Herbie

Ooh, that's one of my (ever growing list of) pet hates. It really grinds my gears and I would happily ban them from driving for at least 12 months!

Not quite sure who this was directed towards Stephen but for my own part I'll say yes, I've had almost any and every test known to man. I'm almost 66 now and I first became aware of these problems when I was about 15 or 16 and beginning to explore the world of pubs and beer. Before that I'd just assumed that all kids were the same and I'd 'grow out of it', but it wasn't to be. All my life I've been worried about bladder and/or prostate cancer because all the symptoms of it are quite normal for me. Hesitancy in getting the flow to start; weak and interrupted flow when it does start; an urgency to go but only getting rid of an egg-cup full when I do, and no matter how much I try to get rid of every last drop, there's always dribbling when I zip back up. Apologies if some think that's too much information but that's my normal daily life. Although the PSA test seems to have fallen out of favour these days I still have one every year anyway because my numbers are so closely grouped that it won't take much of an increase for me to get other tests done. For my age, any score up to and including 4 is considered to be alright and for the last six years my numbers have been (if I remember correctly) 0.55; 0.51; 0.52; 0.59; 0.52 and 0.51. At some point I may have had a 0.71 in there somewhere but it's all been below one anyway.

Hope all goes well Oiers, both the procedure and the outcome.

Make sure the service plug grip has been reinserted correctly and making good contact.

Just sent you a PM now Roger, hope it helps.

Good grief, this sounds far too complicated for me. I seem to remember that the old Economy 7 rate was given during the night when it was quiet and demand was low. It won't be long before there are no quiet periods of low demand anymore, so nighttime electricity will soon cost as much as daytime rates.

It could be if you're not careful. It takes about 20-25kV to strike the arc and about 80-85V to maintain it.

Are you sure you have it? I think it was an optional extra in 2009 and although you may have a button that's labeled as DAB, you may not have the optional module installed.

The plates that Lexus are now fitting do work but because they are not a Thatcham-Approved device they will have no effect on insurance premiums at all. To make a difference any device has to be Thatcham approved. Due to medical and health reasons (back injury, arthritic knees) we need an SUV as both my wife and I have difficulty getting in/out of a standard saloon. We tried other manufacturer's offerings but the RX450h was, by far, the nost comfortable and easiest for us. However, I see the very real possibility of having to change to something else if these insurance costs don't come down before March

The problem is that it's compound interest that just keeps adding up. If I can find the interest example they provided I'll post it here because it may help others in the future if they're thinking of doing this.

If we're going Belgian I prefer Palm Stephen, thanks

Ah yes, interest rates When I first followed your advice and got in touch with Nationwide, I think the rate was something like 2.8%; certainly under 3% anyway. Equity Release works on a lifetime interest rate, which means that whatever the rate is when you sign on the dotted line, that's the rate for the whole mortgage term. Due to a lot of faffing about (not our fault I hasten to add) which is too long and boring to list here, we move forward in time to the point where Truss and Kwarteng destroy our economy, Nationwide pull all ER products from the market as do some others, and we end up going with Key Equity Release Group. The mortgage lender itself is a company called More 2 Life and by the time we were ready to sign on the dotted line, the interest rate was 6.8% In the end it doesn't matter to us. It's still very affordable, we can do what we want and we can still stay here until the last one of us dies, no matter what happens to the value of the property in the meantime - but it's so damned annoying when none of the delays were down to us and knowing that we could (should) have got it cheaper.

I know what you mean and I appreciate the thought, but that would never happen for two very big reasons: One is my disproportionate homesickness. My wife comes from Carlisle so I moved up there to be with her. It's only 90 miles up the M6 but within two months I was desperately homesick for Preston. Not so much for the town itself because it's nothing special, but I couldn't stand losing all my friends, especially the dozen or so of us who have been meeting up a couple of times every month (at least) since leaving school in 1974. I've known these guys for 61 years, since we all walked into infant school at the age of 5. The other big reason is our health, which is the main reason why we needed a bungalow anyway. This bungalow is everything we wanted and more besides, but by a happy accident it's also close to the hospital, supermarkets, a pub, and almost anything we'll ever need as we get older and less mobile. We have made some silly or even bad decisions in our lives but we're both confident that this ranks amongst the best.

No I haven't Steve - but I will be now, thanks

I agree that Equity Release isn't for everyone, far from it, but for us it was a no-brainer. If you have kids or someone else that you want to leave a legacy to then it definitely isn't right for you, but it's perfect for us and I'll try to explain why. We'll both be 66 in January and the mortgage term is 23 years, which would make us 89 at the end of the mortgage. With the greatest will in the world we can't see either of us reaching that age but even if we are still around, we can continue to live in this bungalow. They only get their money back when the last one of us dies or moves into long-term care. You can choose one of three ways to pay the mortgage: Pay both interest and capital like an ordinary mortgage Pay interest only Pay nothing at all We borrowed £70k and took the third option, ie, to pay nothing. If it runs to term then that £70k that we borrowed will have grown to about £264k that we owe them. As mentioned earlier, they only get paid when the last one of us dies or goes into long-term care. If we happen to live longer then we have the legal right to stay in the property until we die/move out. There is a guaranteed 'no negative equity' clause which means if the property that we paid £300k for drops in value, the mortgage provider will never chase our estate to make up the difference. They take a gamble and they may win or they may lose. Just as an example for this illustration, let's say that we "should" be paying back £300/month - but we aren't. Instead, we're putting that money into our bank account so that we can get it out as and when we want it, to spend it on whatever we wish. It's just a way of liquidating some value out of a £300k lump of bricks and mortar. We have no kids and although we do have family, they're all financially stable and independent so they neither want, nor need any inheritance from us and if we didn't do this it woud be a case of the Cats Home or the Government getting all of it. Anyway, it's all moot for us now because we did it and we got the keys about two months ago (sorry @Phil xxkr I forgot to tell you) As I said, ER isn't for everyone but for us, I really can't see a downside.

Never pull fuses when looking for a parasitic drain. You need the car to be completely 'asleep' but pulling fuses could wake up something and give you a false positive.

Funny you should say that. My hair was always a red/mousey colour and I've spent hundreds, maybe thousands over the years having it highlighted/coloured, but stopped doing it maybe 12 years ago. Within 6 months my natural colour showed itself and it's been like this ever since - but my eyebrows are still red

This is a LINK to current terms and conditions and lists what is and is not covered - tailgate struts ARE covered:

Have the OBD codes read then come back and tell us what they are (if any have been flagged up). These codes are starting points for further in-depth diagnostics and can help to point us in the right direction, otherwise all we can do is guess.

The only thing I would suggest is a Grom Vline2 if one is available for your car. Alternatively, have a look at this thread from a fellow member.

Yes - even without Rayaan's answer.

Great job and done very well. I've always been attracted to shiny sparkly things and would certainly have this in my RX, but my 65 year old eyes may be overwhelmed and make it a non-runner. I'm already noticing that my eyes don't recover as quickly as they used to after passing other traffic during darkness.

Hmm.....not so sure about that. Dashcams are a great idea and I have a front/rear system (Viofo A129 Duo) in my RX, but I wouldn't want it built in at the factory because as sure as eggs is eggs, you can bet the replacement cost would be ridiculously and eye-wateringly high if they needed to be replaced. My Viofo system cost just over £150 and works superbly well. If I ever needed (or even just wanted) to replace them it won't break the bank and I would have a wide and varied choice to choose from if I didn't want another Viofo.

Michelin Cross Climate or my own personal favourite, Goodyear Vector 4Seasons. The main problem is getting anything in the 20" size!

Found it: