Fatz

Ditto on the radar detectors and jammers.... I use Escort. None are 100% assurance but mine has kept me from being pulled over countless times.

On the highway, one should also pay attention to the "ripple effect" on traffic if there is a speed trap 2-3 miles up the road. The average speed of traffic flow slows; generally to less than the speed limit. If you pass 2-3 cars at 15-20 MPH faster than they are going on a highway with moderate traffic you are probably approaching an accident, construction, heavy exit areas, or a speed trap.......

Anker

First day in the Florida Keys. Did some minor repairs.

Only the high pitched horn was working and it was very faint, so I went to Advance Auto Parts and got two replacement horns. A breeze to install and now the horns make enough noise to be noticed.

The other was a bit more complicated. Some jerk had hit my right front in a parking lot and smashed the fog light. I ordered a replacement from Pelican that was sent to the resort and replaced it today. As always more damage than at first looks. In addition to the smashed fog light the front wheel liner was cracked and all the fasteners to the bumper cover were gone. Also a scratch on the bumper cover. No metal damage, fortunately. I have the shop manuals on disk with me, so after a quick read up on replacing fog lights I did the job with no hitches whatsoever. Once the wheel liner is removed the fog light is easily accessible. 1/2 hour is what it took.

kb24forlife24

Laser jammers are illegal here...or else I'd be all over them!

kb24forlife24

You think it's worth it to show up in court? The officer was super strict lol. He even wrote me up for tints and didn't write it as a fix-it ticket (he marked it as non-correctable violation).

Rudeney

Like I said, find a lawyer friend to advise you if you want to fight it. Regarding laser jammers, I did not realize they could be made illegal anywhere in the USA. I once read that laser devices are regulated by the FDA (yeah, how strange that sounds!) so states or municipalities cannot override the federal laws. I guess the states can do this until someone decides to make a federal case out of it. Besides that, I have heard that laser jammers really don't do any good anyhow as modern LIDAR guns use a very tight pinpoint spot on the car so unless they happened to be aimed at the jammer's emitter, the jammer can't interfere.

Anker

Top down in Key Largo. No snow and ice for the next 4+ weeks. Life is good!

Fatz

[QUOTE=Rudeney; Besides that, I have heard that laser jammers really don't do any good anyhow as modern LIDAR guns use a very tight pinpoint spot on the car so unless they happened to be aimed at the jammer's emitter, the jammer can't interfere.[/QUOTE]

Lasers are generally pointed at some shiny object on your car. The headlights, because of the reflector, is a top choice (license plate is targeted for the rear). The jammer receiver receiving field is a few inches. The signal from the laser gun beam does not need to be dead on to trigger the jammer. Besides, those officers holding the laser guns are not marksmen. MY SIL's jammer on his M3 is located a couple inches farther from headlight center than mine and his setup works great also.

I think mine works very well.

Rudeney

The one time I was tagged with LIDAR and went to court to fight it (really just hoping the officer would not show), they had a video of the showing the front of my car, with me clearly in the driver's seat, and the laser signal appear as a white spot, about the diameter of a tennis ball, on the hood of the car. Of course I lost that day, but "won" (by withdrawal of the ADA) on appeal.

My understanding is that they are using handheld video cameras with the LIDAR gun attached. They first focus on the car with the camera, then trigger the laser, specifically to beat the "jammers". I once heard that they would target front tags, but down here, we don't have those. Ironically, my laser detector has never gone off for an actual LIDAR gun. Sometimes it goes off on certain toll booths, but that's it.

Fatz

Rodney, what kind of jammer do you have?

Rudeney

No jammer - just an Escort 9500ix. But I have been considering a 9500ci.

megacrazy

Quite the opposite. I've jammed plenty of speed traps. The looks on their faces alone is worth the money. One guy tried multiple times as I was approaching....then tried getting me from behind as well, then finally gave up...literally scratching his head. I admired his dedication...I was doing 5mph over the limit.

Rudeney

So what jammer system are you running?

Fatz

Rodney, I think your question of what jammer is directed at Mega, but mine is an Escort and I like it.

megacrazy

Same here...Escort. 2 sensors in the front, 1 in the back.

Reanimation

My electric seat stopped working Ive know idea what to look at I've checked fuse's but could it be the motor? relay? module? switch?

Reanimation

The motor was worn out inside.

sailorben

So today I did a couple things. After finishing my exams, I came home from uni yesterday; I have the week off; so I decided to touch up some stone chips, and some paint scrapes that were on the car when I bought it, ( left until now, since I had to buy paint for the parking sensors I've just replaced). Put the car in the garage as it is heated and it should cure faster. I had hoped to layer up over this evening, however my father wanted to work on the boat in the garage tonight, so that scuppered those plans!

So as it stands first few blobs on, will put it in again early tomorrow morning, get the paint sitting proud, put a tad bit lacquer on the top, and buff it all up. I tried to mix the lacquer into the paint in a couple different ratios as seen on YouTube, but the paint just thickened immediately and was useless. So I'll have to deal with 2-step.

I also, after seeing a post recently about the ambient down-light in the rear view mirror, purchased an amber led, with the resistor wired in. Unclip the surround, take off the glass and solder in the new wires to the old. I went for a 3mm LED. I don't know what resister was fitted to it, but the light output is perfect. Not too bright. But brighter than the old filament in my previous CLK. A good 5 mins spent.

I have some Bilt Hamber Korrosol coming tomorrow too. I plan to use that fallout remover not only on the wheels, but the bodywork in general, then give the sills a quick spray/run with some petrol to dissolve the tar spots, wash, then give it a good polish and seal.

bobtuba

Today I put the top up. It is getting a little cool.

Rudeney

LOL! Today's high was about 45F, bookended by lows in the 30's. I saw TWO people driving top-down today - a BMW Z4 and a Miata. The Miata was seen tonight when my thermometer read 39F. I'm sorry, that's just too cold for me to ride with the top down!

Reanimation

This last week I've had the typical 3 problems in a row, first a seat motor goes then a rattle on the door followed by machine gun locks. I might give in and get a classic car, Next up the MOT lets see what they find.

Reanimation

I Passed my MOT with no advisories.

Anker

Now is the MOT the same as the annual inspections we have in the US? Lights, brakes, emission, etc. etc.?

sailorben

It's an annual inspection for cars over the age of 3 years old. Yep, lights, emissions, suspension bushes, brakes, wipers, seat belts, etc.

It's very variable depending on where you go however. Some places are very serious about it, picking up the slightest of things, others you can pay a quick fee and it'll pass. They also suggest advisories. The MOT history is available to view online too. So you can do a history search and find out a little history of the car, mileage verification etc. It's also quite useful to see how previous owners have taken care of the car. If the advisories are ignored and resurface the year later for example. But it's a very basic test, with many flaws.

DangermouseCLK

Edited for clarity

In GA for example, we have zero inspections, bar an emissions test if you are in Atlanta.

Like sailorben says, the MOT checks some important things like brake capability and balance (you fail if one wheel locks up, or doesn't function) but also perhaps silly things like whether your washer bottle is full.

I wish we did some of it in GA, especially head-lights as it may stop all these guys with sunlight-bright "lighting upgrades"


Anyway, what I did to my CLK at the weekend was fit an aux-in kit. Nothing fancy, but now I can play music from my phone. The cheapest and easiest audio upgrade I've ever done.

Next will be to add a BT adaptor.

ALFAitalia

Sailorben made it sound a bit more simple than it is in the UK....im an ex MOT tester....you have to pass/comply with all this every years after the cars third birthday....this being the testers manual. https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...-4-5-and-7.pdf


Mine also sailed straight through with no fails or advisories .....but I've only ever failed one in 32 years of driving and about 25 cars (I expected it to as my Jeep was getting a bit rusty TBH but I thought I would try my luck).....as I pre MOT it before I go and correct the faults!! A lot of items are straight pass or fail.....however lots of the manual used words like excessive play in this and reasonable movement in that and that's where the individual tester can influence the result....depending in his mood!! There is getting more and more definition in the handbook so cars will start to pass of fail for the same reasons wherever they go ...as long as the tester is honest and not bribable!!!


Back on topic....noticed my reversing camera is getting intermittent...we have had a lot of rain so it may have water in it....nevermind...its lasted a while and was only about £6 ($7!). Ebay for another!