Author archive

Solar PV installation – second review

In August 2011 I had a 3.9kW solar PV installation popped on the house roof. I was fortunate enough to get that in before the government reduced the Feed in Tariff (FiT) payout from its initial ยฃ0.43 per kW hour generated. That said, PV installation costs soon dropped along with the FiT, so by today’s […]  Read more »

Subaru Impreza Wagon Bass Enclosure

Wow it has been a long time since I’ve blogged! An email out of the blue has reminded me that I’ve done a bunch of work on the Impreza since I got it, and what better place to start than to cover the audio situation. I’m not looking for any car show worthy mega-bass, but […]  Read more »

Wyedean rally 2012

Yesterday I made my annual trip to the Welsh border to see Alex and spectate at the Wyedean rally. I think this is the sixth consecutive year we’ve been, and the first time I’ve not taken a BMW. I took the Impreza, and as you can see, we had another snowy event. I must now […]  Read more »

2007 Subaru Impreza GB270 Wagon

Back in July, with the impending arrival of my daughter, I sold the M5. It really wasn’t getting used much (less than 4,000 miles a year), and without isofix points for child seats or room for Snoop that situation was unlikely to improve. The plan was to cut down to a single car – the […]  Read more »

iPad ownership

When Apple’s iPad was first launched I was openly skeptical about it. What was the point of this device? It wasn’t as mobile as my phone, or as powerful as my trusty laptop. A satirical video spoof of a man out jogging with an iPad strapped to his arm, and of course all the gaffes […]  Read more »

Solar panel update – shortest day review

On this, the shortest day of 2011, I mark a third of a year since my solar panel installation. Solar PV has been in the news in the meantime because the government made a fairly dramatic U-turn on the FiT (Feed in Tariff) on the 31st October, announcing that only systems registered before the 12th […]  Read more »

Winter tyres on the BMW e46 330d at last

Some 15 months ago I embarked on a project to have a set of winter wheels and tyres for the 330d. Naturally I didn’t get around to it for last winter, so we had lots of snow. This year however, I am ready! So this week as temperatures seem to have dropped below the magic […]  Read more »

e46 window regulator replacement

Recently I made the mistake of lowering a rear window while a window blind was stuck to it. The suction cup disappeared down into the door, so I went to raise the window, at which point it all went horribly wrong! There was a sound like breaking glass, and the window got stuck. Fortunately it […]  Read more »

BMW e46 speakers not working

For a few years now, the 330d’s rear right speaker hasn’t been working. As I sit in the front, I chose not to let that bother me. However recently, both front and rear left speakers cut in and out a few times, and then stopped working altogether. This left the front right and the sub, […]  Read more »

Solar PV installation

Solar what? I’ve not got a history of being especially green, yet I’ve just done something (apparently) rather “eco”. I’ve sold the M5, and rather than replacing it I have invested those funds along with some savings into a fairly noticeable set of solar panels for the house roof. There are three good reasons to […]  Read more »

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