The X5 came with two keys, both of which physically operate the locks and ignition, but only one of which communicated with the car remotely. Today I successfully managed to bring it back to life in two phases. First of all, I’ve replaced the battery. This involves cracking the key open, desolding the old battery, […] Read more »
I’ve recently acquired an X5. That decision and outcome probably deserves a blog post in itself, but for now I’d like to focus on the only MOT minor fault noted, which was “Nearside Front Headlamp lens slightly defective (4.1.1 (b) (i))”. Naturally I don’t have a great photo of the issue, but both headlamps were […] Read more »
It is that most wonderful time of the year – where I know the red 330d should be prepared for its January MOT. The government’s MOT history site is very useful in this regard because it means I can easily be reminded of any MOT advisories from last year without having to dig around for […] Read more »
After 12.5 years and 105,000 miles, the black car has departed. Bought in early 2006, it followed two E36 M3s and raised eyebrows at the time. A diesel? An estate car? Fast forward through countless holidays and road trips, with freeze frames of it as one of our wedding cars, using it to move house, […] Read more »
For some time now I’ve known that things weren’t okay at the back of the 335d. Even unladen, the car appeared to have been lowered, slightly more so on the left than the right. When unladen, I’d occasionally feel it hit the bump stops, and there was always more post-bump oscillation than I’d associate with […] Read more »
This weekend a couple of friends helped construct a new lean-to on the side of the house. We did it entirely from scratch, with a raw materials bill of ยฃ99.87. We decided it would have 3 supports where it would attach to the wall, and have a clear PVC roof. Robin insisted we even plan […] Read more »
This article details my kitchen audio system which is cobbled together from a bunch of apparatus I’ve acquired over the last 20 years, none of which was intended for this purpose. The resulting sound from a mere 220W has to be heard – and felt – to be believed. Read on for a detailed missive […] Read more »
What’s the difference between all these Indian breads then? I’m forever looking this up. Turns out that it’s difficult to build a consensus, so a quick search for the same query a month later might return a different answer. So I wanted to make my own guide here, with pictures to follow as I take […] Read more »
Let’s start this piece by making it absolutely clear that I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m not a cryptographer, a banker, or computer hardware expert. A couple of things have recently piqued my interest in BitCoin: the financial impact following the UK referendum on EU membership, and a Product Tank talk I attended […] Read more »
Continuing my general clear-out, it’s time to sell my last speakers. I used to run a sound system, and what’s for sale now was the “small” rig, or as a DJ monitor rig at larger events. It’s a bit home-brew, so I’m not expecting to get much for it, but the components are high quality […] Read more »