Finally got my cleaning kit last night and tried it out (more pics of that job later).
Before:
and After:
Both pics taken with Nikon AF-S DX 18-55mm "kit" lens - the lens that worst showed the dirt.
Success!
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Before and After - Fuji S3 Pro sensor clean
Recently acquired an old Fuji Finepix S3 Pro DSLR camera. Several years old and probably never seen any maintenance. Noticed black spots on most but not all the images - have been trying the camera with 3 different lenses and it was far more apparent on certain lenses than others, typically most visible on wider zoom angles and smaller apertures. All this and some Google-assisted deduction led me to believe it was dirt on the actual sensor. (Fuji's so called SuperCCD in this case.)
Finally got my cleaning kit last night and tried it out (more pics of that job later).
Before:
Quite horrible...
and After:
Success!
Finally got my cleaning kit last night and tried it out (more pics of that job later).
Before:
and After:
Success!
Tuesday, 12 March 2013
What is it with women and hatchbacks?
As I lament and curse the BMW F20 and Merc A-class and wish they were sedans instead, I see this and find it very interesting.
Is the current rash of premium hatchbacks and the demise of the small sporting sedan to be blamed on the fairer sex?
Is the current rash of premium hatchbacks and the demise of the small sporting sedan to be blamed on the fairer sex?
Sunday, 10 March 2013
Ultra low cost cars
Reading the newspaper review of the Dacia Logy this morning. I don't usually read newspaper reviews of cars - usually annoying nonsense written by opinionated journos who don't actually know anything. (Some would say this applies equally to actual car magazines but that is a blog for another day.) Two loud criticisms stood out. One quite legitimate of the lousy steering, and another of the safety. Or rather lack of: only 3-stars NCAP, shock horror. This was followed by the very Swedish comment that "even poor families should be able to afford safety", which is unfortunately the kind of vomit inducing socialist gunk you have to put up with if you insist on reading a Swedish newspaper.
Don't misunderstand me, I am not saying low-income families deserve to die, I am merely saying that safety costs and that this is a technical and economical point and should not be make into a political one.
After its final descent into self-righteousness the review ends off by saying: Rather spend your 100000kr on a second hand car.
I think that is good advice. Few low budget cars have made it to Scandinavian shores, but every time I read about one being launched in the UK, back to the Sao Penza (whenever that was) the advice given to buyers has been the same: Don't. Rather buy a second hand car. And in Europe, where second hand cars are so cheap, surely this makes sense? You can buy a far superior, often low mileage second hand car for the same money. I can only think of one reason to buy the new car and that is the piece of mind, but surely you trust a 4 year Honda more than a new Dacia? (And if you don't, you need to go and read up on some statistics, because you should.)
Of course our champion of low income families' safety's point was that the second hand car would be safer. Now this is interesting. Would it really?
What caused the upset was Logy's 3-star rating. Now firstly NCAP's star ratings are, if simply taken at face value, wildly misleading. Secondly, they change over time. The second facelift of the Toyota Aygo recently scored 3-stars, yet it originally scored far higher - NCAP gets harder every year. Something to think about when comparing a new car to a four year old one.
And yet another reason why I can't see the point of the ultra-low cost car in the 1st world.
Don't misunderstand me, I am not saying low-income families deserve to die, I am merely saying that safety costs and that this is a technical and economical point and should not be make into a political one.
After its final descent into self-righteousness the review ends off by saying: Rather spend your 100000kr on a second hand car.
I think that is good advice. Few low budget cars have made it to Scandinavian shores, but every time I read about one being launched in the UK, back to the Sao Penza (whenever that was) the advice given to buyers has been the same: Don't. Rather buy a second hand car. And in Europe, where second hand cars are so cheap, surely this makes sense? You can buy a far superior, often low mileage second hand car for the same money. I can only think of one reason to buy the new car and that is the piece of mind, but surely you trust a 4 year Honda more than a new Dacia? (And if you don't, you need to go and read up on some statistics, because you should.)
Of course our champion of low income families' safety's point was that the second hand car would be safer. Now this is interesting. Would it really?
What caused the upset was Logy's 3-star rating. Now firstly NCAP's star ratings are, if simply taken at face value, wildly misleading. Secondly, they change over time. The second facelift of the Toyota Aygo recently scored 3-stars, yet it originally scored far higher - NCAP gets harder every year. Something to think about when comparing a new car to a four year old one.
And yet another reason why I can't see the point of the ultra-low cost car in the 1st world.
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Observations on quality 1 of ?
Performing the rather odious (when its very cold and you'd rather be doing something else, like shopping for old Siekos on eBay) task of changing the wheels on my car. From summer to winter tyres, in case you live in a tropical country and don't know about this.
I usualy take this opportunity to clean the wheels that are coming off the car before putting them away. And so I was cleaning the filthy 16" alloy wheels that my Polo GT was supplied with. And musing on the qaulity of VW rims...
Now I am a little careless with cleaning my wheels, and drive fairly hard, so there was fairly extensive coating of brake dust...and beneath it, pitting in the paint. Hmmm, sad, and those wheels are only 14 months old. Yet the wheels on my previous car, a 2007 e90 320i, never suffered from this. You wiped off the brake dust and beneath it the paint was fine. And I remember making this same comparison, years ago in South Africa between an old e36 320i and a South Africa made CitiGolf (Golf Mk1) that I owned at the time. If you didnt clean those VW mags every month or so the paint took damage.
What can we learn from all of this? Well obviously: Buy a premium car and you don't have to wash your wheels as often.
I usualy take this opportunity to clean the wheels that are coming off the car before putting them away. And so I was cleaning the filthy 16" alloy wheels that my Polo GT was supplied with. And musing on the qaulity of VW rims...
Now I am a little careless with cleaning my wheels, and drive fairly hard, so there was fairly extensive coating of brake dust...and beneath it, pitting in the paint. Hmmm, sad, and those wheels are only 14 months old. Yet the wheels on my previous car, a 2007 e90 320i, never suffered from this. You wiped off the brake dust and beneath it the paint was fine. And I remember making this same comparison, years ago in South Africa between an old e36 320i and a South Africa made CitiGolf (Golf Mk1) that I owned at the time. If you didnt clean those VW mags every month or so the paint took damage.
What can we learn from all of this? Well obviously: Buy a premium car and you don't have to wash your wheels as often.
Friday, 6 August 2010
Good bye JZB802.
34500kms, thats what I ended up doing in the Peugeot. Finally sold it last month. True lost cost motoring. Bought cheaply, fairly economical, serviced it cheaply myself, sold it.
It wasnt even a bad car. The lack of a rev-counter and AC annoyed, the lack of ABS terrified (in winter.) What the light weight gave, the soft suspension took away but it was possible to have a decent drive. Allowing for understeer and squidge, learning that it simply was not going to go exactly were you pointed it, it was even possible to cross roundabouts rapidly. But in the end it was boring and I kept it 18months, which is about average for me, and I didnt feel like paying to change the cambelt, so it had to go...
Whats the best thing about selling a car? Well you get to buy another one of course!
It wasnt even a bad car. The lack of a rev-counter and AC annoyed, the lack of ABS terrified (in winter.) What the light weight gave, the soft suspension took away but it was possible to have a decent drive. Allowing for understeer and squidge, learning that it simply was not going to go exactly were you pointed it, it was even possible to cross roundabouts rapidly. But in the end it was boring and I kept it 18months, which is about average for me, and I didnt feel like paying to change the cambelt, so it had to go...
Whats the best thing about selling a car? Well you get to buy another one of course!
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
A Legacy 2.0D to replace my 320i?
On one hand:
I’ve never driven it. Well not yet. I’ve sat in this shape Legacy and I’ve driven the new Legacy which has exactly the same Boxer diesel engine. The petrol engines were revised for the new Legacy but apparently due to it being released in 2008, the diesel was left unchanged. More on that later…
The point is I have extrapolated (which I am good at) what the car is like and I like it. As CAR UK says about this Legacy in their GBU section: “Quirky Japanese 3-series”. And indeed that is the feeling. The interior quality is about 95% (at this spec) which will have to do. The interior feel is somewhere between e46 and e90, i.e. nearly perfect. The driving position is slightly more Japanese, reminiscent of a Honda, and slightly better than any 3-series.
The feel, at least of the new Legacy I drove, ONCE ON THE MOVE is completely different to a 3-series. It feels Japanese, light and easy on the controls. Not worse, just different. And it corners with the same accuracy as the 3-series (at lower speeds in any case, had no opportunity to test the high speed precision that separates my 320i from anything else I have ever driven.) Much of the cockpit reminds me of a 3 and this is all good. Even down the to the BMW-style economy gauge. (Something I think has a positive effect on ones driving, more so then merely having an instantaneous readout on the trip computer.)
As for the diesel bit? Well it is the Legacy the makes the most sense to buy, even here, even for me. Of course that would never be enough for me otherwise, indeed that “diesel is the only reasonable choice” affliction is enough to prevent me buying many other cars in this cars. (the C5 and Mondeo being prime examples)
BUT I LIKE this diesel. I’ve now driven 6 modern diesel cars, each with a different engine (A4 1.9 TDI, A4 2.0TDI, A3 1.9TDI, Focus TDCi, 520d and the Legacy) and this is a first one I actually like. The engine is nice. It’s not just awesomely torquey it also has a nice character. And I like the ridiculous induction noise threw the bonnet scoop. Pity about the 4500rpm redline, I hope I won’t come to hate that.
On the other hand:
I want a more exciting car. I want to feel more like I am on an episode of Top Gear. You car is more like that…faintly ridiculous and certainly flawed…but it sounds like it has the feel good factor.
My 320i is more the kind of car I usually try to buy: perfectly balanced, an excellent car, but hardly a barrel of laughs. It’s rather serious, isn’t it? There nothing wrong with it, no design flaws, no irritating features, no glaring omissions but nothing outrageous either. Most of what is good about it (the quality, the service, the handling, the high end of the rev-range) requires work and effort and time to appreciate. This is all very good…but not out rightly fun, no instant gratification. It’s a car that gives me a self-satisfied smile, but it doesn’t make me burst out laughing. (except for a bit in Norway.)
It’s for this reason that things like the Sicrocco, GTi and fast Meganes have started to tempt me. Smaller, nippier…worse…but more fun, more instant useable fun.
So what am I going to do about it? Maybe I’m going to buy a 4WD Japanese business man’s diesel saloon.* Oh dear. It’s even called a “Business”.
You must be right, deep down I am very boring.
I’ve never driven it. Well not yet. I’ve sat in this shape Legacy and I’ve driven the new Legacy which has exactly the same Boxer diesel engine. The petrol engines were revised for the new Legacy but apparently due to it being released in 2008, the diesel was left unchanged. More on that later…
The point is I have extrapolated (which I am good at) what the car is like and I like it. As CAR UK says about this Legacy in their GBU section: “Quirky Japanese 3-series”. And indeed that is the feeling. The interior quality is about 95% (at this spec) which will have to do. The interior feel is somewhere between e46 and e90, i.e. nearly perfect. The driving position is slightly more Japanese, reminiscent of a Honda, and slightly better than any 3-series.
The feel, at least of the new Legacy I drove, ONCE ON THE MOVE is completely different to a 3-series. It feels Japanese, light and easy on the controls. Not worse, just different. And it corners with the same accuracy as the 3-series (at lower speeds in any case, had no opportunity to test the high speed precision that separates my 320i from anything else I have ever driven.) Much of the cockpit reminds me of a 3 and this is all good. Even down the to the BMW-style economy gauge. (Something I think has a positive effect on ones driving, more so then merely having an instantaneous readout on the trip computer.)
As for the diesel bit? Well it is the Legacy the makes the most sense to buy, even here, even for me. Of course that would never be enough for me otherwise, indeed that “diesel is the only reasonable choice” affliction is enough to prevent me buying many other cars in this cars. (the C5 and Mondeo being prime examples)
BUT I LIKE this diesel. I’ve now driven 6 modern diesel cars, each with a different engine (A4 1.9 TDI, A4 2.0TDI, A3 1.9TDI, Focus TDCi, 520d and the Legacy) and this is a first one I actually like. The engine is nice. It’s not just awesomely torquey it also has a nice character. And I like the ridiculous induction noise threw the bonnet scoop. Pity about the 4500rpm redline, I hope I won’t come to hate that.
On the other hand:
I want a more exciting car. I want to feel more like I am on an episode of Top Gear. You car is more like that…faintly ridiculous and certainly flawed…but it sounds like it has the feel good factor.
My 320i is more the kind of car I usually try to buy: perfectly balanced, an excellent car, but hardly a barrel of laughs. It’s rather serious, isn’t it? There nothing wrong with it, no design flaws, no irritating features, no glaring omissions but nothing outrageous either. Most of what is good about it (the quality, the service, the handling, the high end of the rev-range) requires work and effort and time to appreciate. This is all very good…but not out rightly fun, no instant gratification. It’s a car that gives me a self-satisfied smile, but it doesn’t make me burst out laughing. (except for a bit in Norway.)
It’s for this reason that things like the Sicrocco, GTi and fast Meganes have started to tempt me. Smaller, nippier…worse…but more fun, more instant useable fun.
So what am I going to do about it? Maybe I’m going to buy a 4WD Japanese business man’s diesel saloon.* Oh dear. It’s even called a “Business”.
You must be right, deep down I am very boring.
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