OV9

GG. wrote: Wed Aug 27, 2025 12:50 pm ACC is certainly better but I'd rather have CC than none. I find it very helpful if you're going through average speed camera sections - less so on open motorway I'd admit.

That. Although on long motor way schlep's you do get to play "why the fuck aren't you using your cruise you dummy?" as you pass someone doing yourspeed -2mph, only for them to pass you 3 minutes later doing yourspeed +3mph, only for you to need to pass them 5 minutes later 'cos they've slowed to yourspeed -1mph etc etc etc.

I've never really used cruise control. I've experimented a few times with the Tesla system just to see what the fuss is about but it's not for me. I'd say the South East is too congested for it but even driving to Scotland or Italy I've not used it.

Mito Man wrote: Wed Aug 27, 2025 1:18 pm I've never really used cruise control.

It just seems like an efficiency no-brainer to me when you're on the motorway and can round a bend and come into view of a camera van parked 1500m away. Set your cruise to what you perceive to be an appropriate speed. You don't want to discover that you accidentally drifted over that via receipt of a NIP, but equally don't want to waste time by dropping below that speed.....

RichB and Mito Man are wrong 'uns.

mik wrote: Wed Aug 27, 2025 1:15 pm

GG. wrote: Wed Aug 27, 2025 12:50 pm ACC is certainly better but I'd rather have CC than none. I find it very helpful if you're going through average speed camera sections - less so on open motorway I'd admit.

That. Although on long motor way schlep's you do get to play "why the fuck aren't you using your cruise you dummy?" as you pass someone doing yourspeed -2mph, only for them to pass you 3 minutes later doing yourspeed +3mph, only for you to need to pass them 5 minutes later 'cos they've slowed to yourspeed -1mph etc etc etc.

Christ on a bike this winds me right up Also the spanners that speed up as you're approaching them and you have to up the cruise by 1-2mph to get past them, only for them to drop back rapidly once you're past.

I like ACC on the Superb, but in busier sections it can be annoying as the gaps it leaves can be quite large, even on the closest proximity, so you end up with people nipping into the gap. I know you can set that even closer in the menus but then I'd get earache from the left of me.

NGRhodes wrote: Wed Aug 27, 2025 12:18 pm With my daughters boyfriend now defacto moved in and a Husky

She's in a relationship with a dog?

Mini update - it’s been SORNed for a while now and hasn’t been MOTed since we moved to this house in Feb 2024. So it was beginning to look a bit like a barn find. It’s been on a CTEK the whole time and started at the third push of the button. I’ve put four Steradent tablets in the washer bottle, left it idling for a good while to warm the engine through and pumped up the pretty flat OSF tyre. I think it’d pass an MOT with the washers working. Air con needs a regas, and it needs a service. Thinking about whether it’ll ever be used by my stepdaughter, whether I may as well recommission it properly and insure it for me to use and keep running rather than mouldering in the garage or possibly selling it.

Did she ever pass her driving test Simon?

Rich B wrote: Tue Aug 26, 2025 3:26 pm i’ve got a day set aside this weekend for Elise fettling - i’ve built up a (not that short) list of stuff i’d like to do;

- some aesthetic like the new rear diffuser, grinding off the old broken exhaust bracket so it sits right with the new hanger and a few tart ups to the interior. i’m also going to try seatbelts instead of harnesses for a bit.

- Some essential and MoT items like trying to working out why the handbrake light stays, putting some thread lock on a front hub bolt that seems to like coming loose and making sure my headlights point the right direction after i fixed the bracket

The other question i have is, will i need to refit my catalytic converter to pass the MoT?

I didn’t get much of the way through my list, i swapped over the rear diffuser, sorted out the exhaust and fitted the catalytic converter for the mot… and learnt a load more about how the elise goes together and comes apart.

i’m not 100% yet on the shorter diffuser. i never liked the long one because it looked a bit chavvy and always gathered dirt on top, but now it’s gone i kind of miss it! It’s not going back on, but it’s going to take a bit of time to look like my car again!

Simon wrote: Sat Aug 30, 2025 8:55 pm Did she ever pass her driving test Simon?

Nope, but she now lives with her partner who is likely to shortly. And they have an allocated parking space at their flat so have space for it. So I’d like to think it’ll be theirs soon, but I need to make sure it’s going to be functional and not going to break down. Hence wanting to use it myself a bit to check it out.

Rich B wrote: Sat Aug 30, 2025 9:41 pm i’m not 100% yet on the shorter diffuser. i never liked the long one because it looked a bit chavvy and always gathered dirt on top, but now it’s gone i kind of miss it! It’s not going back on, but it’s going to take a bit of time to look like my car again!

Looks much better shorter, IMO. Does the longer one bring any functional (or noticable) aero improvements?

Matty wrote: Sat Aug 30, 2025 11:48 pm

Rich B wrote: Sat Aug 30, 2025 9:41 pm i’m not 100% yet on the shorter diffuser. i never liked the long one because it looked a bit chavvy and always gathered dirt on top, but now it’s gone i kind of miss it! It’s not going back on, but it’s going to take a bit of time to look like my car again!

Looks much better shorter, IMO. Does the longer one bring any functional (or noticable) aero improvements?

When I had my vx220 there were often arguments on the forum about the the larger diffusers, with some owners claiming they could feel a difference at 30mph popping down to the shops and others claiming you would need to be doing silly speeds before there would be any aerodynamic effect and even then you probably wouldn't feel it. So who knows.

It’s worth nothing, but I quite like the visuals of the longer diffuser.

My wife's Vitara had a flat battery this morning, it doesn't get used that often and I thought the battery sounded slightly sluggish yesterday but didn't expect it to not have enough power to turn over the engine today. This gave me the perfect excuse to try my as yet untested Aldi jump pack. I haven't used the new type of tiny jump packs before but for £30 I decided to take a chance, it can also be used as a power bank to charge phones up etc if it failed to start the car so wouldn't be a total waste of money. I needn't have worried though as the car started, I won't pretend it turned over the engine as quickly as a fully charged car battery but it was easily enough to start it and only one of the four power level lights went out.

Like this

mik wrote: Sun Aug 31, 2025 12:15 am It’s worth nothing, but I quite like the visuals of the longer diffuser.

i have to take your tyre tippexing into account though. I do have an inner chav too, but i’m growing out of it!

Having seen it again today, i’m more confident in my choice - it still has fins, so it’s not completely lost.

(the strap under is where my cover goes round).



the sticky out one would have had rain marks and dirt all over it by this morning.

Rich B wrote: Sun Aug 31, 2025 12:03 pm i have to take your tyre tippexing into account though. I do have an inner chav too, but i’m growing out of it!

Today sir, I am Linda.

Hive mind question - what's needed to get an MOT on a car that's SORN'd and not currently insured?

Insurance so you can drive it to (and from) an mot station.

And an appointment at the MOT station - in case you get stopped.

Z4 Coupe - surprisingly good for the tip run. Mental health taken a turn (which I've recognised, don't panic) so having a broadscale clearup. Done two tip runs, and cleared over a dozen black bags of toot to the tip in two runs. Don't ask for details, if you've dealt with long term depressives who keep themselves fairly isolated, you probably have an idea

First time I pulled up, the lad monitoring everyone watched me pull up, seemed to like the car, nodded appreciatively etc. Then his jaw subtly dropped as I got seven bin bags out of it.

Anything is a tip run car if you're brave enough