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That jumper was very flattering... ;) To be honest, I still have (mostly) black hair, even now, but maybe not quite so much of it!

There's even a photo, taken just before that moment when I peeled the film off...

Many years ago, (when Mrs Avocet and I were courting!), I had to put a load of development miles on a TVR. Obviously, a development car, so a bit of a "shed", but good fun. We decided to take it to Spain... Some scumbag decided to break into it one night in Segovia. He couldn't nick it, as I...

Yes, oil dilution is "a thing". As other have said, excess fuel injected during an "active" regen. It gets past the rings and dilutes the oil. (Which, (a Ford engineer told me), is also what kills wet belts). Generally, the regen will be "passive" (the engine management system won't have to...

The new cybersecurity regulations adopted in the EU from 2024, will start making it much harder for third parties to get into car computer systems. Nothing to do with the manufacturers, just regulation. The UK has announced it will also adopt them (although most new cars sold in GB already...

First thing you've said in a long time that I can actually agree with! You are, indeed, completely in the dark!

As Mottie said, it doesn't stop anything sticking. it MIGHT help to reduce brake squeal by helping make good contact between the end of the piston and the pad backplate. Only put a bit on, as you don't want it melting and contaminating the friction surfaces.

I think most of the water in brake fluid comes in through the flexi hoses and past the caliper piston seals? Certainly, I've always found it to be way dirtier in a caliper than in the reservoir. Around 2003 (I think) the regulations on end-of-life vehicles came in and the use of certain...

As you wish. I'll keep scraping the corroded iron out from under them whenever the pads start sticking... ;)

It's ferrous insofar as it has iron in it - all stainless does, but metal merchants would sell it as non-ferrous. If you know about galvanic corrosion, you should know what happens when you put stainless in contact with mild or cast iron...

Yes, the stainless will be fine! It's anything ferrous that it's in electrical contact with that suffers! It's galvanic corrosion. Surely you've tried putting a stainless self-tapper into a piece of thin mild steel and leaving it out in the rain for a few months? The stainless will...

Pop into Halfords and put your registration in the wee terminal next to the shelf with the antifreeze on. It should tell you what sort you need. That stuff (OAT) is generally used on newer cars (say, those bult in the last 20 years or so). If you have an aluminium radiator, it's PROBABLY the...

No he's right. It's mostly BS with a sprinkling of truth in it. The funny thing is, towards the end, after 7 minutes of telling us how "impossible" it is, he actually says mechanics are buying bootleg software just so they can do the same think as the car manufacturer does with the laptop...

I really don't know why manufacturers do that! Stainless is just about the worst bearing material known to man! As if that wasn't bad enough, it's viciously corrosive to iron and mild steel when in electrical contact with them. After a while, the groove that they sit in just corrodes like...

Fantastic! Mate of mine had a series of them when we were students. "Rusty" just doesn't BEGIN to describe the state they were in, but those flat 4 motors were an absolute jewel!

Reliant Rebel. Bloody front wheel bearings collapsed when I did my emergency stop! Made horrible grumbling noises for the rest of the test. I think the examiner was very glad to get out!

Probably truer to say you spent another £60 on your £1500 ICE car today... ;) On the plus side, you'd never ever need to buy most of those things for an EV, and brake shoes would probably last the life of the car too.

I was a student at Hatfield Polytechnic in the mid '80s when they were building the M25. I don't think they'd quite finished it while I was there, but they finished the tunnel under Hatfield, 'cause I can remember us racing our knackered old student cars through it!

Not if you're happy with the range. I think Nissan were offering exchange Leaf batteries for about £4k at one point, but I'm sure there are cheaper places that will repair or recondition your existing battery pack. Of course, you don't have to buy a second hand Leaf. The early ones didn't...

I guess it's possible that his 6000 miles a year is one long road trip... :unsure: