Rich

It didn't take that long to replace the pipe really but obviously the time spent on prepping and treating it, along with the arches added quite a bit extra. The gloves were only work ones and not anti cut but I guess they saved me from losing a bit more skin. It's not too bad unless I catch it!! I had a reply from Lexus. Apparently the pipe has been revised on the diagrams a few times and whereas it used to come with the bracket they now charge for that separately. They want just over £10 for it plus £6 postage! Hopefully I can use the existing one. I'll also clean up the old pipe and paint it providing there are no holes. On first inspection it still seems solid. If I can sell that on ebay and make some cash back that'll be handy.

Doh!

Well nearly 2 months later and I finally fitted the new pipe. I had no idea it's been so long since I started it, where does the time go!! The condition of the new pipe wasn't ideal, some of the coating had come off exposing bare metal. So if some are fitted like this from new I'm not surprised the rust gets to them!  After wiping it down with spirits I coated it in Bilt Hamber UB. This is a wax like product similar to S50 but it's for areas that are more exposed so is harder wearing. What I wasn't expecting was how tacky it would be!! But hopefully it'll do the job and offer some protection. When it came to fitting I realised that the new pipe was missing the bracket that bolts it to the chassis! The parts diagram Lexus sent me showed it on there but there wasn't a part number so I assumed it came with the pipe. The bolt to hold it on and the plastic clip for the smaller pipes I bought. So I emailed Lexus and I'm waiting for a reply but in the meantime I've got the old bracket soaking in some Detox C. I did try using a wire wheel on it first with my drill but unfortunately it skipped off the bracket and shredded my glove along with my hand! Note to self, buy better gloves!! So I got the new pipe fitted, cleaned all of the arch up and treated that to a coat of S50. I did both sides too. Refitted most of the trim and I've just got the bracket and clips left to fit. I'll also treat the other rusty parts at some point. Hopefully when it comes to filling up I've done the jubilee clips up tight enough. I never know how tight they should be as I've always thought if they're over tightened they can damage the rubber hoses.

Wow, they sound extremely incompetent and you have confirmed what I thought that brokers are a lot more expensive. I guess in time NCB will change so you can't earn more than 9 years with any insurance company, even on paper. It would save so much hassle and confusion. The AA allow you to state more than 9 years when getting a quote and also give you this amount when you leave. Yet when I left Tesco's they wrote me a letter stating how many I had cos only 9 year were on the original one they sent.

Surely they can't do that. If you have 20 years and proof of that, then make a claim they can't just knock 14 years off. We're renewing the Lexus with Hastings as they knocked £80 off the renewal price. With the breakdown cover included I can't find a better price for a company I want to go with. Hopefully they do the same with the Accord.

Confused and Gocompare are always my cheapest ones. I had the Accord renewal through today with the same company as the Lexus, it was £7 more than last year! But we received £60 cashback on each policy and it includes breakdown. Getting cover without breakdown and then going back to someone like autoaid is still cheaper than renewing. I was looking at the AA and RAC earlier, their prices are eyewatering now! Insurance is a pain as you can get quotes on comparison sites, then go through a cashback site with one of them and the price can vary quite a lot. I've also got the home insurance to renew this week. The cheapest quote was with policy expert at £118 but their reviews are terrible. Even with £110 cashback I'm not tempted. So why do some companies give you the option to state more than 9 years NCB? The AA for example asks how many years you have and you can enter any number. If I accept the 9 years from Hastings I can't prove I have any more than that. If you have 15 years with one company, make a claim and then lose 2 or 3 years you can move to another company with over 9 years NCB left. Yes you'll have to declare the claim so the premium will be more but the maximum discount should still apply. Whereas if you had under their maximum number of NCB the price would also likely increase even further. I think I would prefer to have my full number of NCB whether it's just a number on a piece of paper or not. Once they're gone I'm not getting them back.

So how did it form the circle of it was lightening?

They've already moved the tyres side to side and the pull went the other way, indicating it's the tyre. Then after an alignment it started pulling back the other way. I would definitely put the pilot sport on the front and see what happens. Cheap tyres and not matching them can cause alot of problems with pulling/drifting. Before I met Tony I used to buy budget tyres and always ended up with different brands although tried to keep them the same on each axle. Now for the last 10+ years I have more or less run all my cars with the same brand of tyres and at least mid range ones. I haven't had any pulling issues from tyres since.

Looks like a rotary pad embedded in the paint?

They all pull the same stunt now, lure you in with a cheap policy and hope you auto renew the next year. Really wish insurance was the same as a classic policy. They don't use NCB and just give you a cheap price in the first place, then renewal price is literally a couple of quid.

It's about £20-£30 more usually to protect from the quotes I got. The thing is if you do make a claim they'll increase the premiums anyway. Is that a £90 increase on last year with LV? They're also one of the contenders for thia year depending on the quote via cashback sites rather than the comparisons.

They should be ok whether both are on the inner or outer edge of the tyre. It's when they're not that's the problem. So if one tyre had it on the outside and the other the inside it would cause a pull as they're not the opposite of eachother.

Yes 9 years is the maximum that most of them honour but I still think they should acknowledge the full number of years that you actually have. What if you just left it at the 9 years and had a claim that reduced the number of years you have. If you had say 16 years then it wouldn't reduce it to below the 9 years after a claim. What about protecting NCB, I've always taken that option but is it actually a con?

Tony, what have MOT stations got to do with insurance and no claims bonuses?

So it's that time again and I've got the Lexus and Honda to insure this month. Both policies were with Hastings last year and the NCB letter says we have 9+ years. I would actually have about 16 years now and the missus 11 years. We had this problem with Tesco as well and they only gave proof of NCB to what they use but did do a letter stating the correct amount. I will have to see if Hastings do the same. Does anyone else have to do this when they leave an insurer? Why don't they just state how many years you actually have to save people contacting them! As for the insurance the renewal on the Lexus was £60 more so I'll be looking elsewhere. 1st Central and One Call are coming out on top but reviews for their customer service aren't good. I'm looking at going back with the AA with £40 cashback. I'm getting abit fed up of doing this every year now, are brokers easier to use? Although I'm assuming the policies will cost more.

I think you mean foiled me!

Well done Adam, that was very good of you to spend the whole day sorting it out. Don't you hate it when jobs never go to plan though!

Have a read of this.

It awesome, love it here. Hopefully it'll be home one day. Some of the village names are pronounced completely differently to how they're spelt. Happisburgh for instance is pronounced as haze-bruh. Did you see the red and white lighthouse on Google? We've walked around it but not been inside. It's a beautiful building. I have taken photos of it before but don't think I've put them on here. There is a lighthouse in Winterton too that was sold and converted to a holiday home. It was featured on one of the homes by the sea shows.

Some from this week. The beach at Happisburgh in Norfolk. We went to a nature reserve/garden yesterday that we have driven past countless times before. Decided to take a look this time and it's really scenic. Free to park and walk around, they just ask for a donation. Right next to the river Ant too. This is the local community run pub with a small shop next door. They cycle around the village making deliveries for those who are shielding or can't get out.

Lexus says to disconnect the negative terminal when charging. The next time I'll use the clamps on the battery and see what happens. If that doesn't work then I'll disconnect it. Others on the Lexus forum have used the comfort lead without issue and also the jump terminals under the bonnet. The BMW we have, the manual says to charge using the under bonnet terminals as well rather than pull the boot apart.

I'm sure I read somewhere that a small amount of petrol is ok in diesel but I guess that amount is too much. Hopefully a drain and filter change is all it needs. Having cars with both fuels I still don't see how people make that mistake. Petrol is green and diesel is black.