First_Lexus

Speed limits at 20mph were becoming common in central London when I was regularly commenting there in the late-1990s and mid-2000s. They’ve gradually spread to other areas, and were announced in Wales to replace 30mph limits recently. Now it’s Surrey. Will the 20mph limit replace the 30mph urban standard in the next few years? Have to say, I’m unconvinced in many - but not all - areas. Just a few weeks ago I was hooted and abused for obeying a 30mph limit locally, albeit it was a BMW driver so I was able to ignore him on the grounds he was uncouth (there’s a word that’s vanished from regular use!) enough to be driving such a vehicle…but the point is, will these actually be enforceable? https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/08/07/pilot-plan-20mph-speed-limit-country-roads-gets-green-light/

Certainly are. Sainsbury is now at £1.71.9 in Reading, down 5p for unleaded since Friday. BP remains at £1.75.9 but was closed when I drove past earlier as they are refurbishing the shop.

BP in Calcot, near Reading, continues to be 1p per litre cheaper than the nearby Sainsbury. £1.75.9 for BP unleaded this morning vs £1.76.9 for Sainsbury less than a mile down the road.

Have to be honest, I’ve never noticed from inside the car. That said, I usually have music playing…hard to hear anything over legendary sounds from Lloyd Cole, or Billy Bragg, or Elvis Costello, or The The…or Steps, S Club, Taylor Swift, Scooch…😆

+1, I’d love to have this even if just for a while. Superb!

I seem to recall listening to a theory that the conspiracy theories about whether the 1969 moon landing really happened were started by NASA in order to put conspiracy theorists off the scent of the REAL conspiracy…😆 That’s proper tin-foil hat material! I mean, it’s entertaining, but slightly worrying that some people must actually believe it… Not directly relevant, but this always makes me smile. As usual, excellent comedy probably reflecting reality. Has our politics REALLY changed that much since the 1980s?

Conglomerate

When I was working ‘ooop North’ I often used to stay in Peniston near Sheffield. It must take a special type of person who wants to live in Penist…😆

My RX has this, and you can’t hear it at all when inside the car. A neighbour has a RAV4 and another a Jaguar iPace, and both make a noise when at low speeds but it’s hardly something to get excited about! This strikes me as a ‘first world’ problem - and one that isn’t really a problem at all!

With the weather slightly cooler today, and mainly overcast, I decided to give the RX a full exterior detail (having done the interior a couple of evenings ago). With hosepipe bans likely in this part of the world soon, I thought getting her into top condition now was probably a good idea. The whole car, including all door shuts and under the bonnet, was treated to the following regime: - Snow foam, using Bilt Hamber Auto Foam; - Wash, using Bilt-Hamber Auto Wash; - Wheels, using Bilt-Hamber Auto Wheel; - Dead bugs removed, using Gyeon Bug & Grime (fantastic stuff, it essentially dissolves them without any pressure needed); - Windows, using Bouncers Look Sharp; - Water Spots (minor) using Gyeon Water Spot Remover; - Exterior plastics, using Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel (which has been my preferred choice for years); - Paintwork and wheels dressed, using GTechniq c2v3; - Tyres, using Bouncers Dress to Impress. The car was fully corrected and ceramic coated, using GTechniq Crystal Serum, by Chris at Summit Detailing in Weston-Super-Mare when the car was new. It’s the second Lexus I’ve had treated when new by Chris - who does an amazing job - and it’s worth every penny when you realise how (relatively) simple getting a superb finish is afterwards. Anyway, that’s been my workout for the day. She looks fine in the late afternoon sunshine…😁

Makes sense. As we all know, witches are made of wood…😁

Would that be the same Dominic Cummings who attended Oxford and read Modern and Ancient History?

On heat pumps, I had one in my last house. It was a new build, and the local developer (there were only ten houses) had installed them. Manufacture was Daikin. I lived with it for five years. To be honest, it was utter rubbish. It was cheap to run, but that is the only positive thing I can say about it. It took ages to heat the house, and when it got really cold outside the fan unit froze up and then shut down for 30 minutes while it ran a defrost cycle. It was also hugely unreliable - luckily all under warranty. Daikin came and told us all (myself and the other householders) that everything was working ‘within tolerance’ and that we just had to get used to it. Get used to getting cold they meant! I’m now back in a house with gas central heating and - regardless of cost - I’m happier as I know I can rely on it to actually work!

Asda are trying to steal a march on their rivals. Hopefully the start of a price war. They’ve now reduced petrol prices by 9p in a week. Unfortunately the old saying “up like a rocket but down like a feather” seems to be very apt for fuel prices. https://news.sky.com/story/asda-cuts-petrol-and-diesel-prices-to-help-motorists-save-money-12661418

Amen!

Love it! Haven’t had one of those for any of my three new Lexus so far…but I does indicate a random selection.

The market for used EVs seems to be pretty strong from where I’m sitting. Autotrader bought a cheap Nissan Leaf and did a series of videos about it. All that had happened was the range had reduced on maximum charge. As time goes on, either specialists will appear who can recondition/replace batteries at a reasonable cost and/or manufacturers will develop longer lasting and more reliable battery technology. Maybe hydrogen will also have a part to play in the future, maybe not. Time will tell. For areas of the planet that are more remote or that require longer distances - parts of South America, Africa, even Australia and the US - I would think there will need to be something other than the EV solution we see now.

Only ended up going past today - Sainsbury is £182.9 for unleaded. BP was £179.9, so I filled up there. What is odd is that BP in Aldermaston, which I drove past yesterday, was still at £1.95 for unleaded!

Afraid I didn’t see - I was headed towards the M4 so couldn’t see the Sainsbury price. Will be driving past in the morning so will have a look then and report back!

£1.79.8 for petrol at BP in Calcot, Reading this afternoon. Sign of the times that I was excited by the slight drop in price!

Agreed. I was simply curious, but await the expected avalanche of emails from them with joyous anticipation!

This thread made me use RegTransfers to see what my two are valued at. Both cost £250 from DVLA, and are prefix low number and initials. I don’t think they’re special in any way - they don’t spell a word or anything. Received a mail (well, two separate mails) yesterday to say one is valued at £450 but that the other is £1200! No idea what the difference is, apart from the fact the one with the higher value is an ‘A’ prefix and the other is an ‘S’ prefix. I’m not going to sell, but if you’ve got one you don’t like or want it may be worth getting a valuation!

Got to love the way this thread has meandered through fuel prices, various conspiracy theories, COVID, electric vehicles vs fossil fuelled vehicles and now the eCVT! Surely the only thing left is whether the 300h power train has enough power or not…😆 On the eCVT subject, I’m guessing that - a bit like with the 300h power train discussions - driving ‘enthusiasts’ (best description I can think of) don’t like them but those who just want comfortable transport don’t really notice? Back on topic, no sign of petrol prices falling here yet. Still £1.85 yesterday.

Looking at the enclosed from What Car? the 18-20% range drop in Winter does seem consistent. If I’ve read it correctly, the reason Winter use is so problematic in my situation is that 95% of the journey is motorway, with just 4-5 miles at each end on local roads. I guess that explains why the sales staff are so nervous - and rightly cautious! https://www.whatcar.com/news/range-test-how-far-can-electric-cars-go-in-winter/n24274

^^ I’ll believe it when I see it!