that was top spec materials, all timber with 30 or 40 year guarantee and pair of double gates. How in Earth(and pun fully intended) do they guarantee that timber in contact with the ground will not rot for up to 40 years? mth

The wife has corrected me, nearer 2 miles she says, so 2 miles it was(I was more foccussed on avoiding other rush hour traffic on a twisty country road)

Is that "Tebay" up at Shap, a favourite stop for our jaunts from Stranraer to the Channel ports, and back. I have a notion I have also been in these Gloucester services, since they look familiar in the images, but I need to find them on a map to double check. cheers mth

See images, about a 1/2 mile stretch near Ahoghill, Co Antrim. The hedges appear to be Quickthorn/Hawthorn, but dead or dying? First time in my life I have seen this phenomena. Marcus

The saws or the operators? or perhaps both?

A touchy subject, but surely if estates intensively rear and release these "game" birds they are only encouraging "vermin" to feed on them, exactly as baiting ducks to a pond with free food. So the more the estate breeds and feeds, the higher the predator nos. It is simply an entirely unnatural situation. On the other hand our few neglected and un-shot-over acres are "hooching" with wildlife, there being more than 1 Pheasant brood strutting about our front drive, this despite the un-shot or otherwise controlled Buzzards, many seen patrolling overhead, Foxes, we are surrounded by natural untended woodland(and a neighbour out the other side shoots dozens each year), and Badgers, with several setts within a 1/4 mile. All in natural harmony. Marcus