So I guess I better introduce the new girl.
Meet Orla. She's a brand new Skoda Octavia SE L liftback, 148bhp manual 1.5 petrol.
I miss the Superbs but the prices are creeping up.

Other than full inspection wipe down in the dealership when she was picked up on the 22nd of September, this is her first proper clean.







Interior has quite thin chromed plastic strips, textured plastics, pressed plastics and alcantara seat base and backs as well as dashboard trim.




Rear seat protectors to prevent damage from sister's and step-brother's dogs. Grrr.

When a quick errand turns into a longer errand.
The other day I got a call from an elderly neighbour asking if I could bring her bedroom TV down as the living room TV packed in.
So I do.
I say I'll keep an eye out for something suitable at work to replace the broken one. Turns out there isn't something for her at my place.
So I take my Chromebook round using my BlackBerry as a hotspot as she's no internet.
Find the perfect TV and they can deliver it in an hour for £5. Go to order it and here's the thing, her card isn't set up for internet password and two part authentication.
So it says wait for her bank to phone her and confirm, we do, they we call them, they say that they don't phone, the seller does. Totally wrong but hey.
I give up and tell her we're going round to the store tomorrow lunchtime to pay in person.
Next day, very quick, jump in car, buy a TV, stick it in the car, sort out her coaxial cable that's needing tidied up, set up the living TV, return the bedroom TV back to where I got it from.
So that's all thrown my sleep to kilter as I usually have a 'nana nap' around the times I was sorting the TVs.
Doh.
One of my managers I don't always get on with has had a stressful time of it of late and I keep joking that I'll bring her a pre-mixed alcoholic drink for her to down (if her daughter is driving) when things require it.
So the other day I got a small bag, a Kool-pak (sports injury disposable instant cold pack) a can of Archers peach shnapps and lemonade and a large elastic band.
Gave it to her and told her to hide it and when the time comes. Open the bag, take the Kool-pak burst the sack inside, shake it up, wrap it around the can and use the elastic band around the bag wrapped can and leave for a couple of minutes, then enjoy.
It made her smile and laugh, so job done.
It doesn't matter whether it's a pro-longed errand or a couple of items in a bag, if you can make someone smile, it's worth it.

Roast lamb, honey roast parsnips, new potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and thick minted lamb gravy for your time.

Goodnight

I was undecided earlier whether to order a Papa Johns pizza (double pepperoni with pepperoni stuffed crust with added green peppers, mushrooms and cheese),
or get a doner kebab wrap and chips.
I put it off, then a few minutes ago thought, 'DONER',
So ordered two doner kebab wraps and a small portion of chips.
online order at 23:28,
delivered to my door 23:38

Finished work yesterday at 9am and did the sum total of f--k all all day.
Well, not quite.
I made beef stroganoff for dinner.

At 8pm, I thought I'd just get my head down for a couple of hours.
Only to wake at 3:30am
It's now 4am and need to be up at 6:40am to shower, shit and shave to go shopping at 7am.
Oh the exciting life I live.

Picked the new car up on Thursday 22nd September, only one set of keys.
Apparently Skoda are firing the cars out the factory now and so only have one set of keys.
Whether it's a real reason or not I don't know but we had to book the car back for a second key to be done.
The other day, went in to get the second key done, arrived early and waited, handed key over, they took the car out back, we waited some more, only to be told the computer was having issues and re'd have to come back.
While there booked the car to have the dashcam fitted (£210 fully fitted) and spare wheel put in (another £210) at some point.
Here's where it gets strange. The accessories tech comes out and asks if we want the car wired or hard wired (wires tucked away and hidden, etc...).
I looked at him confused and asked him to come with me to another Octavia and showed him the micro USB port on the rear view mirror and pointed to it.

The tech said, 'oh, that's nice'.
I explained it's there for a dashcam and he again said, 'oh, that's a really good idea'.
He told me he was only new to Skoda having come from BMW.
So I explained a few things about Skoda and after all of 20 minutes back and forward, I thought we were there.
But as I was leaving he said, 'if it needs hard wired, would that be okay as it'll cost more'.
The guy was so green behind the new job that even after explaining stuff too him, he still thought it may need to be hard wired and cost more when the whole thing of this dashcam was, '£210 fully fitted' on adverting literature and the sales man confirmed when we ordered the item.
Should be interesting when it goes in on Wednesday.
Doh.

Got peckish earlier.
Doner kebab meat, chips and pepperoni pizza for the win.

Have a Virgin Media advert for shits and giggles.

Three large buttered rolls.
Two of Cumberland sausages x2, bacon x6, brown sauce and runny fried egg and one bacon x6, brown sauce and runny. Fried egg.

Went round to the car and after a long natter, I got started on the car.








First attack was the engine.
Vacuum dust and debris from the engine bay. Spray, agitate and wipe up degreaser then dress with 303 Aerospace protectant.


Then mats out, good vacuum on and around seats, mats put in the boot and vacuumed, then each sprayed with interior shampoo, scrubbed and wet'vacuumed up.
Interior given an anti bacterial scrub and wipe.
Mats replaced.





Wheels done next, brake discs sprayed with Bilt Hamber Atom Mac to reduce/stop surface rust.
Exterior then snow foamed with pre-wash, rinsed, shampoo foamed, washed, rinsed, snow foam sealant applied and rinsed off.
I stupidly forgot my car towel so I open hose sheeted the water off the car, then used a ceramic detailer as a drying aid followed up with a sealant to remove any smears, etc...
Then interior and exterior glass, dress tyres, final vacuum of the boot space then inspect.




All ready to be handed over at the dealership tomorrow for a new BMW X3.

Colleague's daughter is a nurse over in the north east and someone scraped their car down the side of her parked car in the hospital car park.
There is some dirt on the passenger side where the scrapes are so I've highlighted some.

Not bad, many scuffs and scrapes, some marking on the front and rear passenger seats, a few tar spots and general bits and bobs around the cabin.

Over an hour of hand polishing the scrapes out, vast majority came out leaving me to do a full clean and seal, anti bacterial interior wipe, shampoo front and rear seat bases, glass cleaned and tyres dressed.

Couldn't do anything about the dent in the crease.




Front passenger seat still a little damp


Spare wheel and toolkit out and cleaned,



Got a bottle of Teeling Single Grain for doing it.
I mean, who am I to say no.

@іди-на-хуй-Влад-formerly-known-as-Distraxi
One of my favourite quite obscure British car marques.
Jowett, Lea-Francis, Swallow-Sidecars, Invicta, Alvis, Turner, Cooper, etc...

@SilentbutnotreallyDeadly
Back then when MOTs were coming about most cars would be maintained by the owner and standards and competence varied.
You could still maintain the cars yourself but your work was being held to a standard.
These days it's more nuanced with changing vehicle regs, emissions based taxes changing, wanting to keep up with the latest vehicles, wanting to avoid maintenance issues and various other things.
There are some ten to twenty year old vehicles, quite often diesel Mondeos that just keep going and cars that are enjoyed by there owners and are looked after.
Things have become more throwaway these days.
I'm say we're midway between the US and Europe, like the US in wanting new stuff, but like elsewhere in wanting a practical fit for purpose vehicle we can afford to own.

@MM54
Happy birthday mate.

@RallyDarkstrike
I'm totally with you on that.
It could of been done nicer.
Like the fifth gen Ford Fiesta.

@pip-bip
It's about ten minutes.
It'll fill a few minutes.

@pip-bip
Fill in a few minutes

@pip-bip
Salvage Hunters Classic Cars, where they restore cars and sell them on, did a 1971 Lotus Esprit and recreated the photo above.

@AestheticsInMotion
It's great when you find 'that' car.
It doesn't quite set your heart on fire but it ticks all the boxes in such a way you come out winning not whining.
For leather treatment, on the market these days it's much of a muchness. I love Renovo, LTT, etc... but when I was in a hurry and could only get Auto-Finesse leather cleaner, it really did the job, sealed and protected with Gtechniq L1ab leather protector (reduces dye transfer, abrasion adds UV protection, etc...), just need a good brush for leather interiors, several microfibres, gloves, patience and tackling methodically.

@RallyDarkstrike
Ye', I'm not sure either.
It took a while to notice they weren't 'there', and then thought the brake light at the top of the rear screen and large one at the bottom of the screen was a bit much.
Then looked closer.
Then thought, well, with them being higher there, they are more level with the drivers eyes behind.

@Mr-Ontop
Okay, but if I turn up dead.
I'm gonna be annoyed.
Lol.