Zel's Fleet Blog - BX, Jag XJ-S, Sinclair C5, Mercedes 208D & 230TE, AC Model 70.

[Zelandeth]

The worry I have is that a couple of folks I know have never driven cars without all these toys, stability aids and such...and they're used to driving the car in such a way that they are always using them. I seriously worry that one day one of these systems is going to fail and we'll wind up having to peel them off whichever street light, motorway barrier or bridge they've managed to wrap themselves around.

Half the problem seems to be not even their fault...It's just how a lot of people, especially in metropolitan areas are actually being taught to drive.

[CitroJim]

Zel, agreed on all points there!

There is a belief in some quarters that learners are these days taught to pass a test and not learn driving as a skill -which it is - or being told that even though they've passed their test they are now only just beginning to learn the skill and have a long way to go before they become competent...

Are they encouraged to hone their skills? Judging on what I see on the roads each and every day I don't believe so...

[elma]

I definitely like ABS, it's saved me a bump a few times. I agree it should have an off button for snow, terrifies me up here even with snow tyres.

I think the only skill honing really pushed to new drivers is the pass plus if it still exists.

[Zelandeth]

Not as far as I've seen...

Half the problem is that it's so expensive to actually get any advanced driving qualifications these days I reckon, and the actual advantage of doing it is minimal.

I really fancied looking at getting AIM membership (especially when I was doing the work back with the buses, and I was getting told virtually daily by their trainer that it was something I was more than capable of getting involved in), but looked at the costs involved back then and asked my insurer whether it would make any difference there...yes they said...it knocked about 10% off the annual price at best. Wasn't something I could really justify at that cost just because I wanted to do it.

Pass Plus is a joke. I did it, and it knocked if I remember rightly about £30 off my insurance - which was somewhere around the £1800 a year mark back then!

I still reckon that the roads would be a lot safer place if everyone had to spend a few hours behind the wheel of a car *without* any driver aids, and equally spend a few hours behind the wheel of a large vehicle like a lorry or bus.

[Hell Razor5543]

I did the Pass Plus, and my insurers at the time treated it as 1 year NCB, which then accumulated over the years. 4 years in it had paid for itself.

[Zelandeth]

Think it seems to vary a lot by insurance companies (granted, we're going back 13 years in my case now). I do recall that I had quite a few problems even getting insurance back when I started driving because my annual mileage was quite high - because I lived in the back end of beyond and was doing the best part of 100 miles a day commuting to/from college!

...Have to admit that the commute is not something I miss.

[Zelandeth]

Had someone today try to buy the Lada off me at a roundabout! Sorry, not for sale!

It also started making horrible grindy, grumbly noises under braking...that'll be the brake pads having had it then! Noticed that the levels of brake dust I've been seeing in the last few weeks have really been ridiculous, so I reckon that the (ancient) brake pads might have started to break down and shred themselves more rapidly than normal. Pretty sure that the front wheels shouldn't turn themselves almost completely black in a few weeks of driving...even taking into account the number of roundabouts here and how front-heavy the braking on these cars is.

Have a new set of pads ready to go on though, and was planning to do them along with the brake hoses (originals, which don't look too clever) before the MOT next week anyhow, so no biggie.

[CitroJim]

Had someone today try to buy the Lada off me at a roundabout! Sorry, not for sale!

How? You must have been stopped for a while for such a potential transaction to be discussed!! Was it a long queue at the particular roundabout?

Good, glad you did not succumb as your Lada is a definite keeper... Like my Gabriel

[Zelandeth]

Was the one just before the J14 roundabout Jim, didn't note the time so got myself snagged in the usual queue there!

Made it quite clear that I wasn't selling though.

[CitroJim]

Ahh yes, I try to avoid that one at busy time, which is most of the time... It was nice and clear at 03:00 on Monday though

[Zelandeth]

Tried to change the spark plugs on the Lada. They are well tight. Will try again shortly with the engine hot and see if that helps.

Didn't have time for anything else on the cars as I was busy getting the best part of five grand's worth of new windows and doors installed on the house...

[CitroJim]

Is it a cast-iron head Zel?

Yes, definitely try with the engine hot...

[mickeymoon]

Alloy head and cast block, if it's the same as the 2 1200cc Ladas I owned in the past.

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

[Zelandeth]

Alloy head and cast iron block, just like the 1200. The only one that's really noticeably different is the 1300 which has a timing belt rather than a chain.

Hopefully they won't be as well stuck in place as the plugs in my first Saab were - which I needed to use a six foot long breaker bar to shift...and even then it was hard work!

These haven't been in there for a massively long time if the paperwork is to be believed - but they're the wrong plugs, so need to be changed irrespective of that, and I've my doubts about whether they will be gapped properly...

[Zelandeth]

Noticed that the rear brakes on the Lada are grumbling a lot when cold. Will be doing some pre MOT work tomorrow anyway so will pull the drums off to have a look what's going on. Check if I have the self adjusting wheel cylinders while I'm in there too as may as well swap them out if not. By 93 they *should* be, but you never know.

Figures I'd find more for my shopping list right after ordering a bunch of bits...