danno

I'm not sure what this statement actually says. I used to work in a Tesco filling station and used to talk to the tanker drivers when taking deliveries. According to them (and it makes sense), everyone, Tesco, Texaco, whoever, fill their tankers from the same refuelling rigs at the big refineries like Purfleet. It's then what they add to the fuel within the tanker that differentiates them all. I've always thought that V-power is 98 ron, in which case the additives are different from 99 ron Tesco. The statement may mean that Tesco's base fuel comes from Royal Dutch tankers, but that doesn't mean that what you buy on Tesco forecourts is the same as you buy from Shell forecourts, in the same way as what you buy in Tesco Express forecourts ain't the same thing you buy from Tesco Superstore forecourts.

Best advice - make as much noise as possible arriving at the dealership (cruising up in a gear too low and screeching to a halt all help), don't browse around the forecourt, just walk straight in, nod at the Scoob and say "I'm looking for something quicker". Suggests you mean business. Got me a drive in a new Mustang recently (quiet weekend, had nothing else to do!). Sadly, I'm not 20 though so not sure it will work for TWAS.

Cool. I used to run my daily driver on V-power but since the price of petrol has gone nuts that's now rationed back to regular unleaded and to be honest I haven't noticed any difference. Just need to get the Scooby re-mapped to 102 ron so I can take advantage of Tesco 99 with added octane boost and let some of the hidden horsies out to play.

I usually fill up at Tesco as I like the fact that it's 99 octane, but everyone here seems to think V-power is better. Should I be going to Shell?

The new road taxes would make a vague amount of sense if they were applied to cars bought after it was announced to dissuade people from buying cars like that. To apply it retrospectively (and arbitrarily - my road tax on the same car would halve if it were 6 months older ) is pure revenue raising. To suggest that pricing me out of my Scooby and into a Fiesta will offset the 20,000 cars added to China's roads every day (fact), is just offensive.

It is the most frustrating thing about driving a Scooby (even counting the petrol consumption!), the comments from other people and the unwanted attention at traffic lights. No, I'm not going to race your big xorsted 1.3 Corsa off the lights to make you feel important, I care too much about my fuel, licence and clutch and would rather save them for a deserted B-road or something worthwhile like a Skyline. If your "beating" me off the lights then gives you cause to give me the finger and leave you to go bragging to your mates, good for you There's a guy I work with who has a Bini Cooper Works. Apparently it's the fastest thing ever. I think his car is an overweight, over-priced, underpowered wrong-wheel-drive box with a negligible boot and its "blistering" 6.5s 0-60 time leaves me cold. Still, whatever makes you happy. As the OP said, not worth arguing with people. You either "get" Scoobies or you don't.

I ran into that lot one evening. Coming back from the North one day had to pull into Thurrock for some urgently needed fuel (that M6 toll road thing really messes up the fuel consumption for some reason ) and realised it was cruise night. The usual big wheeled cherry-bombed Corsa brigade but amongst them some serious Scooby, Evo and Skyline based firepower. "Uh-oh" I thought, "I'm going to get humiliated off of every set of lights because I don't want to fry the turbo when I stop to fill up". But then around the next corner were the Essex traffic police. None of your Volvo estates here, just a dozen or so serious pieces of Jap kit. I was glad to be running on vapour as otherwise I'd have encountered them at a slightly higher rate of knots than I actually did!

Told you I had no idea what the food is like..[]

I've got a Mk4 1.8T as my daily driver (I don't want to put the commuting miles on the Scoob, imagine the fuel consumption : ( , but I'm not going to drive 60 miles each day in any old POS!). My experience of looking for Mk4 Golfs suggests that they are very, very expensive (I am an old VW fanboi so I didn't care that much, to my bank manager's annoyance). I can appreciate that your son wants something nice and cool to have, but from my experience of owing my first car, the best bit was knowing that it was worth nothing and could basically be fixed for chips. I had more fun in that than in my Scoob (yes, it was infinitely slower, but you didn't worry about taking it cross country or bumping up kerbs or throwing through hedges backwards). If he wants something newish then Vee Dubs aren't the way to go as you'll be competing against every well financed yummy mummy between here and Buckinghamshire. Try a Pug or a Toyota. If he wants something distinctive, a classic Capri (in good nick) makes for a distinctive, cheap to insure motor that will slay his mate's 106s and Clios and get the girls interested :wink:

There's that place on the southbound A249 between Sittingbourne and Maidstone. Used to be a Little Chef or summat similar, now a Chinese (by dim recollection). In the middle of nowhere on a big non-cameraed dual carriage-way and a big car park. No idea what the food is like though.

If it was a blue 03 sti might have been me If it was a silver bug-eye, that was probably me. There is a very nice classic that lives on Lunsford Lane though, blue mica by recollection.

Deano - I wasn't up early, I was up late. The joys of drinking too much Red Bull on a night out [] Thanks for the advice all, I think I'll stay away from BP for the time being and maybe go the additive route. Or maybe the occasional trip down to Lydd [] [H]

One of my local filing stations has recently started stocking 102 ron petrol (at the disturbing price of 242p per litre) I'd like to ask people with a better technical knowledge than mine, if I run my Scooby (a WRX type UK) on this, will the engine management system release a new reservoir of power to me (having being restricted by the usual 97 ron rubbish it's used to) or would I be paying an extra 140p a litre for a marginal increase in performance? Cheers

Does anyone know of somewhere in the Maidstone area that has delta dash? I need a diagnostic done on an intermitent warning lamp. If not, are Walldonway any good? The only dealings I've had with them is when they tried to sell me a ridiculously expensive stereo upgrade... Secondly, my insurance co wants to know how much my mods have increased my bhp. Anyone know what bhp increase a K&N panel filter and a Scorpion exhaust will give to a 215bhp WRX? I told them 20bhp which I think should be more than enough. Am I being uncharacteristically modest? Cheers

Well since you're trying to build up numbers, add another to the list..... 1. Pele 2. Numptyboy & Clo (in the purple passion wagon ) 3. Riceboy and Zoe 4. scoobytoo 5. Granby 6. dirtmonkey 7. Shrek 8. j-k (co driving only) 9. The Daddy 10.Deano 11.Markie 12.Ern (George) if Simon finishes mapping car in time 13.Simon (Jolly Green Monster) if I finish mapping Georges car early enough 14.Danno