Thursday 29 March 2012

My first car

When I was younger, my father always told me that any teenagers first car should be a "scadonk" . His reasoning was quite simple "you are going to crash it, so rather crash a piece of scrap then a nice new car"

Strangely, my father seems to be in the minority in this opinion. Through my teenage years I watched many friends crash their fancy new BMW's and Mercs, watched their parents buy them a new one, only for them to crash that one shortly after, and every
time I remembered my dad's wise words.

So when eventually I did buy my first car, it was worse then a "scadonk"

I bought a  Fiat Uno that was barely holding together.

It had many problems. Its paint had not been finished, so if you touched or leant on it, you'de come away white, which is why it got the nickname "Chalk", If I turned left my drivers side (right) door would fly open. My boot's hydraulic lifts pulled rather then pushed so every time I had to open the boot, I had to use a plank to hold it open. When I changed gears I first had to search for the gear, and it felt like stirring porridge. It had a top speed of 80 and shook like hell when I reached that, but it got me to where I needed to go and it used the tiniest amount of petrol. It was a perfect first car!

And guess what....... I never crashed it , and (touch wood) none of my cars since,  but if I had it would have been cheap to fix

So to all you parents out there, don't buy your recently licensed teenagers new cars, because chances are they are going to crash them, get them a nice used car. It will get them to where they need to go and will teach them to value their car, so that when you do eventually spoil them with a new car, they will be more careful and more appreciative :-)





Cars and watches part 2

Bugatti 


Bugatti teamed up with  watch designers Parmigiani Fleurier for their watches. These unique timepieces are not for sale but are given as gifts to owners of supercar Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron. The futuristic design was in fact not designed by Parmigiani, he bought them from independent watchmaker Vincent Berard. The vertical dial is meant to allow drivers to read the time without taking their hands off the wheel. Personally I find it quite amusing that a car going for over a million dollars does not have a clock, but anyway, maybe that was the reason Bugatti commissioned these time pieces, due to a design flaw?




















Ferrari 

Originally Ferrari watches were created by luxury watch-maker Girard-Perregaux, but Ferrari were unhappy as they wanted more watches, more often. They then teamed up with Italian company Panerai, a member of the Richemont Luxury Group. Since then the Ferrari brand of watches has florished, bringing out watches of all classes with their well known Chronograph range still being the most popular.













I am a huge fan of these watches. I think they are classy and very much Ferrari.
















Lamborghini

Now here we have a wonderful family range. The timepieces for Lamborghini are in fact designed and produced by  Tonino Lamborghini , who is the son of  Ferruccio Lamborghini, founder of Automobili Lamborghini. Their range contains designs that are very car orientated as well as some classic gentlemanly designs.











Wednesday 28 March 2012

Cars and watches- part 1 a-b

Since the 20th century many car manufacturers have been producing their own range of timepieces as well. Usually as gifts for buyers of elite vehicles or in celebration of certain anniversaries. These watches have been designed and produced by great names such as Jaeger-LeCoultre, Breitling, Parmigiani Fleurier, Tonino, IWC, TAG Heuer and Muhle for Car brands like Mercedes, Audi, BMW and Aston Martin.

Lamborghini and Porsche have their very own factories for their brand name watches.

Here are a few of the great Auto Brand Timepieces

vintage style?
 Aston Martin, designed by Swiss watchmakers Jaeger LeCoultre

I like their designs, to me they look like a car brand watch should and yet they are not o.t.t with their styling



Is it possible for a watch to be sexy?


















 Audi


Audi has had watches designed by Valijoux as well as their centennial piece by Chronoswiss





  Their centennial piece is a bit better
Audi centennial

Personally I am not a fan, somehow they come across as chunky and heavy, but then again...so do their cars.


Bentley 
Now here we have some real class

"The well-known companies began a collaboration 5 years ago, when Bentley has created the fastest and the most powerful sedan in the world – Continental GT. This car had to tell the world that Bentley is back. British company coped alone with everything except the dashboard. They wanted to create something at once avant-garde and classical. Then they turned to designers of Swiss watchmaker Breitling. Maximally preserved the traditional design of Bentley, the Breitling have given it the features of their own watches, which they call “instruments for professionals”. Especially for the owners of the new supercar Swiss watchmaker created an unique wrist watch. Soon a series of car watches was compiled to a collection titled “Breitling for Bentley”. Since there aren’t two identical Bentley, so it’s impossible to find identical watches Breitling for Bentley. The owner of luxury cars has the opportunity to specify every detail and completion of watch. The dials can be painted only in the original exterior colors Bentley."
Limited addition in british racing green

 

 








BMW 
 


Lets just start with, I am not, have never been and possibly never will be a BMW fan. With that said I did try to look at these without being biased but I'm sorry, they are soooo BMW and therefore in my eyes, ugly. But I am sure the millions of people out there who love BMW will love these because they are so distinctly BMW




 












 So that concludes part one of this blog collection, what do you think of these watches and which ones would you like to see?



e-toll protest action



 
MEDIA STATEMENT

SUBJECT                               :           FF Plus launches protest action against e-toll system
ISSUED BY                           :            Adv. Anton Alberts
CAPACITY                            :            FF Plus parliamentary spokesperson: Transport
DATE                                      :           27 March 2012

The Freedom Front Plus together with the National Taxpayer’s Union (NTU), the South African Caravan Association (SACA) and motor cyclists from various clubs will be launching a protest action against the Gauteng e-tolls system on Thursday morning 29March 2012 at 07:00. The protest action will be a continuous process which will continue until the end of April in order to show the government that the public is not satisfied with its decision to continue with the e-tolls.

“We want to force government to scrap the toll system completely. The government has to understand that the public‘s opposition against the system will not go away. That is why we are launching the protest action which will consist of various elements and will continue over a period of a month,” Adv. Anton Alberts, the FF Plus’ parliamentary spokesperson on transport says. “We believe that the general protest will also carry the seed for the systematic development of a general tax protest against exorbitant taxes and poor service delivery,” Alberts added.

The protest action will consist of the following:

·        From 07:00 on Thursday 29 March 2012 a cavalcade of caravans motors and motorbikes with protest banners on the highways of Johannesburg and between Johannesburg and Pretoria.
·        Throughout April the action will be repeated if the government does not react positively to the protest.
·        There will be various collections at busy intersections where motorists will be asked to make a donation toward funding legal action in exchange for a protest sticker.
·        The FF Plus Youth will also launch various virtual protest actions.

All motorists are welcome to follow the convoy with their vehicle lights switched on. The convoy will depart at 07:00 from the Shell Ultra City on the Ben Schoeman Highway for Johannesburg.


Tuesday 27 March 2012

low profile tyres vs regular tyres

low profiles


standard wheels


I am so excited, this week I am finally changing the wheels on my Corsa Utility BACK to regular wheels and tyres.



So this week my life has been all about tyres and wheels. I've been looking up different information and the pro's and cons of "profiles"





So what is the big deal about low profiles? Simply....they look cool...well according to some people anyway. I personally am not a fan.







 Pros
Looks good, excellent grip and responsiveness due to stiffer side walls

They generally have a lower rolling resistance

They have superior sidewall stability under braking



Cons
Bumpier ride, sidewall/ rims more prone to bending on rough roads

Correct tyre pressure is more critical

Lower load carrying capacity per tyre

Less progressive breakaway

Much less mileage per set, Wear very quickly

Easier to damage if you hit a pavement or pothole



 I am curious to see/feel how different my Corsa Utility feels and handles and will be sure to update you all on my opinion of the change.

What do you think about low profiles vs regular tyres?

Friday 23 March 2012

Used Car Warranties



                                          How important is getting a warranty on your used car?



From personal opinion, I'd say extremely important.

Lets face it, if you're buying a used car, it's most likely because you can't afford a new one. With that in mind, would you have the extra cash needed/available, should something go wrong with that used car?

Think about it carefully.



Services don't cover everything. What if your starter motor gives in? For a new starter you're looking at about R1300, and that's not including installation. Or maybe your alternator? New one, about R1900, once again, not including installation.






Lets look even bigger, what if you're whole engine seizes? New engine about R20 000.




Do you have that kind of cash lying around?

If you are the kind of person that carefully works out their budget to just cover what they can, then you need a warranty. If you specifically have to budget ahead for a service...you NEED a warranty.




They also cover things like towing the vehicle to the nearest approved mechanic, roadside assistance as well as ensuring you get to where you need to be.






 Now warranties do not cover everything. They do not cover wear and tear items. They cover mechanical failure. And yes, you will have to keep your services up to date, and use mechanics that are approved by your warranty, and yes that will be an extra lump on the initial cost of your vehicle, but believe me I am talking from experience when I say IT IS WORTH IT!



Because when "the fit hits the shan" its essential to have a back-up plan

Speak to your dealer when you buy a car about what warranty plans they have available.



Thursday 22 March 2012

my problem Corsa Utility

When buying a used car, please please be very careful. If it has been in a front end. DO NOT BUY IT!

I made the huge mistake of purchasing a second hand car that had been in a front end collision. After checking that engine was still straight and in place and all the mountings were fine, we thought that the collision must have just been cosmetic. Not so, I have never in my life had, or heard of, a car that has given as many problems as my Corsa Utility Diesel bakkie has.

From the start I have been plagued with one problem after the next. And I know that usually they are one of the most reliable vehicles available on the market.

Over the space of 2 years I have had the following done

Alternator replaced
Starter Motor replaced
Engine replaced with a recon engine
Radiator recon
Engine mountings replaced
Fuel tank emptied stripped and cleaned
Injectors replaced countless times
Batteries replaced several times
and more stuff that I just can't remember
It has spend more time in the shop then it has on the road.

Today I have to go replace yet another battery because the one I bought in December has gone belly up. This on top of this months wheel replacement (all round), cv joint and bearing check, plus brakes,  is way way above anything I budgeted for.

I would love to be rid of this cement shoe i call a car, but sadly I owe more to the bank then I could possibly sell the car for. So please, please I beg of you, be very very careful with your purchase, take 6 car loving motorhead friends with if you have to, to triple, quadruple check and recheck everything and only if they all agree, then purchase the vehicle.

Ps I highly HIGHLY recommend purchasing a warranty for your used vehicle, mine has saved me a lot of worry and hassle

Monday 19 March 2012

Tribute to a muscle car!



                                                                My ode to the Ford mustang

I have yet to come across a car that can make my heart race like the mustang can. The mustang makes me think of taking a road trip down route 66, of roaring engines, of cubic inches, of V8's and V12's. It is, to me, the ultimate muscle car. The sleek sexy lines, the hardcore evil nose. The Ford mustang was and will always be, the seductress of the muscle cars.
 The black widow, she'll lure you in with good looks but packs a powerful bite behind those smooth lines.









She was the first of the "pony cars" and the only original pony car to remain in uninterrupted production over five decades.

She has appeared in over 500 movies. Starting the James Bond movie "Goldfinger" And in Bullit, with Steve McQueen, they created the 9 minute plus unscripted chase scene through the streets of San Francisco that has long been revered as the best chase ever in a movie.





She has been in both "Gone in 60 seconds" films.Who could ever forget Nicolas Cages' characters 'unicorn', the magnificent "Eleanore" a silver and black 1968 Shelby GT500.

Eleanore

More recent movies include Hollywood Homicide where Harrison Ford and Josh Harnett drove around in a 2003 Saleen S281, War of the Worlds starring Tom Cruise and his 1966 Shelby GT 350, Reno 911 with the police cars being 2006 Mustangs and the latest being I Am Legend starring Will Smith who drives a red 2007 Shelby GT500 during the opening scene through the deserted streets of New York City.



















There are four generations of mustangs, I myself do not like the styling of generation 2 and 3 as I feel they do not capture the spirit of this gorgeous muscle car. The 4th generation and latest Mustang though, is exquisite, finally a new mustang worthy of this title, worthy of such ancestors as the Fastback and the Shelby.











So which do you prefer? Old or new?


or is there another muscle that makes your heart race?