NickF

That is so funny

Thanks! :D

I've just been reading about the Merc solution, called SBC, which is basically brake-by-wire. They are discontinuing it in E-Class and CLKs this year for some reason, which is a shame, because it provides a lot of neat features, such as the aforementioned cruise control, and also a feature where you can hold the car stationary without holding the brake pedal down or applying the handbrake. This is great in traffic or on a hill.

On most cars, the cruise control only operates on the throttle, so if the car is going down a hill of any appreciable gradient it will speed up in the same way as a car without cruise control. If the hill isn't too steep, engine braking will keep the speed in check. This is how the cruise control on most of the cars I have owned or driven recently behaved (BMW, Lexus, Vauxhall, Audi, Range Rover). The Mercedes E-Class however, has some kind of electronic control over the braking system, so the cruise control can actually apply the brakes gently in order to maintain a speed downhill, and will actually slow the car down quite quickly if you select a slower speed. It also has a limit function which prevents the car from exceeding the selected speed. This too applies the brakes if necessary. This is definitely the best cruise control I have used on any car, but it takes quite a bit of getting used to, even if like me, you are used to using cruise control.

Does the cruise control on the new IS actually apply the brakes to keep the speed at the set limit on a downhill section of road as per various Mercedes then? I have never driven anything other than Mercedes E-Classes that do this.

You're not wrong there! I get 5 or 6 calls a month offering me HGV driving jobs. I have never expressed an interest in taking a truck drivers job. I have no past history of truck driving for a living, I am a software developer and always have been. My CV reflects this, but because I have stated the fact that I have an HGV license on my CV, I seem to get picked up by the keyword searches that they do. Oh well, at least I know that I shouldn't have any trouble finding work if I fall on hard times!

'WHY!'..... that's soooooo wrong!.. people looking for work desperately pursue the overall income.. advertising a deliberate deception is morally wrong.. I agree, it sucks. Unfortunately, I'm not responsible for recruitment. We seem to look for people for who we believe are more likely to accept less money than they are worth, for example, those who are being made redundant. For this reason, nobody seems to stick around very long.

My company (can't mention any names but we have a large fleet of big green trucks...) have recently advertised a job for 25-28k when we had no intention of paying any more than £20k.

I've been with the AA for around 11 years and have called them out numerous times, most of which have resulted in a satisfactory conclusion. 1) Citroen BX with broken rear suspension - full lift back home. Turned up in about 30 minutes. 2) Vauxhall Belmont cut out and wouldn't restart. AA patrol were with me within about 15 minutes and diagnosed a loose HT lead very quickly. 2) BMW 525i lost all water (because I left the radiator cap off...) - a non AA guy came out and filled it up for me. He didn't bleed it though, so it overheated again within 5 miles so he had to come back. 3) Peugeot 106 Diesel fan belt snapped. AA Relay turned up in around 30 minutes and replaced it at the side of the road. 4) BMW 528i burst header tank. Relayed the vehicle from Glasgow to Nottingham, dropping me off on the way. 5) Peugeot 307 Auto (hirecar) would not shift out of Park. Bypassed the brake pedal inhibitor on the selector at the side of the road. 5) Lexus GS300 Sport two flat tyres. Took me (minus car) to a local tyre place to get them replaced. Refitted the wheels when we got back. Took around an hour and a half to get to me, but they told me up front that it would take this long so I wasn't too upset. Basically, I've had my moneysworth out of the AA and would not be without it. Their communication is very good, and I think that they have always given me a fair estimate of how long it will take for them to get to me.

I added someone (ifraz actually) to my insurance a couple of years ago and it has saved me around £80/year ever since. This was quite bizarre as he had recently been in an accident where he lost his NCB. When I tried to add my mother who has been driving for something in the region of 300 years and has never had an accident, my premium went up.

My 99T GS300 Sport Mark 2 had the 5 speed Auto box, no steering wheel buttons though. These came on the facelift model which came some time after 99.

Happy Birthday Rob!

Revo do some great software. That's what I have on my S3. I will definitely get an RS4 when I can afford one, which frankly, isn't likely to be any time soon

Nice try... We know that you were there...

I thought that all mobile camera units were laser, just the fixed position ones operated on radar.

A car I had a while back failed an MOT due to inoperative front fogs. I was told that if they're on, they have to work. Didn't question it because I intended to get them fixed anyway.

I would say not based on the number of replies...

Maybe they were responses to a personal add you have placed? You haven't signed up to any online dating websites lately have you?

You could always use this company to beat the queues. Their prices are very reasonable too! http://www.petroldirect.com/

It has been reported quite widely in the road haulage press, but I haven't read anything in car magazines or newspapers. It is causing quite a stir among some of the "less reputable" hauliers! HGV drivers used to avoid known weighbridges and checkpoints, but now this isn't good enough to avoid getting caught.

You are unlikely to be stopped by VOSA in a car unless it looks knackered. They are more interested in overloaded or unroadworthy commercial vehicles.

I passed 2nd time for my car licence. I nearly went through a red light on my 1st. I passed my HGV test 1st time, even though I did a hill start in 5th gear.

I had a similar issue a while ago with intermittent notifications on a particular thread. I can't remember which forum/thread it was, but I wasn't getting the notifications I thought that I should. I run my own mail server with no spam blocking or filtering on it. It has been ok since though :D

Hmm. There's a Ferrari/Maserati showroom a couple of doors down from where I work. I could give it a try tomorrow.... Don't hold out too much hope though!

I am trying to find either a convertible (BMW 645) or a luxury car (Mercedes S Class) to hire for a weekend for a wedding (not mine) and am struggling to find any companies who will rent to people under the age of 30 in the Nottingham area There is one company that I have found in Edgeware called Prestige Car Hire who do seem to allow us youngsters to drive their cars, but this is 125 miles away from Nottingham, so I would use the vast majority of the included mileage just getting it there and back, and I'm sure that the excess mileage charge is at least a couple of quid per mile. Does anyone know of any companies in the Midlands who hire specialist cars? Anyone had any experiences of any companies of this type?