Sensible family daily wagon - Mercedes Benz S211 E500
Discussion
BigRusko said:
CharlesdeGaulle said:
I was enjoying the Danish redhead, then things got weird.
Sounds like the start of an 'interesting tale'..... 
At least I learned quite a lot about educational support that that Danish government offers to students.
EDIT... sigh
Edited by bolidemichael on Wednesday 20th May 10:05
Edited by bolidemichael on Wednesday 20th May 12:36
bolidemichael said:
When I did eventually get to Denmark, there was a border check and anticipating that muggins here with his English plate and laden vehicle would be invited for a chat, my documents were ready and to hand. Of course, the Danes are a wonderful people with an easy humour, so it wasn't too much trouble to disarm them with a mild accusation of picking on me because of Brexit, "It's not my fault, you know, we all love Danish bacon in the UK" etc... they were no trouble and let me on my way in a jiffy.
When I crossed Germany to Denmark on the motorway a few years ago I also got pulled in for a chat (maybe it's a single male in UK plate, older car thing). They were very nice, checked my documents, and upon hearing I was heading to Norway rather mournfully asked me to "try to spend some money in Denmark too please" as I was waved off. No border check at all on the non-motorway route I used last year.
tog said:
bolidemichael said:
When I did eventually get to Denmark, there was a border check and anticipating that muggins here with his English plate and laden vehicle would be invited for a chat, my documents were ready and to hand. Of course, the Danes are a wonderful people with an easy humour, so it wasn't too much trouble to disarm them with a mild accusation of picking on me because of Brexit, "It's not my fault, you know, we all love Danish bacon in the UK" etc... they were no trouble and let me on my way in a jiffy.
When I crossed Germany to Denmark on the motorway a few years ago I also got pulled in for a chat (maybe it's a single male in UK plate, older car thing). They were very nice, checked my documents, and upon hearing I was heading to Norway rather mournfully asked me to "try to spend some money in Denmark too please" as I was waved off. No border check at all on the non-motorway route I used last year.So where were we..? Aah yes, the flexible and experimental (potentially) redhead. Sigh.
My day consisted of arriving at my host's place after lunch, so with only a couple of hundred miles to cover, it was a fairly relaxed affair and I could look forward to covering the ground at a relaxed pace and doing something that a enjoy in Denmark - traversing bridges.
I hadn't previously appreciated until I pieced my route together, but Denmark is an archipelago - well, Jutland is a peninsula, which is abridged to Funen and next to that is Zealand.
Therefore, I would be crossing at least two bridges, the first being known as the Little Belt, from Jutland to the amusingly entitled
and this photo probably explains the reason why I missed the recording for most of the crossing, though here is a taster of a Danish three lane carriageway (clicky linky) at midday on a Tuesday.
In a short while, after buying some chocolates and goodies from the rather well stocked petrol station I encountered the second and logest bridge, known as the Great Belt at over eleven miles.
This crosses from Funen to Zealand(clicky linky). Apologies for the lack of windscreen blue tack in order to prevent the phone from dropping mid-recording. I irritate myself with my failure to recruit a passenger to hold the camera. The redhead would've done a spectacular job. At around ten seconds, the tiny island of Sprogo is encountered and as I passed it, I recall thinking that it would have been such a shame for the inhabitants of that splendid little island to have had their millennia of peace and isolation irreversibly interrupted by the installation of this behemoth - as recently as 1986! However, it was far more convenient that waiting for a ferry and the feeling of driving over water is really quite lovely, in a way.
By the time that I had arrived near my destination, the weather had changed dramatically and the heavens really opened (clicky linky). One of the great joys of driving during the F1 season, which now stretches from March through December, is the hours of excellent coverage on BBC Radio 5Live. It keeps me company after the race is done and dusted and it's fantastic in car entertainment, listening to the story of the weekend unfold in almost a single sitting. In this instance, it was a continuation of Vettel's disastrous German grand prix when he spun out of the lead - as we now know, these mistakes have cost him his seat at Ferrari.
Eventually, the clouds parted and I arrived at my destination in rural Denmark; it's a location where the townies of Copenhagen (the better off ones) purchase summer/weekend houses, as it is conveniently located - as with the Cotswolds to London, I presume. Many of the houses are handed down through the generations, eventually being run by diary amongst the various families of descendants that all have a share - a closed shop airbnb type affair, if you will. In the instance of my host, whom I had previously visited at what I can only describe as a chateau in Skanderborg (now sold to partially fund this purchase with his new wife), the house had belonged to two sisters whose family had made their fortune in music score publishing rights. As such, the arrangement was very convenient, with two entrances and living quarters at either end of the living room - one directly adjacent and the other accessed via the adjoining kitchen.
Whilst the house had some very charming features, I must say that some of the musical entertainment was a little eyebrow raising, not quite Radiohead, or even Johnny Cash.
I do recognise the sentiment - the look of a man sans nubile redhead...
My day consisted of arriving at my host's place after lunch, so with only a couple of hundred miles to cover, it was a fairly relaxed affair and I could look forward to covering the ground at a relaxed pace and doing something that a enjoy in Denmark - traversing bridges.
I hadn't previously appreciated until I pieced my route together, but Denmark is an archipelago - well, Jutland is a peninsula, which is abridged to Funen and next to that is Zealand.
Therefore, I would be crossing at least two bridges, the first being known as the Little Belt, from Jutland to the amusingly entitled
and this photo probably explains the reason why I missed the recording for most of the crossing, though here is a taster of a Danish three lane carriageway (clicky linky) at midday on a Tuesday.
In a short while, after buying some chocolates and goodies from the rather well stocked petrol station I encountered the second and logest bridge, known as the Great Belt at over eleven miles.
This crosses from Funen to Zealand(clicky linky). Apologies for the lack of windscreen blue tack in order to prevent the phone from dropping mid-recording. I irritate myself with my failure to recruit a passenger to hold the camera. The redhead would've done a spectacular job. At around ten seconds, the tiny island of Sprogo is encountered and as I passed it, I recall thinking that it would have been such a shame for the inhabitants of that splendid little island to have had their millennia of peace and isolation irreversibly interrupted by the installation of this behemoth - as recently as 1986! However, it was far more convenient that waiting for a ferry and the feeling of driving over water is really quite lovely, in a way.
By the time that I had arrived near my destination, the weather had changed dramatically and the heavens really opened (clicky linky). One of the great joys of driving during the F1 season, which now stretches from March through December, is the hours of excellent coverage on BBC Radio 5Live. It keeps me company after the race is done and dusted and it's fantastic in car entertainment, listening to the story of the weekend unfold in almost a single sitting. In this instance, it was a continuation of Vettel's disastrous German grand prix when he spun out of the lead - as we now know, these mistakes have cost him his seat at Ferrari.
Eventually, the clouds parted and I arrived at my destination in rural Denmark; it's a location where the townies of Copenhagen (the better off ones) purchase summer/weekend houses, as it is conveniently located - as with the Cotswolds to London, I presume. Many of the houses are handed down through the generations, eventually being run by diary amongst the various families of descendants that all have a share - a closed shop airbnb type affair, if you will. In the instance of my host, whom I had previously visited at what I can only describe as a chateau in Skanderborg (now sold to partially fund this purchase with his new wife), the house had belonged to two sisters whose family had made their fortune in music score publishing rights. As such, the arrangement was very convenient, with two entrances and living quarters at either end of the living room - one directly adjacent and the other accessed via the adjoining kitchen.
Whilst the house had some very charming features, I must say that some of the musical entertainment was a little eyebrow raising, not quite Radiohead, or even Johnny Cash.
I do recognise the sentiment - the look of a man sans nubile redhead...
bolidemichael said:
That's a typical quip that I would expect to hear. They must be so relieved to receive a chirpy response, unlike the terse Germans that are already irritated at having to curb their motorway speed. So, did you drive into Norway or take the ferry from Hirtshals?
Ferry from Hirtshals. My in-laws used to have a place very near Larvik so it was such easier than driving all the way round through Oslo.First time I drove out was some years ago and we took the much-missed Esbjerg ferry, but I've done Harwich-Hook-Hirtshals-Larvik a couple times since. First time I was travelling solo in the Saab and had a very satisfying drive from Hook to Hirtshals - 1000km in about eight hours with only a single fuel / sandwich / loo stop near Bremen. Last year we did it en famille in the Bristol over a few days with various child-friendly stops each way. The Elbe ferry is nice diversion to avoid Hamburg if you're passing that way.
tog said:
bolidemichael said:
That's a typical quip that I would expect to hear. They must be so relieved to receive a chirpy response, unlike the terse Germans that are already irritated at having to curb their motorway speed. So, did you drive into Norway or take the ferry from Hirtshals?
Ferry from Hirtshals. My in-laws used to have a place very near Larvik so it was such easier than driving all the way round through Oslo.First time I drove out was some years ago and we took the much-missed Esbjerg ferry, but I've done Harwich-Hook-Hirtshals-Larvik a couple times since. First time I was travelling solo in the Saab and had a very satisfying drive from Hook to Hirtshals - 1000km in about eight hours with only a single fuel / sandwich / loo stop near Bremen. Last year we did it en famille in the Bristol over a few days with various child-friendly stops each way. The Elbe ferry is nice diversion to avoid Hamburg if you're passing that way.
I had alluded to the fact that I was experiencing a light shimmering on the road to Denmark and I suspected that when my tyre man had balanced the wheels, he had forgotten one. My host is mild enthusiast of cars, owning an original shape 2.8L Z3 and a succession of Land Rovers. He got on the blower to a local tyre shop and explained my issue, ensuring that they were able to see me in the afternoon. Firstly, I bid farewell to my hosts.
I then headed north for a cup of tea with an elderly friend whose wife in Danish and they live in their summer home for half the year. The coastal town of Tisvilde; it's actually quite nice, as he had described this town to me and by a recognition of the description (retreat for the wealthy of Copenhagen, coastal etc), I suspected that I might be within touching distance - so a quick sanity check with my hosts led to my sending an email and I received an invitation to tea... it's only a few miles up the road! How the world shrinks around you, sometimes. He's quite funny, a real old boy; I once had him in the passenger seat at 140mph on the B390 Chitterne Rd from Shrewton in Wiltshire in my E63 645Ci... he still chuckles about it. He told me tales of being pissed as you like with his mates on the M40 in an e type and falling asleep at the wheel in heavy snow... this was back in the Sixties... only to be woken by the blaring horn from a passing truck just in the nick of time. His wife tells me another story of when they were living in Haywards Heath and she went to the station to collect him, heavily pregnant "wearing just my nightie and knickers", lol, and she spotted him in a drink induced stupor, face pressed against the window of the carriage. The train continued with hubby on board and he ended up in St Leonard on Sea; by his admission, "I had to get the taxi home and it smelled putrid" - "Serves you right" was the response His summer house is in a cloister opposite the house in which a member of the Danish royalty has their own summer home and a neighbour is an heiress to the Lego empire. He's very self-effacing though, the classy chap.
My next stop was to get my wheel checked out
and it transpires that my feeling was correct and I was charged DKK400 for that... about £45! Nevertheless, needs must and all was rectified once again. Whilst typing this, it occurs to me that I have had attention from garages in Barcelona (front brake discs and pads), Germany (whoops) and Denmark.
EDIT: I now recall that two wheels required balancing, which explains the cost.
I then embarked on my route home to SW London. As I'm not much of a forward planner, I had a look on booking.com in the morning and secured a reasonable looking hotel, the INDINGSHOF (I don't know why they insist on shouting) in Bramsche, Lower Saxony, for a reasonable price with genius discount and flexible cancellation. I estimated the journey time and distance with a little give and put a finger on the map.
As you can see, this means a ferry crossing. Yay! The last time time that I had taken a ferry from Denmark to Germany, was from Gedser to Rostock in 2015 when I was in my 645Ci. On that occasion, I arrived in Rostock in the early evening and enjoyed a beautiful traffic free run to Berlin on a balmy evening sat on cruise control at 150mph.
This journey takes me from Rodby to Puttgarden.
and there's an inviting ramp into the bowels of the ferry
It's a short crossing with a meagre cafe, no better than a greasy spoon and manned by gruff and jaded staff. Subsequently, I felt right at home and sat down with my flaccid wiener (schnitzel) in order to soak in the view
That photo was taken a 1815hrs local time and I had just over 220miles to cover and arrive in time for dinner - last order taken at 2115hrs.
Puttgarden is located on an island named Fehmarn and this means that we had another wee bridge to cross. This one also services a railway line; I enjoy traversing these structures, particularly the ones that are obviously multi-modal.
The road seemed to plod along for a while with the ferry traffic and so I just relaxed waiting for the opportunity to put my foot down. It's quite odd however, I'm never really entirely certain when we have entered a de-restricted stretch of road - I suppose that it's just the ingrained limits from the UK that means that I don't quite feel normal accelerating away on an innocuous two lane dual carriageway. One moment we're ambling and the next, the cars ahead have simply bolted!
I did reach some enjoyably high speeds
This screenshot was grabbed (from a screen recording) as I was near reaching my destination in the low light where I was flat out, being lane blocked by a stubborn fellow in a W124 - one that was annoyingly just a little slower than mine. I ended up just moving over to the middle lane and pulling away, much to his clear annoyance. It's not my preferred course of action, but if someone is driving without due consideration, it's nice to despatch of them and continue on my way. I arrived at around 2115hrs, which was just in the nick of time to grab dinner, which was actually a fair stab at a gourmet effort. I had called them on the way to ask them to hold a table for me. Of additional delight for me, they offered a 'premium water' option which was a nice sparkling water and highly mineralised, which leads me to suspect that it is naturally carbonated. I also enjoy the presentation of the product, particularly the glassware, which is a very thoughtful design. The Germans are very serious about mineral water and in fact before EU regulations, a water could only be labelled 'naturich mineral wasser' if it possessed >1,000mg/L i.e. no water from the British Isles would meet this criteria with the exception of the thermal waters of Bath, perhaps, but that isn't bottled for consumption.
As you can see, the bicarbonated, sodium, chloride and calcium are all relatively high and with a TDS of >1,500mg/L, it is almost certainly a product of nature i.e. an underground spring being imbued with CO2 from a thermal source and then being super heated and absorbing a lot of minerals on its way to the source.
Unusually, I hadn't recorded my day's trip stats - I may have lost my marbles from prolonged driving at high speed. On that note, I do enjoy the continual calculation of whether I have enough fuel to last the journey without have to stop to refuel. It's such a drain on time having to do so, that it's always one of my aims to arrive with a close to empty tank.
To that end, I've taken to carrying a UN-certified fuel can in the boot to top me up and squeeze out an extra 50 miles (10L) when I stop for a brief admiration of the roadside flora and fauna; 50 miles is usually adequate for my requirements. On this occasion, I had topped up tactically whilst waiting for the ferry which meant that I could hot-foot it the entire way from Puttgarden and my goodness, don't the autobahnen offer an illicit thrill and a convenient method of travel from A to B in a large capacity vehicle. If the Germans had won the war, would we have de-restricted roads... asked no one, ever? I love the 130mph gear change from sixth to seventh.
The next morning, I filled up from the most premium looking pump I've come across, courtesy of ARAL.
Ahead of me was a 343 mile day and as I don't like to pay for the inflexible flexiplus, as one has to commit both legs of the journey rather than being able to pick a single leg, I had booked a later chunnel with the idea that if I turned up early I may be pushed onto an earlier train.
Oddly enough, I was pulled over by an undercover border patrol upon entry to the Netherlands; I don't think that they expected me to have all of my documents to hand - passport, licence and a folder full of vehicle documentation - ownership, receipts and the full shebang! That soon disarmed them, particularly when I was asked to open the boot and elder of the two spotted the bicycle; he too was an enthusiastic cyclist, in fact, far more than I. That was my ticket to a tip of the hat and a wave off goodbye and I continued on to Ghent. The Dutch speak remarkably good English - they're also phenomenal fun.
I managed a quick sandwich and beer with my friend on his farm; it proved a nice opportunity to wrap up my brief sojourn into the continent. How's about a gratuitous shot of various aubergines.
I then arrived in Coquelles in good time... which was just as well because there were large queues... increased border checks presumably as a result of Brexit negotiations being at a tense stage. I noted that the demeanour of the window clerks was more hawkish than usual, too with a number of probing questions. I love to regale my various journeys and activities until they tire of me... as a wiser man told me "Bulls
t Baffles Brains!". Certainly, me jovial exchanges with engaging continental officials had come to an end!
That soon passed and I was on the way home. Unusually, I was first on the train.. which was a little eerie. Perhaps turning up early did offer a small perk.
I did notice that the air suspension was showing quite well on the train, so I took a little video (clicky linky). It shows particularly well in the final few seconds... surfing the Chunnel, "Cowabunga, dooood!". I have it on the 'raised' suspension setting and it is really quite effective - I often drive in town by default on the raised setting and it is nice and spongy and louche - a German goDdeSs without the hydropneumatic faff
Home was reached soon enough, oh how mundane and unwelcoming the UK motorway network can be; the soulless and dangerous avg 50mph zone on the M20 is crushing, though great for mpg! Another European jaunt dealt with and quite an adventurous one, at that!
I then headed north for a cup of tea with an elderly friend whose wife in Danish and they live in their summer home for half the year. The coastal town of Tisvilde; it's actually quite nice, as he had described this town to me and by a recognition of the description (retreat for the wealthy of Copenhagen, coastal etc), I suspected that I might be within touching distance - so a quick sanity check with my hosts led to my sending an email and I received an invitation to tea... it's only a few miles up the road! How the world shrinks around you, sometimes. He's quite funny, a real old boy; I once had him in the passenger seat at 140mph on the B390 Chitterne Rd from Shrewton in Wiltshire in my E63 645Ci... he still chuckles about it. He told me tales of being pissed as you like with his mates on the M40 in an e type and falling asleep at the wheel in heavy snow... this was back in the Sixties... only to be woken by the blaring horn from a passing truck just in the nick of time. His wife tells me another story of when they were living in Haywards Heath and she went to the station to collect him, heavily pregnant "wearing just my nightie and knickers", lol, and she spotted him in a drink induced stupor, face pressed against the window of the carriage. The train continued with hubby on board and he ended up in St Leonard on Sea; by his admission, "I had to get the taxi home and it smelled putrid" - "Serves you right" was the response
His summer house is in a cloister opposite the house in which a member of the Danish royalty has their own summer home and a neighbour is an heiress to the Lego empire. He's very self-effacing though, the classy chap.My next stop was to get my wheel checked out
and it transpires that my feeling was correct and I was charged DKK400 for that... about £45! Nevertheless, needs must and all was rectified once again. Whilst typing this, it occurs to me that I have had attention from garages in Barcelona (front brake discs and pads), Germany (whoops) and Denmark.
EDIT: I now recall that two wheels required balancing, which explains the cost.
I then embarked on my route home to SW London. As I'm not much of a forward planner, I had a look on booking.com in the morning and secured a reasonable looking hotel, the INDINGSHOF (I don't know why they insist on shouting) in Bramsche, Lower Saxony, for a reasonable price with genius discount and flexible cancellation. I estimated the journey time and distance with a little give and put a finger on the map.
As you can see, this means a ferry crossing. Yay! The last time time that I had taken a ferry from Denmark to Germany, was from Gedser to Rostock in 2015 when I was in my 645Ci. On that occasion, I arrived in Rostock in the early evening and enjoyed a beautiful traffic free run to Berlin on a balmy evening sat on cruise control at 150mph.
This journey takes me from Rodby to Puttgarden.
and there's an inviting ramp into the bowels of the ferry
It's a short crossing with a meagre cafe, no better than a greasy spoon and manned by gruff and jaded staff. Subsequently, I felt right at home and sat down with my flaccid wiener (schnitzel) in order to soak in the view
That photo was taken a 1815hrs local time and I had just over 220miles to cover and arrive in time for dinner - last order taken at 2115hrs.
Puttgarden is located on an island named Fehmarn and this means that we had another wee bridge to cross. This one also services a railway line; I enjoy traversing these structures, particularly the ones that are obviously multi-modal.
The road seemed to plod along for a while with the ferry traffic and so I just relaxed waiting for the opportunity to put my foot down. It's quite odd however, I'm never really entirely certain when we have entered a de-restricted stretch of road - I suppose that it's just the ingrained limits from the UK that means that I don't quite feel normal accelerating away on an innocuous two lane dual carriageway. One moment we're ambling and the next, the cars ahead have simply bolted!
I did reach some enjoyably high speeds
This screenshot was grabbed (from a screen recording) as I was near reaching my destination in the low light where I was flat out, being lane blocked by a stubborn fellow in a W124 - one that was annoyingly just a little slower than mine. I ended up just moving over to the middle lane and pulling away, much to his clear annoyance. It's not my preferred course of action, but if someone is driving without due consideration, it's nice to despatch of them and continue on my way. I arrived at around 2115hrs, which was just in the nick of time to grab dinner, which was actually a fair stab at a gourmet effort. I had called them on the way to ask them to hold a table for me. Of additional delight for me, they offered a 'premium water' option which was a nice sparkling water and highly mineralised, which leads me to suspect that it is naturally carbonated. I also enjoy the presentation of the product, particularly the glassware, which is a very thoughtful design. The Germans are very serious about mineral water and in fact before EU regulations, a water could only be labelled 'naturich mineral wasser' if it possessed >1,000mg/L i.e. no water from the British Isles would meet this criteria with the exception of the thermal waters of Bath, perhaps, but that isn't bottled for consumption.
As you can see, the bicarbonated, sodium, chloride and calcium are all relatively high and with a TDS of >1,500mg/L, it is almost certainly a product of nature i.e. an underground spring being imbued with CO2 from a thermal source and then being super heated and absorbing a lot of minerals on its way to the source.
Unusually, I hadn't recorded my day's trip stats - I may have lost my marbles from prolonged driving at high speed. On that note, I do enjoy the continual calculation of whether I have enough fuel to last the journey without have to stop to refuel. It's such a drain on time having to do so, that it's always one of my aims to arrive with a close to empty tank.
To that end, I've taken to carrying a UN-certified fuel can in the boot to top me up and squeeze out an extra 50 miles (10L) when I stop for a brief admiration of the roadside flora and fauna; 50 miles is usually adequate for my requirements. On this occasion, I had topped up tactically whilst waiting for the ferry which meant that I could hot-foot it the entire way from Puttgarden and my goodness, don't the autobahnen offer an illicit thrill and a convenient method of travel from A to B in a large capacity vehicle. If the Germans had won the war, would we have de-restricted roads... asked no one, ever? I love the 130mph gear change from sixth to seventh.
The next morning, I filled up from the most premium looking pump I've come across, courtesy of ARAL.
Ahead of me was a 343 mile day and as I don't like to pay for the inflexible flexiplus, as one has to commit both legs of the journey rather than being able to pick a single leg, I had booked a later chunnel with the idea that if I turned up early I may be pushed onto an earlier train.
Oddly enough, I was pulled over by an undercover border patrol upon entry to the Netherlands; I don't think that they expected me to have all of my documents to hand - passport, licence and a folder full of vehicle documentation - ownership, receipts and the full shebang! That soon disarmed them, particularly when I was asked to open the boot and elder of the two spotted the bicycle; he too was an enthusiastic cyclist, in fact, far more than I. That was my ticket to a tip of the hat and a wave off goodbye and I continued on to Ghent. The Dutch speak remarkably good English - they're also phenomenal fun.
I managed a quick sandwich and beer with my friend on his farm; it proved a nice opportunity to wrap up my brief sojourn into the continent. How's about a gratuitous shot of various aubergines.
I then arrived in Coquelles in good time... which was just as well because there were large queues... increased border checks presumably as a result of Brexit negotiations being at a tense stage. I noted that the demeanour of the window clerks was more hawkish than usual, too with a number of probing questions. I love to regale my various journeys and activities until they tire of me... as a wiser man told me "Bulls
t Baffles Brains!". Certainly, me jovial exchanges with engaging continental officials had come to an end!That soon passed and I was on the way home. Unusually, I was first on the train.. which was a little eerie. Perhaps turning up early did offer a small perk.
I did notice that the air suspension was showing quite well on the train, so I took a little video (clicky linky). It shows particularly well in the final few seconds... surfing the Chunnel, "Cowabunga, dooood!". I have it on the 'raised' suspension setting and it is really quite effective - I often drive in town by default on the raised setting and it is nice and spongy and louche - a German goDdeSs without the hydropneumatic faff
Home was reached soon enough, oh how mundane and unwelcoming the UK motorway network can be; the soulless and dangerous avg 50mph zone on the M20 is crushing, though great for mpg! Another European jaunt dealt with and quite an adventurous one, at that!
Edited by bolidemichael on Friday 22 May 11:51
bolidemichael said:
I irritate myself with my failure to recruit a passenger to hold the camera
I would like to selflessly put myself forward for the benefit of the PH community. Can’t believe the price you get from Spit and Polish - whenever I’ve had quotes off them they’ve been one of the dearest. I’ve always ended up going to The Wheel Specialist and having my pants down for the convenience (£110 a wheel!)
J.C... said:
bolidemichael said:
I irritate myself with my failure to recruit a passenger to hold the camera
I would like to selflessly put myself forward for the benefit of the PH community. Can’t believe the price you get from Spit and Polish - whenever I’ve had quotes off them they’ve been one of the dearest. I’ve always ended up going to The Wheel Specialist and having my pants down for the convenience (£110 a wheel!)
bolidemichael said:
Are you comparing apples with apples i.e. loose alloys?
Not bare alloys but loose wheels. I can easily get the tyres on and off if it saves me £240 though. I did have my Porsche alloys done by an Eastern European firm in Bracknell for £200 a few years back and they done a brilliant job, but they’ve disappeared now unfortunately.
J.C... said:
bolidemichael said:
Are you comparing apples with apples i.e. loose alloys?
Not bare alloys but loose wheels. I can easily get the tyres on and off if it saves me £240 though. I did have my Porsche alloys done by an Eastern European firm in Bracknell for £200 a few years back and they done a brilliant job, but they’ve disappeared now unfortunately.
I bought a spare set of alloys (£200 gumtree) for winter tyres. I have then had them and the other set refurbished. I am not my third set of tyres (summer) and my second set of winters, as the first were RFTs i.e. not suitable for my vehicle. The original logic for two sets was that I would save £80odd, twice per annum (so £160) in tyre changes between summer and winters. So far, I've yet to see that saving as I've had so many tyre changes!
bolidemichael said:
So if you're saving £60 per wheel getting the tyres removed - that works out the same cost as mine... unless I'm overlooking something.
I bought a spare set of alloys (£200 gumtree) for winter tyres. I have then had them and the other set refurbished. I am not my third set of tyres (summer) and my second set of winters, as the first were RFTs i.e. not suitable for my vehicle. The original logic for two sets was that I would save £80odd, twice per annum (so £160) in tyre changes between summer and winters. So far, I've yet to see that saving as I've had so many tyre changes!
Haha I’m not making myself very clear here am I I bought a spare set of alloys (£200 gumtree) for winter tyres. I have then had them and the other set refurbished. I am not my third set of tyres (summer) and my second set of winters, as the first were RFTs i.e. not suitable for my vehicle. The original logic for two sets was that I would save £80odd, twice per annum (so £160) in tyre changes between summer and winters. So far, I've yet to see that saving as I've had so many tyre changes!
Basically (he says) I’m paying £110 per wheel with the tyres on, I’d like to pay £50 per wheel the same as you. I can get the tyres whipped off and on no problem and save some money in the process, even if I had to nip them over to Wimbledon. The people I did use many years ago are no longer in business, hence me paying through the nose at TWS. Does that make sense?
bolidemichael said:
Thanks for the tips - I look forward to the opportunity to visit our cousins in Oslo by car. Interestingly, as I was looking into the various route options, I followed the ferry trail NW and ended up in Iceland, so I looked up the service at there's a vehicle ferry with cabins that also stops over at the Faroe Islands for eight hours. I've set my sights on that for when there is ample opportunity to do so. It's a perfect excuse to visit a few water sources...
It's very tempting to keep taking ferries to see how far you get, isn't it? I've long harboured a desire to ferry hop to Iceland and I particularly want to go up the coast to the far north of Norway, but either would take time and money that I don't have at the moment. Harry Metcalfe's trip to the north in his five grand Silver Shadow (seek it out on YouTube if you've not seen it) was quite reassuring that it is possible to do in an old heap. If there were only a ferry from Tromsø to Iceland it would make a circular trip possible.My in-laws have driven out to Norway every year for decades, but as they've got older they now like to take the Kiel-Oslo ferry. It's far from cheap, but it cuts down on the driving time which makes it appealing to them.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff