Archive for the ‘Cars’ category

Better Driving Please

August 28th, 2008

I lost my ability to drive through speeding – all my friends know this. My driving is much better now and maybe it’s time to chill.

However within the last few days I have seen some bad driving – and I have found somewhere to report these incidents:

BetterDrivingPlease.com

It’s a good service and I would promote it to all of my friends.

Ciao for now!

Don’t worry about petrol prices!

June 16th, 2008

Don’t worry about those petrol prices, just don’t use it (as much);

Visit www.petrolprices.com/ for some great advice and the cheapest stations near you;

I also found this comment in the blog, that I believe is from http://www.theoildrum.com/ originally.

A Twelve-Step Plan to End Oil Addiction (courtesy of The Oil Drum)

1. Stop deluding ourselves. The era of cheap, readily-available oil has ended. Prices may fluctuate, but the underlying trend is up, up, up. We have to get used to using less.

2. Demand that politicians take the issue seriously. Make it an election issue. Don’t take ‘we’ve got everything under control’ as an answer.

3. Stop building new roads. They’re a monumental waste of money, time and effort. They encourage, rather than ease, congestion, and besides, the growth in car travel that’s used to justify them isn’t going to happen anyway.

4. Divert that money and effort into measures that address the challenges of oil depletion and climate change.

5. Make a major investment in public transport. It needs to be better, faster, more comfortable, more regular, and more predictable. It needs to cater for everyone, not just peak-hour commuters — though they need a better service as well.

6. Make a major investment in broadband internet to allow more people to work from home, and change tax and business practices that discourage working from home. The more car trips we can avoid, the better.

7. Electrify transport where possible. New Zealand is well placed to use renewable electricity for transport. We should be electrifying commuter rail where it is not already electric, using light rail (trams) in cities, and looking at electrification of the main trunk line. On the other end of the scale, electric bikes and scooters can make a big difference in our cities. And electric cars show promise, though there’s a lot of questions to be answered yet.

8. Don’t use cars unless there’s no alternative. Take the bus. Take the train. Switch to a scooter. Walk or cycle – both your wallet and your doctor will thank you.

9. Deal with other aspects of our oil dependence. Agriculture, for example, is highly dependent on oil. We’re going to need to change the way we grow and distribute food. Let’s get to work on that now, not wait until supermarket shelves start to empty.

10. Stockpile or manufacture vital products currently imported from overseas. When oil runs short, will that still be possible? Let’s take stock now and work out what we may need to start stockpiling or making in New Zealand.

11. Think local. Ending our oil addiction isn’t just up to central government, though it can play its part. Communities can work together to make themselves more resilient. Join or start a Transition Towns group in your local area.

12. Accept reality. The age of cheap oil is over. It’s not coming back. As individuals and as a nation, we have to adapt.

From this moment on, oil prices will continue to rise.

For the terminally bewildered amongst you I repeat:

The time is now to start thinking about and making changes to the way you live so your life is not so oil-centered. Remember that a lack of oil extends far beyond just not being able to drive your car – so many other products, services and industries are based on oil.

Start preparing for a life of austerity. NOW!

Find local employment. Reduce your debts. Reduce your fuel consumption. Grow your own vegetables or buy from local suppliers. Exercise regularly. Insulate your home. Help your family, friends and colleagues to understand the implications of Peak Oil.

Got it? :)

Posted by Peak Oil, 6th June 2008 7:36pm

RIP 306

May 15th, 2008

It’s dead…

After all that pain and anguish on Saturday – It’s dead…

My car, whilst driving through a puddle, did exactly as the French once did… It gave up…

It may never move again, the engine has seized.

I would of taken a picture of my car, stationary, in a big puddle, to prove how much of an Idiot I was – but there was no camera of any reputable source to hand (Check the Mobile Phone post earlier). My car was not designed for puddles (unlike vehicles like this: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qr8eEWyKQHM http://youtube.com/watch?v=g7hDJbEHJWk driven by MTM4×4)

Dad’s not happy :-(

Mum isn’t too appealed :-(

I’m gutted :-(

It is becoming a bad week… How is yours going??

Cars – do they need all four wheels?

May 10th, 2008

My brakes needed changing… or so I thought!?!

Upon removing my wheel, and removing the brake drum I realised the brakes are fine. The bearing however was shot!!

The bearing, for those who are still guessing, is what allows the wheel to spin freely on its center. It sits dead center and shouldn’t allow the wheel to wobble. The wheel wobbled, a lot and made some nasty noises.

So I didn’t need new brakes, I needed a new bearing!

£25 later a new bearing; but me and my dad couldn’t install it as the old one wouldn’t come out. We almost had to buy a whole new drum. All because of a small circlip, designed to hold the bearing in place. My dad and I had to waste an entire afternoon trying differing methods of removing a small bit of metal.

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Job done, car fixed!

Ciao:

What’s New? – MTM4×4 is!!

May 7th, 2008

Well I have been arranging my Mortgage, but thats still in progress;

I have also been working on an old project for a friend, who wanted a website to peddle his wares.

Go check it out for me – MTM4×4.com

His site uses the same wordpress technology as millions of other websites (including mine). Allowing for many plugins aswell!!

It’s up to him now to post news, and pages – rich with pictures of muddy stuff!!

RELATED LINKS:

MTM4×4.com First Post “MTM4×4 is Reborn…”