alternative fuels.

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tomsheppard
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alternative fuels.

Post by tomsheppard »

Following a now closed thread on the subject of bleaching red Diesel and lots of interest in running cars on lard, chip fat and so on, I am disconcerted by the number of people who quite openly seem to regard cheating the taxman as a viable economy measure.
I have no beef (or dripping- 44MPG) with those who are declaring their fuels to the authorities (just admiration for their enterprise)but I'm getting increasingly hacked off with people who just don't pay their share. As an overtaxed motorist myself, I always get on the ferry with the tank nearly empty
and fill up to the very top as near to the port as I can. That's legit but running on blends of dodgy diesel to avoid paying your dues is just dishonest. Suppose I'm in a minority of one though, looking at this forum.
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Post by bxbodger »

I know what you mean, but I seem to be paying an absolute fortune in income tax to a government that's more interested in fox-hunting and Iraq than the dire state of our transport infrastructure, the homeless, street crime, etc- not to mention the 100 odd quid a month in council tax which I seem to get less and less for!!!
I heard a talk show jock say he was going to change his name to "sponge" because as a working person he was being squeezed more and more!
If I can get a freebie then I am going to take it!!
In todays news, there's a serving copper who, whilst driving uninsured, crashed into, and injured, 3 women, drove off, resprayed his car, and told his family to lie about his whereabouts- he got a £550 fine, a years ban, and he <b>kept his job as a copper!!!!</b>All they have done is taken him off driving duties!!
This sort of thing does not exactly encourage respect for the law.....
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Post by AWG »

Tomsheppard you certainly are not in a minority. The majority is, as the expression goes, silent. Tax evasion, shop lifting and fare dodging are all in the the same basket as theft.
It does seem that the Chancellor is more interested in (quite legitimate) tax raising than in encouraging less environmentally damaging transport. This is, of course, no reason for anyone to cheat the rest of us but I am sure that there are more who would adopt less damaging fuels if there was an incentive to go along with the fuss and bother of doing it let alone seeing some serious commercial development of alternatives to petrol and oil burning transport.
having reread the previous sentence here is some punctuation., "! , , ,...
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Post by bxbodger »

Heres the story about the copper:http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-20 ... 1,00.html- sorry, but after this ( assuming it's true, of course ) how can anyone have any sort of respect for the law or the government which runs it.....kids down the road from me in Hackney have no school place, yet taxes go up and up- where does all the fuel and road tax money go to???
And how on earth is Peter Mandhelson back in the government? I have lost any respect for government that I ever had and will take any opportunity I can to get something back.....grrrr,rage,etc.....
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Post by uhn113x »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Suppose I'm in a minority of one though, looking at this forum<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
At least two, Tom. Count me in.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">If I can get a freebie then I am going to take it!!<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
So will I, but not if my fellow men are paying for it! If enough folk evade tax of any sort, it will go up.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
In todays news, there's a serving copper who, whilst driving uninsured, crashed into, and injured, 3 women, drove off, resprayed his car, and told his family to lie about his whereabouts- he got a £550 fine, a years ban, and he kept his job as a copper!!!!All they have done is taken him off driving duties!!<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Given that what the media tell us is is not always the exact truth taken in context, I agree with you there, BXB. There is definitely 'A law for the rich, a law for the poor' The same would apply,presumably, if he were a 'football hero' whose obscene salaries are paid by the gullible public. As a recent case proves.
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Post by bxbodger »

I am just fed up with being massively taxed just to keep the underclass in fags n' special brew!!!!
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Post by Homer »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by tomsheppard</i>


I have no beef (or dripping- 44MPG) with those who are declaring their fuels to the authorities (just admiration for their enterprise)
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
The problem with that is, if you declare your use of Bio-fuel, which is better for the enviroment, reduces our dependancy on fossil fuels, and, (possibly more importantly at the moment) foreign supplies then it pushes the price above using the regular stuff from Esso etc.
Which to me is a stupid situation.
If the government were to reduce the tax on veg oil used for road vehicles then the rest of us would still have to pay more.
Shame I have a petrol engined car really.[}:)]
Don't forget kids, there are more people in prison for motoring offences (in the UK) than any other crime. A good proportion will be customs and excise related.
There was study recently which suggested the legal economy benefits from the black economy more than it loses. If someone saves or earns a few quid illegally the money finds it's way into the regular economy eventually.
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Post by oilyspanner »

You stil need to live, many need to economise, we in Britain live in a small expensive country. infortunarely successive governments have relied on using us as cheap labour, ok until we start competing with folks who go all day on a bowl of rice, we lost our advantage, we are the clever race, we should use that more.
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Post by broomie »

Tom
I might have putSunflower oil in your BX because I was out of work...and was the only way I could afford to run BX. Mostly I cycle everwhere but some intereviews needed a car!
As for law - we should all obey sensible ones - paying my tax to find WMD in Iraq, invading it, putting squaddies on firing line for dubious moral purposes. If you are rich you can afford tax lawyers and cost of fuel is not a problem!
Finally - any news of the green BX - how does it run? Still stunned the Head gasket issue has gone away...
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tomsheppard
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Post by tomsheppard »

David has fitted a new fan switch, temperature gauge and stat. Green BX sound and healthy. Fans cut in and out and car loses no coolant. It has been much tidied and is very much cherished in its new home.
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Post by broomie »

well that's good news - still mystified as I changed that switch and the fans always cut in and out but only when it was very very hot.
oh well.
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Post by DLM »

There was quite a lot of scale on the switch, Paul. I only fitted the gauge yesterday so will keep you informed of developments.
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Post by DLM »

Sorry about the brevity of that reply, Paul: I was on a public access terminal and just about to run out of allotted time. The car is very much appreciated as I'm now in that "between jobs" state......many, many thanks.
As I said above, the fan switch had an appreciable coating of soft scale, so that may have raised the temperature at which the fans came in. When I saw that I was thinking in terms of a complete cooling-system flush but can't really do that as a streetside procedure.
Optimistically, I fitted the originally-specified 92/97 degree fan switch, though I feel a lot better about that now I have put the gauge in place to give at least a relative idea of temperature.
It does seem to be running cooler than my 19TGD was running when I retired it with a silting-up radiator and terminal rust. The gauge and sensor were a straight swap out of the TGD so I can make a like-for-like comparison.
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Post by broomie »

David
well well - that sensor crudded up in 4 years then amazing! Good to know its working well - its possible all teh problems were casued by a) that hole in the oil cooler pipe b) the Fan sensors not reading properly
What temp. you getting on gauge?
tomsheppard
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Post by tomsheppard »

Fan sensors cut in at higher temperatures when old but 4 years seems to be a short life.
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