The General Chat Thread (2016-2022)

[Lullabelle]

We are both full of cold and feeling pretty rough, also annoyed because we wanted to do a lot of walking-fresh air etc..not going to happen

 

[Lullabelle]

My kids say the same, except they say they can smell my cooking walking up the driveway!!

Russ

That is 1 thing that doesn't seem to happen much now, I can remember a good few years back cycling home from work and could smell dinners cooking, a bit of a thing in the past

 

[Windigo]

Liam broke his leg on his new swing set. He got to pick the color of his cast:

View attachment 36140

Last nights storm put a tree on one of the kids vans.

View attachment 36141

How is he doing now?

 

[TastyReuben]

We've been watching "Time Team," the archeological show with Baldrick. There should be a drinking game for every time they say "geophys." I counted six in the first two minutes.

 

[caseydog]

I've been fortunate enoughto have raced a classic 1970's Ferrari in one of the race experiences Goodwood hold. Hubby bought me a double session for my 35th birthday. I've been teaching advanced level driving since I was 18 years old so was right at home with what was expected of me (my first vehicle was a XR3i, 2nd great would do 60mph). By the end of the first lap, my instructor realised the only issue he was going to have was actually getting me to drive close enough to the vehicle in front to line up an overtaking manoeuvre. By the end of the session, there wasn't a vehicle I hadn't overtaken on the track and others were starting to watch and question...

By this time in my life, my vehicle was a 1998 model Audi A4 2.8l Quattro. We never ever had an issues overtaking anything in her and tbh, I think she was actually faster than the Ferrari was!

But it was still huge fun and I'd love to do it again.

A friend took this picture of me during the last session of an Audi Track Day at MSR near Dallas. I call it "Voiding My Warranty."

I was at the end of a long straight, braking hard, about to enter a series of "S" turns. Mine was a 2001 A4 1.8T quattro with an APR ECU and a few other goodies.

CD

 

[Lullabelle]

I need something to knock me out this evening, need sleep
Not keen on milk so a toddy is out of the question.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I was at the end of a long straight, braking hard, about to enter a series of "S" turns. Mine was a 2001 A4 1.8T quattro with an APR ECU and a few other goodies

I had no end of problems with the tweaks that the previous owner had had done to my Audi. She was the mark before yours, the one engineers prefer, the one that in the UK at least, all of the Audi engineers preferred. There was one tweak done that we never get to the bottom of, but ended up replicating after a battery failure caused a loss in all settings, and that was the idle speed. I had litterally just had her in the garage (an ex-Audi specialist and the official overflow garage the Audi dealership up the road) for her routine but major service (an 80,000 mile) which had meant me being late into work that day. Then 2 days later, she wouldn't start. It was the battery. It was the first breakdown inthe entire time I had had her and was around 10 yrs old at that point. Took her in, low loader job with you being unable tow a 4 wheel drive vehicle any distance went in and ended up with a new battery (In the UK, most tow trucks are for towing 2 wheel drive vehicles and simply lift those 2 wheels off the ground and pull the vehicle. In Australia, that kind of towing is illegal, as is towing by rope.)..

I was almost home when at the final roundabout, she stalled. Quite an acheivement in an automatic! And I lost everything including steering and more importantly brakes! We didn't make our road and we didn't really exit the roundabout. Luckily with it being a very large roundabout, I also didn't hit anything or damage her. And being an automatic she was very heavy and in Drive, so stopped very quickly of her own accord thankfully. We came to rest against the curb quite gracefully.. There followed several attempts at getting her restarted but each resulted in the same problem. The moment my foot came off the accelerator, she stalled.

Another break down call, another low loader to take her back to the garage and a very confused mechanic. My mechanic was a 'character' and over the years I had learnt how to deal with him. I just handed him the keys, told him to take her for a drive, until she was upto running temperature, and settled down in his office. His sons were by now used to this approach. I'd had a few odd issues, including a frozen accelerator cable! When he got back, he agreed with me thatwas stalling the now corrected factory settings. After a few 'discussions', he reset the idle speed from the 6-700 rpm the speed I knew she idled at previously (1,100rpm). He then tried various inbetween and the result was alway the same, but get back to 1,100 rpm and she was fine. Eventually he gave up and I set out for work to do 2 hrs before coming home! We never got to the bottom of that one.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I need something to knock me out this evening, need sleep
Not keen on milk so a toddy is out of the question.

leman hot toddy? I've never known a hot toddy to include milk. Just lemon juice, hot water, honey and whisky.

 

[Lullabelle]

leman hot toddy? I've never known a hot toddy to include milk. Just lemon juice, hot water, honey and whisky.

We have hot water and honey.

 

[caseydog]

I had no end of problems with the tweaks that the previous owner had had done to my Audi. She was the mark before yours, the one engineers prefer, the one that in the UK at least, all of the Audi engineers preferred. There was one tweak done that we never get to the bottom of, but ended up replicating after a battery failure caused a loss in all settings, and that was the idle speed. I had litterally just had her in the garage (an ex-Audi specialist and the official overflow garage the Audi dealership up the road) for her routine but major service (an 80,000 mile) which had meant me being late into work that day. Then 2 days later, she wouldn't start. It was the battery. It was the first breakdown inthe entire time I had had her and was around 10 yrs old at that point. Took her in, low loader job with you being unable tow a 4 wheel drive vehicle any distance went in and ended up with a new battery (In the UK, most tow trucks are for towing 2 wheel drive vehicles and simply lift those 2 wheels off the ground and pull the vehicle. In Australia, that kind of towing is illegal, as is towing by rope.)..

I was almost home when at the final roundabout, she stalled. Quite an acheivement in an automatic! And I lost everything including steering and more importantly brakes! We didn't make our road and we didn't really exit the roundabout. Luckily with it being a very large roundabout, I also didn't hit anything or damage her. And being an automatic she was very heavy and in Drive, so stopped very quickly of her own accord thankfully. We came to rest against the curb quite gracefully.. There followed several attempts at getting her restarted but each resulted in the same problem. The moment my foot came off the accelerator, she stalled.

Another break down call, another low loader to take her back to the garage and a very confused mechanic. My mechanic was a 'character' and over the years I had learnt how to deal with him. I just handed him the keys, told him to take her for a drive, until she was upto running temperature, and settled down in his office. His sons were by now used to this approach. I'd had a few odd issues, including a frozen accelerator cable! When he got back, he agreed with me thatwas stalling the now corrected factory settings. After a few 'discussions', he reset the idle speed from the 6-700 rpm the speed I knew she idled at previously (1,100rpm). He then tried various inbetween and the result was alway the same, but get back to 1,100 rpm and she was fine. Eventually he gave up and I set out for work to do 2 hrs before coming home! We never got to the bottom of that one.

Don't know what the engineers in the UK thought, but I saw my Laser Red A4 at the Dallas Auto Show, and had to have it. All but one of my Audis were manual transmissions -- the 2001 A4 was a five speed, and the rest were six speeds, except for my A6 allroad which was nearly impossible to find in the US with a manual.

Actually, the majority of my cars in general have had manual transmissions. I can't imagine driving an automatic on the track... but, I've never tried.

CD

 

[TastyReuben]

I need something to knock me out this evening, need sleep
Not keen on milk so a toddy is out of the question.

Warm an Irish coffee glass or a mug with hot water, then after a minute or so, pour that out. To the mug, add:

1 tsp sugar (raw sugar or even brown sugar preferred)
1 oz dark rum
1 oz butterscotch schnapps
3 oz hot water
Dash of cinnamon

No milk involved.

 

[rascal]

I've been fortunate enoughto have raced a classic 1970's Ferrari in one of the race experiences Goodwood hold. Hubby bought me a double session for my 35th birthday. I've been teaching advanced level driving since I was 18 years old so was right at home with what was expected of me (my first vehicle was a XR3i, 2nd great would do 60mph). By the end of the first lap, my instructor realised the only issue he was going to have was actually getting me to drive close enough to the vehicle in front to line up an overtaking manoeuvre. By the end of the session, there wasn't a vehicle I hadn't overtaken on the track and others were starting to watch and question...

By this time in my life, my vehicle was a 1998 model Audi A4 2.8l Quattro. We never ever had an issues overtaking anything in her and tbh, I think she was actually faster than the Ferrari was!

But it was still huge fun and I'd love to do it again.

I laugh at young ones here in that new sport drifting, cars sliding around tracks, I was doing it when I was 15, me and a mate put bald tyres on a MK III ford zephyr and drift the car on wet days around our area. I've always loved cars and speed, I used to race stock cars, roll barred cars trying to destroy other cars in a race. You and I would get on,lol.

Russ

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

How is he doing now?

Dr. Says 4 more weeks. Evidently a common playground fracture with 4 year olds.
Thank you.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Don't know what the engineers in the UK thought, but I saw my Laser Red A4 at the Dallas Auto Show, and had to have it. All but one of my Audis were manual transmissions -- the 2001 A4 was a five speed, and the rest were six speeds, except for my A6 allroad which was nearly impossible to find in the US with a manual.

Actually, the majority of my cars in general have had manual transmissions. I can't imagine driving an automatic on the track... but, I've never tried.

CD

Both my Audi and my BMW automatics have been amazing vehicles to drive. They were always in the correct gear at the correct time with bearly perceivable gear changes. Even going downhill they were stunning. You'd set your speed at the top of a hill, come off the accelerator pedal and the vehicle would hold that speed all the way down. In fact with my Audi, you'd often have to accelerate to maintain that speed. Every other automatic I've had down the same hills would drift and you'd live on the brakes to stay within the legal speed limit. I always judge the quality of an automatic by how well it holds its speed down a hill. You should not need the brakes all the way down a hill.

I had to stop driving manual gear boxes after a left arm injury left my wrist dislocating 20-30 times a day for 13-15 years. The only way I could continue to drive was to change to an automatic. My Landcruiser is however, a manual transmission, something Aussies find really odd in a 4x4! For me, the idea of driving an automatic 4×4 offroad is really odd!

 

[Lullabelle]

Warm an Irish coffee glass or a mug with hot water, then after a minute or so, pour that out. To the mug, add:

1 tsp sugar (raw sugar or even brown sugar preferred)
1 oz dark rum
1 oz butterscotch schnapps
3 oz hot water
Dash of cinnamon

No milk involved.

That would call for a shopping trip, sounds good though-anything with rum gets my vote