wandadog13

Hi Someone recently commented that I hadn’t posted anything for a few weeks – thankfully, nothing broken (ha-ha) but seriously, life is ticking along and it’s nearly February. Or put another way, this time last month was Christmas Eve! Anyway, this whole ‘Northern Lights’ thing – you know, them being visible from the UK rather than just the outer rims of the Arctic. Is it only me that thinks it all sounds a bit like ‘the day of the triffids’? Avert your eyes now! And this blast of solar... Read Full Story

Hi Someone recently commented that I hadn't posted anything for a few weeks - thankfully, nothing broken (ha-ha) but seriously, life is ticking along and it's nearly February. Or put another way, this time last month was Christmas Eve! Anyway, this whole 'Northern Lights' thing - you know, them being visible from the UK rather than just the outer rims of the Arctic. Is it only me that thinks it all sounds a bit like 'the day of the triffids'? Avert your eyes now! And this blast of solar... Read Full Story

I thought it was worth sharing that if, like me, you had a broken door lock (in this case a Skoda Octavia with a locked rear passenger door), then make sure it works before taking your car for an MOT as a ‘permanently’ locked shut door will fail the MOT – even if it’s a back door. The problem was that the door had locked shut on its deadlock some months ago, so I couldn’t get to the inside door panel screws to remove it and access the locking mechanism. Luckily, my friends at Smalley... Read Full Story

I thought it was worth sharing that if, like me, you had a broken door lock (in this case a Skoda Octavia with a locked rear passenger door), then make sure it works before taking your car for an MOT as a 'permanently' locked shut door will fail the MOT - even if it's a back door. The problem was that the door had locked shut on its deadlock some months ago, so I couldn't get to the inside door panel screws to remove it and access the locking mechanism. Luckily, my friends at Smalley Service... Read Full Story

I had to replace a dipped beam headlamp bulb on Mandy’s Ford Galaxy (2.3 Zetec on 02 plate) last weekend for her. Silly me, without removing the old one first, I headed for the local auto spares shop in Buxton. When I got there, I was informed by the very helpful man behind the counter, that they had 2 bulbs listed. One was £7 odd whilst the other, a gas discharge type was around £60. I chose the cheaper version (I’m a cheapskate and prayed it was the cheaper option fitted, plus that was... Read Full Story

I had to replace a dipped beam headlamp bulb on Mandy's Ford Galaxy (2.3 Zetec on 02 plate) last weekend for her. Silly me, without removing the old one first, I headed for the local auto spares shop in Buxton. When I got there, I was informed by the very helpful man behind the counter, that they had 2 bulbs listed. One was £7 odd whilst the other, a gas discharge type was around £60. I chose the cheaper version (I'm a cheapskate and prayed it was the cheaper option fitted, plus that was the... Read Full Story

It was a bright morning last June – the new iPhone 4 had launched a few days earlier and getting a lift in with my boss – himself an apple ‘devotee’, we were discussing when each of us was going to get the new iPhone. As we had a habit of going in particularly early, we agreed we’d round up our old iPhone3 (in his case 3gs) boxes and phones in case the opportunity presented itself and the O2 shops in Derby got some more stock in. So 7.30am, driving through Derby, he suddenly swung the... Read Full Story

It was a bright morning last June - the new iPhone 4 had launched a few days earlier and getting a lift in with my boss - himself an apple 'devotee', we were discussing when each of us was going to get the new iPhone. As we had a habit of going in particularly early, we agreed we'd round up our old iPhone3 (in his case 3gs) boxes and phones in case the opportunity presented itself and the O2 shops in Derby got some more stock in. So 7.30am, driving through Derby, he suddenly swung the wheel... Read Full Story

Replacing the indicator relay on a Skoda Octavia 1.9TDI Elegance (on a ’53 plate). Tools required: Small flat bladed screwdriver Time required: 5 minutes Parts required: Replacement flasher relay unit / hazard warning switch (it’s all one unit!) When the indicators on my Skoda Octavia (1.9 TDI ’53 plate) started beating erratically – sometimes a double click, sometimes (and more often then not) a single burst before falling silent, I realised it my be time to replace the flasher... Read Full Story

Replacing the indicator relay on a Skoda Octavia 1.9TDI Elegance (on a '53 plate). Tools required: Small flat bladed screwdriver Time required: 5 minutes Parts required: Replacement flasher relay unit / hazard warning switch (it's all one unit!) When the indicators on my Skoda Octavia (1.9 TDI '53 plate) started beating erratically - sometimes a double click, sometimes (and more often then not) a single burst before falling silent, I realised it my be time to replace the flasher / indicator... Read Full Story