Collecting Addicts Episode 61: The Solution For Potholes, BMW The Ultimate EV Machine & More!

[@iandavidson99]

It's a legal requirement for our cars to be road-worthy... so why is it not a legal requirement for the roads to be car-worthy ?!

[@intenzityd3181]

That isn't how power works. Sovereign is he who makes the exception.

[@matt355]

Because you gave your country to the American war machine 50 years ago. Thank you Margret Thatcher.

[@GazMoby]

I like the way you think!

[@squaregaming8964]

big brain moment

[@PazLeBon]

and where is the billions of car tax going?

[@ZondaF355]

The magic that everyone is always searching for called natural chemistry between human beings is on full exhibition here as usual. A good reason I've watched all 61 eps on repeat. If any bright execs are out there they would be begging this group to do a car show. I would love to take these topics and explore them creatively in the world using cars. I could listen/watch all day. The magic is down to being your self and nothing less or more and this group is exactly that. Real car nerds through and through. A true pleasure from one to another. Cheers gents

[@PazLeBon]

how much is that a gram?

[@jackiechan8840]

I am literally addicted to this podcast

[@JasonSmith-dw3vp]

Totally agree there is a deliberate strategy to force us all the roads - not just the lack of pot hole fixing, but also the masses of roadworks all in combined (and seemingly badly timed) locations that cause chaos. Then there's the weather...

[@thenewvoice8]

Ran out of petrol going across the Nullarbor, had accelerated to as fast as I could go as we knew the next roadhouse wasn't too far off, car cut out and then with the help of a small gradient we rolled silently into Belladonia (I think) roadhouse and stopped perfectly at the front pump.

[@frankyork5808]

Balladonia

[@PazLeBon]

obviously a stupid move accelerating when you are low on fuel

[@Rlee571]

Good effort 😂

[@R03333]

Got your moneys worth at least

[@thenewvoice8]

@@PazLeBonmaybe, but I wasn’t thinking straight. I was thinking if I can go as fast as I can then when I run out I’ll shift into neutral and hopefully I’ll freewheel longer. Maybe the fuel efficient approach is wiser, but a part of me was just thinking ‘More Power!’ Worked like a charm mind you.

[@mattylf1]

I know that pot hole near to Goodwood only too well !. It's been there for ages now and is getting bigger by the week. I did spot Chris Cooper at Members meeting, was going to say how much I enjoy these videos, but he was with his friends and/or family, so let him get on with his day without interruption.

[@paulhancock]

Just on the pothole discussion... The issue is way beyond just potholes now. I live in Derbyshire and there's a particular road I use several times per week, it's the main commuter road into town and to the M1 motorway... And there is a roundabout on which the entire surface is like the surface of the moon. The tarmac is completely demolished (no exaggeration) and if you went around it too quickly it would shred all 4 tyres... It is INSANE and it's been like that, getting increasingly worse for well over a year. They could shut it down at 9pm, and probably have it 'repaired' by 6am... But no. National and local government in this country is an embarrassment on so many levels, our public services, hospitals, roads etc are falling apart while sending tens of billions to other nations... But I'll leave that alone.

[@DriveTuneMedia]

The good people have let the morons run the country by not getting involved in local government.

[@kellarcheron6675]

Ironically, Neil is wearing the hat of a team based in a state known for legendary potholes. In the Northeast we refer to certain roads as minefields. I have personally blown a shock through the rear strut tower of an E36 M3. My friend had the entire front control arm ripped off his B4 Audi Avant while we were driving, a byproduct of the exquisite union of rust and potholes

[@_MasterP]

Thank goodness Chris brought the pothole issue down to earth! Great pod as always, car addictions coursing through the veins

[@wharris123184]

I can’t start my Fridays without Collect Addicts.

[@PSUK997]

I once ran out of petrol in a matt black Huracan. This in itself is embarrassing but it happened at rush hour at the lights at a junction outside a shopping mall. The level of abuse I got was immense. Still traumatized.

[@HHH-tz4gc]

😂😂😂

[@tedplace2021]

This is the most enjoyable content on KZbin. I wish I could sit around and talk cars with all of you!

[@mrcolmun]

Potholes are lethal for motorbike riders nowadays too. Vehicle owners are so heavily taxed in many forms that to not repair roads is disgusting (hence they tried to rename ‘road tax’ to stop people expecting repairs!)

[@MrWesternDuke]

This podcast is always worth watching/listening to. It reminds me a little of the TV series 'Grumpy Old Men'. I used to voice my agreement to most of their topics, too!😂

[@PazLeBon]

grumpy old men are the folk who were grumpy young men

[@NineHellHeaven]

I ran out of fuel while test driving a Maserati 4200. I knew the dealer so he just gave me the keys and said bring it back in 20 minutes. As I drove down the road, I noticed the fuel light was on so i thought I'd put a little petrol in. I pulled into a petrol station but couldn't find the switch to open the fuel cap so decided to bring it straight back. About 100m down the road the engine cut out so I had to call the dealer to rescue me. In case you're interested, the switch was in the glove box.

[@frankyork5808]

Oh aye, used to live in pothole in middle of road, but you tell young folk today, and they would(n't) believe you! 😂

[@eoghanobrien6980]

Worth pointing out that despite all the hysteria from BMW's press release (which you guys sadly fell for), their sales are actually down by over 36,000 units compared with Q4 of 2023. In Q4 2023 they sold 129,000 BEVs. In Q1 2024 this decreased to 82,700. They are also down by over 8,000 units compared with Q3 of 2023 (91,000 BEVs were sold in Q3 2023). The growth in sales is really starting to lag, Q3 2023 was about 96% above Q3 of 2022, Q4 2023 was 47% up on Q4 2022, and now they are down to just 28% growth compared to the same quarter in the previous year. They have a target of at least one in five BEV sales for 2024, but on the Q1 figures, they are only selling 15%. So they are experiencing the same drop in demand as other makes. Let's not forget there are already 10k discounts on the i5 M60, and they have reversed their plans to keep certain tech only for the Neue Klasse cars (like the Panaramic Vision which is coming to their ICE cars in 2027), so all is definitely not what it seems, despite all the spin and bluster from BMW.

[@R03333]

Glad someone mentioned this, any data that is presented as "in comparison to specific other data" has generally been chosen (read: manipulated) for a purpose.

[@PeterHore-q4o]

Several years ago my CITROEN 2CV suffered a cracked steering rack following decent into a water filled pothole. The council's legal department spent the next 3 years trying not to accept liability so the day before the court case was due to be heard I received a letter from the Essex County Council stating they accepted that they could not defend the case and enclosed a cheque! 2 years of my persistency paid off!

[@YellowPinkie]

Northampton Council bought a JCB Pothole Pro. It’s so efficient it’s burnt through the pothole repair budget in a matter of months…

[@christophermanley777]

Very nice to her Chris Cooper (with agreement from Neil Clifford) tlk about anxiety. I never knew why I loved a full fuel gauge so much. I feel like the car runs better. Probably pure emotion, I like the car more because I’m happier, nothing to do with how the car is running. Same as having a clean car I suspect, feels like it runs better, but I’m just happier in the clean car.

[@azmidlyf]

I have to block out the time to watch, because once I start, I'm in it for the entirety. Fabulous group of gents.

[@29speedman]

Went to a classic car meet at The Ace cafe on the North Circular years ago. Left about 11pm heading home to Reading. Fuel gauge in my 1974 VW Beetle was always a bit off, but still showed a quarter left. Motored down the M4 and obviously didnt pass a petrol station, so decided to use the one couple of miles from home. Typically it ran out half a mile from salvation. I called my wife who was still up at midnight and she drove up to the petrol station and filled a can up for me, dropped it off and went home to bed. The only problem was the can had no nozzle to pour it in the filler neck. Luckily it was rubbish collection the next day, so I riffled through bin bags until I found an old plastic bottle, sliced the end off with my car keys and made a rough funnel. Ended up with most of the petrol on my hands, feet, jeans but enough in the tank to get to the petrol station and brim it!

[@PazLeBon]

wow

[@RustyBonnet]

I run out of petrol on the A2 on the way to work on my old faithful Suzuki SV650. At the time, i just thought it had died for no reason only to find out that i hadnt plugged the fuel sender back in after working on the bike the previous weekend. and had indeed run out of fuel after arguing with the relay chap :) The SV left in 2020 after not being used for a couple of years due to a change in job.

[@philthymc]

Brilliant episode, the music selections at the end were inspired, Sade and The Clash for me especially. Some trivia for you, Chris; what was the very cool “first” that the song “Train in Vain” is heralded for? …. It was the first “hidden track” on an album, you had to let side B 2nd record, play a bit longer after the last listed track, and then it started. I have an original first pressing of “London Calling”, the track was added to the album when the sleeve was already in production., which made the song just that much cooler, if possible! Come to Vancouver, Canada, and I’ll take you for a few laps at “Area 27” Cheers mate…🍻

[@peteroneill7686]

My Running out of Fuel Story In the early 80's i worked for a company that armoured cars. I picked up a Armoured Range Rover from Gstaad that we built for a client to bring back to the UK via my sister who lived in Torino as i entered Torino city it stopped, the other problem was i was straddling a Tram line !! The fuel gauge showing half full, when we converted the Range Rover we put Twin Tanks in with a switch that turned the other tank on. What the client forgot the mention was the other tank fuel gauge didn't work. Fortunately where i stopped there was a bar near so i went in and Italians being very nice people came out and pushed med to safety. I rang my brother in law and he came with a can.

[@Rlee571]

Another great episode. I grew up in Ireland where potholes were of World record proportions!

[@Orchy500]

When did we stop sealing up road repairs with the black tar stuff? Instead we just butt new tarmac up to old with no seal, so a bit of water gets in between and it blows out again. France has black tar stuff repairs all over the place and it's smooth as butter!

[@Davidoff13]

Thank you Addicts for a shout out on the i3 - we have nearly done 40,000 miles in i3S after two years and not a rattle! Quicker than you expect, range is manageable with thinking and planning, parking is easy. Strangely we have alternates but they seldom come out to play given the door bashing from SUVs etc in car parks

[@PazLeBon]

you expected a rattle after just 2 years?

[@bdav9147pug1]

Fantastic car

[@NineHellHeaven]

I got one last year. Bloody love the thing, perhaps even more than the 911.

[@kevingolden5675]

I got from Edinburgh to Glasgow with the red light on in a mk4 escort once. I used to run out regularly cause I was a skint kid. I remember putting in less than a pound a few times 🤣🤣 then later had an rs turbo that used 20 quid a night, was a nightmare, great craic though

[@blueridge8992]

Careful what you wish for. Here in the US they’ve recently switched to patching pot holes with a lane-wide square patch that has what feels like a 3” lip at the front. Our rural roads are often 45-55mph and a single lane going each direction, so these new patches are unavoidable suspension wreckers that feel like running over a 2x4 piece of lumber.

[@callumpoole4806]

Live in Liverpool and the potholes around here are ridiculous... Having to replace both front springs on my 2012 Clio RS 200 today because of them!

[@DPS-85]

One of the reasons that Q plates aren’t as common these days is because more kits are available as “single donor vehicles”. If you can prove a certain percentage of your kit came from one donor then you get an age related plate the same year as your donor car. Lots of older kits used parts from multiple vehicles so went on a Q plate. My kit I’m building (MK Indy) uses an MX5 as a donor so will end up on a W plate.

[@davidmarrazzo774]

As far as potholes go,Pink Floyd said it best. “Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way”

[@markbroadheaf1593]

I live out in the sticks in Northumberland and the council are only just starting to repair some potholes that look more like miniature quarries. Real suspension breakers everywhere including the main roads.

[@thenewvoice8]

its 3pm Melbourne time - I am surprised to see this episode up this early, albeit I've noted the last few have been, but that is all right with me!!

[@mattslip179]

I wonder if that is to do with the Collecting Cars Australian Expansion?

[@matthewkimpton4865]

Great listening as always guys. Thank you all 🫶🏼

[@nkanyezigumede3298]

I'm so happy to see that the UK has the same pothole issue as us here in South Africa. We actually have a national roads agency that does a pretty good job of taking care of the roads under their care. It is rare, for example, to see portholes on the highway through Gauteng. However some local municipalities have it worse than others due to financial mismanagement. This goes to show that should potholes be treated as a national issue they will be less of a problem.

[@jasondurden2803]

The 10/10 Friday night must listen, just posted 11/10. This episode just hit the spot. From the national disgrace that is British roads to the LM002. Thanks, chaps, top work.

[@davidthegolfer]

I was working for a Renault distributor in Maidenhead, 1972. We were also a petrol station. One day I met a very well dressed elderly lady on the forecourt looking very flustered. I ask her what the problem was, and asked how I could help her. She replied, “my Rolls Royce has run out of petrol”. Very indignantly she said “it was only serviced two days ago!”

[@PazLeBon]

our street in birmingham 1972 neve had a single car

[@AlexJones-dq7vr]

Councils spend thousands of pounds a day sending out multiple gangs of road workers to fill in pot holes but its a temporary fix. A few weeks later they go back rip out what they filled them with and do them properly. Money is being wasted doing this when it should have been done right in the first place. Their argument is they can do more temporary repairs in the same time to do one right. I see more and more cones sitting in a pot hole these days and some of them are blocking the road and stopping traffic flowing.

[@TheTerrier]

100 Percent correct, when do you see a patchwork road on the continent? Hardly ever. They ensure larger and better maintained sections of actual road rather than a 1 metre square patch

[@PazLeBon]

here in spain they do our main roads whether they need doing or not, even have brand ne roads and islands already made ready for future develoment. and country is how many times bigger? and then uk moans how counries like spain are poorer... a matter of perspective

[@R03333]

We had one repaired outside our driveway a few weeks ago (delivery vans always use our drive for a 3 point turn, absolutely mulching the tarmac in front in the process) but they only filled one of the 2 holes that were there. One was slightly larger than the other (presumably over the required spec to need filling), but now OBVIOUSLY the 2nd one has become larger than the 1st because even though they were there filling in one, they didn't do the other because it hadn't been circled by the previous road inspector. Madness.

[@txg399]

I bought an i3 as a stop-gap. 7 years and 65,000 miles later I still own it and can’t find anything I like enough to want to replace it. It’s a delightful car to live with. I was recently offered an absurdly cheap lease on an ID Buzz through work. I took a test drive and I hated it. The steering feel and responsiveness were woeful. I know it’s a van, but a Transit drives better!

[@MattMK45]

65,000 miles in an i3! Very impressive to rack up that many miles in an EV.

[@txg399]

@@MattMK45 it’s been reliable and charging (even with a 70 mile range) has never been an issue. My daily commute is a 65 mile round trip so it’s perfect.

[@adam_b7]

Sade - Paradise is such a driving tune ! Good one Neil 🤌🏽

[@KeriBeal]

Potholes is very apt for me having just filled in a claim form for damages to my car after one destroyed my tyre this week

[@alexmarshall6748]

Mention of Dubai floods and BMW. Just walked behind one of the Dubai BMW dealerships. A very long and sad looking row of recovered submerged cars. X5Ms, 760Li, 850M, M4s, various electric etc etc. Many more still abandoned awaiting collection.

[@jasmineangell1368]

In parts of Bristol even the speed bumps have pot holes

[@matthewyoung3942]

One of the key contributors to BMWs EV success has been the leverage created by their relentless success in the fleet and corporate sectors. For years they have nurtured a portfolio of customers ranging from huge national fleets to small business fleets and they are now reaping the rewards, and well done to them for doing so. The fleet and corporate markets ripple far wider than just company cars, BMW have been geniuses at keeping customers for life, meaning that the sales rep who may have ran a 318i company car as a photocopier salesman 20 years ago now runs a fleet of EV BMW's in that same company he now owns, he has an iX3 for his wife or husband at home, his daughter or son at Uni now floats about in the families old i3 and so on. Few brands have invested so heavily and succeeded in keeping drivers locked into ownership like BMW have and these results are testament to that. Yes there will be a percentage of conquest custom like other brands but that conquest customer is the cherry on top of what is a fantastically fanatical database of brand ambassadors.

[@matthewyoung3942]

Oh yeah and the products on offer are well up there with the best. It's a win, win, win and lo and behold they are winning.

[@weaksignal8009]

Ed there are plate mounts that thread into the towhook receiver. No Drilling!

[@Samson44444]

I lost it when Chris cooper talked about putting Nelson piquet jr in the gravel trap because he didn’t like him. This is why we love Chris so much on the podcast

[@Mpayne1472]

I did spot Mr Clifford and Mr Cooper at the weekend. Didn’t want to interrupt your weekend

[@frankyork5808]

Neil, my boss and l had the most expensive company cars in summer. On fridsys we would fill our cars AND our boats on the company fuel cards! No one ever questioned why I would out 160 litres into a 60 litre fuel tank!!

[@PazLeBon]

so proud of being a thief? wtg

[@Kurlach]

No Chris Cooper, not all Police are very pleasant 🤦🏻‍♂️ As for Ed’s story, of all the uninsured untaxed cars being driven around by drivers with no licence, and the Police focus on this, yet when your house is broken into you can’t get them out to even visit and investigate.

[@PazLeBon]

more likley to kill someone in an ininsured car than in a burglary so yep, makes sense

[@marcwonnacott3286]

Total agree with Chris on the potholes. It’s being done on purpose. Tax EV’s.

[@McLarenInternational]

Tax SUVs. Tax the rich. Tax fat people. Tax people with low IQs. Tax anything we take against. It's always the 'answer'.

[@amaanahmed5133]

Uploaded early ready for my big old slog to Canterbury from the Midlands , Lovely

[@heymoa]

time to start taxing EVs road user charges, how much revenue is the government losing each year as EV usage increase? No road tax and no duty on fuel. It can't go on forever.

[@ApexCypher_]

£35 billion lost so far.

[@pepvwaning8551]

also the relative heavy weight ev's carry, degrading roads faster...

[@chriswilliams9976]

They are charging Evs from next April as for the weight issue the average Ev weighs 2000kg most SUV’s weigh this already it’s not an Ev problem the roads. The amount large trucks on our roads is problem we need to open canals and get some of the freight off the roads

[@ApexCypher_]

@@chriswilliams9976 Railway’s should be used at night.

[@AnonAnon-qi4ts]

Another smashing episode.

[@metsta74]

I need Topaz to use some of their magic spray to apply my front numberplate. Says it all 😂

[@matt-squires]

More EVs means more potholes

[@PazLeBon]

yep cos people are dumb too

[@McLarenInternational]

My Ioniq 5 weighs about the same as an Audi SQ5. Not saying it's an excuse but the sad old line of EVs are too heavy is bullshit when you look at the number of obese SUVs on the road.

[@PazLeBon]

@@McLarenInternational not all cars are heavy tho and all EV's are

[@hickipedia]

Not saying I agree or disagree, just questioning - could the additional torque of EVs be adding to the issue?

[@JJ-zg1hh]

It's not as if pot holes are a post EV phenomenon. Blame this Tory government, Brexit, or whichever of the multiple significant contributing factors before blaming EVs.

[@christaylor4946]

Paul Can Dyk - For An Angel What’s a tune 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@ApexCypher_]

Don’t do the NC500. The potholes there will destroy your car. Google to see the pictures.

[@f1jr724]

Absolutely love this...😊

[@MrVantage8]

Almost died laughing at the motorcyclist who took himself out giving the international sign for a wanker...😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@MM-xr6tz]

In order or spending importance: 1. 1st class military deterrent 2. Functioning healthcare system 3. Police and justice system fit for purpose 4. 1st class road network 5. Remove the TV license fee £3.8bn and distribute it equally.

[@ChrisDorgan]

They’ll happily spend the money throwing up ULEZ cameras and smart motorways but won’t fix roads properly. As soon as you drive over to France you know how much better they are

[@TrojanHamster]

In the north of England we’ve stopped discussing ‘potholes’. There’s barely anything left up here worthy of being called a road surface. It’s almost like they’ve decided to turn every A and B road into a 3D topographical map of the Himalayas.

[@MrAjjm65]

The road from Jn37 M6 through to Sedbergh used to be a motoring and scenic joy. You can’t look at the hills and Howgills nowadays, your eyes are focussed on the ruts and alloy wheel destroying potholes.

[@MrIanMoss]

I’m currently in a battle with National Highways. They have denied my claim against them for replacing 2 Audi alloy wheels that were damaged by a pot hole just before J28 M1 South. They see that all the weekly inspections show the road is satisfactory. Even thought they had to repair a 10x10 mtr section 3 days after I hit it. (4 days before that last inspection) I’m prepared to go to court with them, if they do not review my claim.

[@AutoworksJAL]

Quite a large oversight on the pothole chat. Vehicle mass and vehicle numbers. This will have a far greater impact that anything else. Vehicles on average weight nearly double that of 20/30 years ago, they are considerably larger in width and length too, roads haven't got any wider... Note that vast majority of potholes are on the road edge. Granted weather doesnt help and yes they do not keep up with the repairs, not even close. But mass and volume of traffic has simply outgrown the uk road infrastructure and the lack of repair has significantly sped the demise up.

[@julianadams2206]

Big shout out to Edward Lovett to bring up the stupidity of Supercar owners believing that they are exempt from the requirement to display front number plates. I once asked a road traffic Police officer about this and he said that for repeat offences the DVLA can revoke a private registration number. I assumed a normal reg number would be re allocated to the vehicle. He didn’t mention anything about a Q plate once the private registration has been revoked.

[@philmorel9861]

The problem with potholes is not an overall lack of money, its people like Bamford who is under investigation for tax evasion and other tory cronies who cream off the public purse that contributes to a society where public services are run to the bone and find themselves in states of collapse.

[@R03333]

Yeah Bamfords a good bloke in terms of treatment of staff etc but he's massively in Tory pockets, the only reason he wants to flog his pothole pro is to have another revenue stream.

[@michaelzurzolo7760]

Ed’s music choices are always on point for us millennials 😂

[@jonathanland2218]

PPL - night flying! Usually VMC only. The Ex F4 Jockey.

[@gordonsimpson3235]

I used to laugh at the state of the roads in Poland (on business trips), 25 years ago.....we now have exactly the same issue. I live in the catchment area of Basingstoke & Deane council, and have sued them (successfully) twice. The key is not to give in! Even when they do make a repair, it consists of a man chucking some tarmac into a wet or even ice filled pothole, hitting it with the back of a shovel and then moving on. Of course within a month or two its all back to a huge hole again. I have chased them on the basis that they are wasting taxpayers money. Do the job once - properly....its cheaper in the long run, and we, the people are then not paying thousands in repair bills on our cars. Many people still think that their yearly 'road tax' pays for the maintenance....that was hijacked years ago when it was quietly renamed VED and re-rated in a way to try to make us feel guilty about our transport choices.

[@PazLeBon]

roads in portugal perfect overall now and wow, the enture country is so cleaqn, we spend days looking for a peace of rubbish

[@andygtv]

BMW have always been very advanced with tech.

[@alpinabuchloe957]

All 5 of you should stand at the next elections - The Anti pot-hole Party. Maximum cost £500 each - well worth it.

[@simongibbs3936]

Pot holes aren’t even the issue now. There are roads now where the entire surface is completely trashed. Try getting on the M25 southbound at London Colney. You can’t drive round the roundabout without worrying about grounding in a sports car let alone doing an alloy.

[@jasonwinters9807]

Gosh; your intro volume is ramped up to 11... can you provide a hearing loss warning before you get going with your videos !

[@danetatana1987]

8 mins in. I think Chris has been on an all nighter.

[@TheNorville2]

In 50 years of riding or driving I can safely say, I have never run out of fuel. By the way, that Copper was lying. The DVLA reserves Q-plates for kit cars and certain exports, and they are not allocated to standard vehicles.

[@red9zero]

My understanding was that your car would revert to its original reg no if caught for a related offence three times. Not sure if it has ever been enforced though.

[@justinschultz4325]

Gentlemen - There's a Sunday double race this weekend. Indycar at Long Beach and Nascar at Talladega. I'd love to hear your opinion of these forms of motorsport.

[@jamesbaggaley1460]

They still have to legally pay out compensation if they fail to carry out a repair in the set guidelines - don’t just give up because that’s what the councils want. Go and watch Forensic Detailing’s latest video on the claiming process. If the council know about the existence of a pothole within a certain time period from when you incurred damage to your vehicle, then they are liable because they have failed to fulfil their duty of care. Also, I think you all fail to realise the cause of the potholes. If you don’t resurface the roads regularly, potholes will be created, as Chris said - by hydraulic action of the water. That’s all there is to it. The reason this is a complete non issue in continental Europe is because they have a proper “preventative maintenance” schedule for the roads which we had in the UK only 20 years ago. This means “resurface the roads before potholes can form”.

[@wills2552]

It has gone beyond slapping cold tarmac in holes the roads are so bad and the repairs so poor they open up again weeks later, we need a national resurfacing project , the roads need planing and resurfacing with hot rolled tarmac. One issue with Neil's car choice the 959 wasn't sold or allowed to be imported to the US in 1987, it took until 2001.

[@drippincolors]

The i8 still looks bloody amazing despite being a decade old

[@Littlegreenlightweight]

A subject for another podcast. If you could re-engine any car with something you feel it should have had fitted (from the same manufacturer) what would it be? I.e. a great car you feel should have had a better, more powerful engine or maybe an engine of a different type. Maybe a 13B rotary in an MX5 for example! 👍

[@miked6505]

in my workshop we are renewing 4 to 5 wheels/tyres per week

[@marklawrence9463]

Re sales Mercedes are using a direct to public sales model in some markets. They are 50% down in Australia as a result

[@oldclassiccarUK]

The roads are in an appalling state. I appreciate that local council budgets might be squeezed but for years they put up council tax annually by the maximum rate possible while interest rates and inflation were both low, what happened to stashing a bit away for a rainy (!) day? One day this week within a mile of here I saw two separate cars up on their jacks, a wheel removed on both and no-one around (presumably no spare wheel/tyre as standard), and my missus spotted another on the same day down a side road off the same A road. A bloke knocked on our door one evening a month back asking for help as he banged into a pothole and tore a hole in his tyre's sidewall, again no spare (what genius thought that a tin of squirty makes for a sensible spare wheel replacement?).

[@matthewphillips5256]

Potholes are a marketing strategy to sell SUVs and Full Size Pickups. Plus the extra height allows further reconnaissance ahead. End of problem

[@80six30]

I definitely want to see Chris Harris skidding Pothole Pro around Llandow please, thanks.

[@joachimpearson4892]

"It's difficult to square that with the money sloshing about in certain areas of the country" is I think hitting the nail on the head. Sure there's been more rain but the cause of infrastructure slowly decaying in a number of developed countries is that big corporate businesses and governments have gotten really good at making money, and very bad at spending it on anything. The money is there, but it's just sort of swilled around and funneled upwards.

[@mrcogginsgarage7062]

Friday morning starts with a healthy dose of self raising coulmbian fighting flour!.. Oh and Edward the only cool thing about Q was the late much missed Desmond Llewelyn.

[@Giro1066]

Has any Local Authority done a lifetime cost analysis of the JCB machine? Cost of purchase or financing plus maintenance and running costs v what they spend on patch repair gangs currently. JCB repair will not require work again for 5 to 10 years (?) versus the current patch repairs which last about 3 weeks and require constant work.

[@GMTron]

I had driven my first BMW at 40yo. Due to stigma BMW drivers get, I went with everyone else and avoided them. After I drived that one (E91), some years later, I own 2 BMW's and sold all other cars😂 Never too late.

[@PazLeBon]

stigma? of being one of the top manugacturers the last 40 years by far? how strange

[@ianjones7486]

Australia has fixed the pothole problem by reversing the issue. Roads here are a series of potholes joined by some tarmac. Hence why a Toyota Hilux is the biggest selling vehicle.

[@kenphillips5221]

probably been said already but we didnt have so many problems with potholes 'back in the day' with 550x16 tires etc. pot holes unforgiving within modern low profile tires.

[@AJYT_]

to put into context, I cycle a lot, and on many roads, however as a cyclist I avoid the crap roads. my local council has just decided resurface the shite way with all those stone chippings (20 limit) on a load of roads that did not need resurfacing, no pot holes, nothing, I couldn't work out why a lane that had 20 pot holes running down it has been left, and a road with nothing major not even a highly use road stretching around 6.5 miles has had the full works but the shit way. almost seems like they got the wrong road.

[@markokozic]

Paul van Dyk mention wtf, big up ED!

[@SB-vb8ch]

Is the Q plate factoid actually correct? I can't see how a constructiins & use infringement would cause the registration of the car to be void? I can see how they would invalidate the personalised reg & force an age related. The identity of the vehicle is not in question at any point as it's still identifyable by the VIN. Sounds very fishy to me.

[@ric355]

Agree, it's total rubbish. This is an example of a policeman making up laws in order to try and make a point, when they can't think of an actual law to quote. The VIN plate is what determines the identity of a vehicle, and this together with the engine number is what are used to verify the originality and thus the age. As the policeman himself said, the personalised registration can be revoked (but I don't know precisely what rules are used to revoke it), but in such situations the originally applied age related plate would re-applied, possibly after an inspection. A Q plate would not be applied to a car just because the front plate was not displayed on more than one occasion. That's just total carp.

[@PazLeBon]

jobsworth

[@sresto7943]

I may be wrong, but ive had this issue with a small private plate on a bike and as far as covo went i would loose it and my original plate reinstated or if like my car which i bought from new it would be issued one of the appropriate age.

[@DriveTuneMedia]

@@ric355 I thought it was total bol'ks. Since when did car manufacturers start assigning VINs according to the reg....

[@PakdbyCellpak]

On the subject of the automotive equivalent of VD, the Q registration, should E-converted classic cars fall under the Q designation ?🤔.

[@jamesward1931]

Our motoring taxes do not actually go directly to the roads. In 2023 Only 7 billion out of 35 billion motoring taxes got spent on the roads. This is what needs to change.

[@YellowPinkie]

BMW sent me a survey 5 years ago about what I wanted from an EV. I just said give me 5 series, but powered by batteries. It would appear they listened.

[@McLarenInternational]

One evening Iarrived home with 0 miles range on my EV. Thankfully by the morning it was charged to 80% at a cost of £5.