Restricted Performance Mode

I suppose it was to be expected that having the catalytic converters changed would trigger further issues with the car. A few weeks after they were done we suddenly started to get a random warning light on the dashboard saying Restricted Performance. The car still seemed to drive okay and pressing the reset button generally removed it.

Then we found out what the impact on the car was, when trying to overtake and relying on the turbos to kick in... they didn't.

When driving up hills the turbos didn't kick in and the speed would gradually drop to 50 mph. A journey to Blackpool saw this happen on a number of occasions and it was obvious this was more than just a warning light we could continue to reset and ignore.

So, we took it in for a diagnostic check and were told there was a problem with the EGR valves. They would need replacing and with the time needed to dismantle the engine and replace them as well as the cost of the new valves we were once again looking at a repair bill in the region of £1,000.

Previous readers will know that we don't take the first route to repair and this one was no different. While on the golf course one morning Neil mentioned this to one of his fellow players who replied that he'd had the same problem with his Range Rover and had paid for them to be replaced, only to learn later that they are not actually needed and they can be blanked off.

Google to the rescue, I found a number of sites that confirmed this and a quick check on Ebay showed I could buy 2 blanking plates (there are 2 valves) for £8.00 with free delivery. I checked and double checked they were the correct ones for the S-type Jaguar and were advised they were so fingers crossed, we went ahead.

On checking with the garage they told us labour would be £180. This was looking much better so we booked the car in to be repaired while we were on holiday, ordered the blanking plates to be delivered directly to the garage and left clear instructions for them to check the diagnosis was correct before carrying out the repair.

While on holiday I picked up an email from the garage confirming the EGR valves were the fault and asking if they should go ahead and blank them off. I confirmed they should and also carry out the annual MOT which was due, which would check the emissions, among other things, and if the emissions value was still within acceptable levels with the valves blanked off, we would be good to the tune of £800.

When we picked the car up everything had gone to plan, it had passed the MOT and there were no warning lights showing on the dashboard. Driving it has shown no issues with drive performance and so it looks as if a chance conversation during a round of golf has saved us a significant sum of money.

I think we owe someone a very large drink.

Canon EOS download to tablet.

Every now and then there is a problem to solve. This week was how to get my photos from my Canon EOS 400D to my Android tablet so I can view them wherever I am, that way if I haven't got the photo I want I can try again before I leave. 

The 400D does not have a screen that shows a live image, only shows the photo once it's taken and in strong sunlight, the small screen can be difficult to see clearly. So, the idea of downloading them to my tablet and viewing them over a cuppa sounded like a good plan. 

And that was where the first difficulty came. Because I don't have a live screen I couldn't find an app to allow me to transfer the photos. After trying a combination of cables and a number of apps we came to the conclusion the easiest route would be a card reader. I found one on Ebay for £2.95 (Free P&P) and it arrived a couple of days later. 

I put the CF card in and cabled it up to the tablet and tried to work out how to get the photos from the card to my tablet. Again, I downloaded a variety of apps and none of them worked. I eventually got the card reader to be acknowledged by the tablet, but it would show any files. After a further 15 minutes trying all kinds of things, it occurred to me to check whether there was anything on the card. A swapped it to the laptop and discovered the card was blank.

A few more minutes and I had several shots of Brandy to try moving onto the tablet. This time it saw the files straight away but couldn't display them. A bit more head scratching and break for a cuppa and I had a brainwave. I shoot my photos in Raw format, maybe I needed an app to deal with that. I bit more Googling and I downloaded RawDroid, a free app, and hey presto, there were my photos of Brandy, neatly arranged on my tablet. I could open them up, view them in enough detail to know whether I have the photo I want or if I need to try again before I leave my chosen place.

It's very satisfying when things finally work how they should. Now I just need somewhere to go and try it out. Oh, and I now have another item to make sure is fully charged before I leave the house. 

The Dismantler's get it right. Thank you Euro Jag.

After waiting a few days I finally couldn't wait any longer and phoned the breakers yard to see how they were getting on. He told me they had got the car from the midst of the wrecks and had started to dismantle the engine. He would ring me the following day.

Late the next day my phone rang and it was Warren. 

"Do you want the good news or the bad news?"

I told him I would have the good news first.

"We have both cats of the engine."

Dreading the bad news, which could either be they were the right parts but no good, or they were the wrong parts, I said, "go on then, what's the bad news?"

With a smirk in his voice he replied, "they'll be with your garage tomorrow."

"Are they in ok condition," I ventured. 

"They're in excellent condition, and they're on the courier as we speak."

Having assured him I would keep his number for future Jaguar emergencies, I ended the call and phoned the garage to let them know to expect the parts and to call me the following day when they arrived.

Sure enough, late the following morning the garage rang me. "They are here and they're in really good condition, and they have sent the complete units so we just have plug them on and check everything runs ok."

So, it looks like we are at the end of a long car repair, with a lot less of a dent in the bank balance and Warren's number stored safely in my mobile.

So, thank you to Euro Jag http://www.eurojag.com/ 

Do we really need a Diesel Particulate Filter? Part 2.

To keep matters simple, I am not going to go into the technicalities of what a DPF does, all you need to know is some diesel cars have them... and some don't. It's all to do with exhaust emissions, and even without one a car still passes the emissions test.

When I ask the question, 'Do we need one?' I mean does the car we have, have to have one or can it be removed, and you may be wondering why such a question would even go through my mind.

Well, after a lot of research I discovered that the parts at £145 each (see previous post) were indeed the wrong part. They fit a Jaguar without the DPF, the ones we need are to fit a Jag with a DPF. I rang the online parts company and put this logic to them and they checked and confirmed, if we had a DPF their parts would not fit. And then the real sting in the tail, he told me that the parts we needed are only available as genuine Jaguar spares at... £745 each.

Another call to the garage to question their initial estimate of £1,200 and it turns out that when they had contacted the local Jaguar dealer for a price they had been given the price for the cats without the DPF, (hence the online company telling me they were the right parts), the right parts pushed the estimate above £2,000.

And at this point I started to ask whether it was possible to remove the DPF and fit the none-DPF cats.

'Well, yes, it can be done and we could do it', the mechanic answered, 'but the engine would need remapping'.

More research, what does remapping mean and can I find anyone to remap a Jag.  And then I had  'Eureka' moment. I checked Ebay and found a pair for sale, used. Now, I am cautious what I buy from Ebay but it set me thinking about used spares, and I searched for Jaguar Breakers Yards. Another while on the internet and I had made contact with a company that specialise in breaking down Jaguars. They could supply the right parts, delivered to the garage for £430. The car was an insurance write-off, and the spares come with warranty. Result.

So, instead of £1,700 (including the sensors) the parts are costing us £430.

We are now in the hands of the dismantlers, fingers crossed it will all go to plan and we shall soon have the car back on the road.

Now, I'm waiting for a quiz question on catalytic converters & DPF's, 'cos trust me... I'd know the answer! 

Do we need a Diesel Particulate Filter?

Neil's dream car to own was an S-type Jaguar, a la Inspector Morse. 3 years ago when we returned from work and were car shopping we found one that fitted the budget. We knew repairs would be costly but with the low mileage Neil does, we have been fortunate over the 3 years that nothing major has gone wrong.

Until now.

It started with an occasional bit of smoke coming out the side of the bonnet when the engine got hot. A suspected oil leak dripping onto a hot engine. The car was due a service so when it went in, we mentioned this and when we got it back they said they had tightened something up.

A few days later, more smoke.

Back to the garage and then came the bad news... there was a fracture on the Catalytic Converters, the repair bill in excess of £1,200.Parts alone would be near £1,000.

Wow.

We decided to try and source the parts ourselves. We have done this before and saved substantial sums on the cost of the parts. I found an online website that sold the 2 cats for £145 each. I rang the garage to check we needed both the left hand and right hand cat. Yes, both were fractured. Then the phrase that would lead to a lot of stress. 

'Make sure they are the DPF'

Logic told me to ask for the part number, to make sure I got the correct parts. I was given the necessary number. I rang the online parts people and gave them the part number. 'That's the number for the DPF, not the Catalytic Converters', I was told. 'Are you sure that's correct?' As I'd been told to make sure it was the DPF I confirmed that was what I had been asked to get. 'Well, the cost of that part is £600!' 

Gulp!

'And I need the pressure sensors', I said.

'Another £180', was the reply.

We would still be saving over £250 on the repair so, not knowing what else to do I ordered the parts to be delivered direct to the garage.

A couple of days later I got a call, the garage had received the parts... but they were wrong. 'They've sent the DPF, we need the cats that go with the DPF'. 

'OK, can you get the correct part numbers for me, to make sure these at £145 are the right ones'. I also asked them to send me a photo of the bits I needed. This is what we needed:

The best price I could find for these, genuine Jaguar parts was £745...

Each!

This is what we were being told was the correct part to buy: 

At a price of £145... Each.

Having already bought a part, only to find it was the wrong one I was extra keen to make sure I got the right ones this time. After all, the Jag was off the road, engine dismantled awaiting parts so it could be rebuilt.

The people at http://www.onlineautomotive.co.uk/ were incredibly helpful, and kept assuring me that the part numbers I was giving them related to these parts, as Jaguar replacements. 

I wasn't convinced, the length of the down pipe made me feel something wasn't right. I said I would get back to them and that night I sat down and did what I do best.

I did my research, with my trusty aid... Google.

It was an evening of education, a steep learning curve, and of being proved right...

And opened up a whole, new can of worms...

To Be Continued...

Clouds, Apps and Androids... and so much more.

Two years ago I had no understanding of Apps and Androids in the context I was seeing advertised on TV... connected to mobile phones. I took the decision to get an Android phone and learn. I downloaded a variety of free apps, most of which lasted at most 5 minutes before I deleted them. I really don't understand why I need a cat that purrs when I 'stroked it's tummy' or why I needed an app to play games on a screen too small to see with buttons too small to use. However, I did like my weather app and the ability to Google anything at any time. 

I have taken to checking the news online rather than the TV often as I sit in Starbucks with a coffee. It can be a bit of a task on such a small screen but it passes the time and gets me the information I'm looking for.

Two years on and it's time to upgrade the phone contract. Over the last year more and more people around me have got iPads and other tablets and I have often been told that I would find one useful. I couldn't see it as I have my laptop at home and my phone when I'm out and about. My husband has tried to convince me to have one for the last few months and each time I've said 'no thank you'. But, while looking at new phone contracts I started to see a number where a tablet was available as part of the package. 

So, with an amount of research I have finally succumbed... I have reduced the monthly cost, switched networks to Vodaphone and am now the proud owner of a Versus 9inch tablet. 

I now have bits of information on 3 different items, and I know that wherever I am going to be, the information I want is going to be on the one left at home, or at work or in the car... whether it be photos, memo's, diary dates... 

There's nothing for it, it's time to learn about 'the Cloud'. It's somehow a little scary for someone who is forever saving things to a USB stick to trust an upload to somewhere unseen, and expect it be there when I want it, but we'll give it a go. 

According to my tablet I have an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Operating System, come on, seriously? Ice Cream Sandwich...? I remember back to my college days when, as part of my Accountancy Course, we had to learn about computers. This was back when accounting was still done in large ledgers and the large calculating jobs were done on comptometers.

Even calculators were a recent introduction in offices. I struggled with the IT module of the qualification, especially the idea of software... I just couldn't get to grips with what they were talking about... until someone explained it to me in very simple terms. If you can actually kick it, (although it wasn't recommended that I did) it was hardware, anything else was software. I understood it then.

So, anyone with an equally simple explanation on how my tablet runs on Ice Cream?

DS PIC PIC - time to let go.

Before the advent of home computers, I read a lot of books and I did a lot of crosswords and other puzzles to keep my mind occupied. As a child I loved reading through my encyclopedia, especially the wildlife (my love of the Hoopoe came from said encyclopedia - but that's for another day) as well as reading the usual novels. I loved Enid Blyton's Secret Seven, Famous Five & especially the Malory Tower's series. My favourite childhood book was Pamela Brown's 'Swish of the Curtain' 

so much so that I bought it a few years back when it was re-issued, just to have on my bookcase along with Hillaire Belloc's Cautionery Verses.


As years passed my love of books and puzzles never changed but the manner in which I did them did. The advent of computers saw me buying magazines which listed pages and pages of computer code to be typed into the BBC computer that we had, 

just so we could try a really basic game. When the game stopped working it usually meant we had entered something wrong and the job of trawling through the lines of machine code looking for the error was almost as challenging as the game itself.


Then progress meant we no longer had to type the code in, we could now download them via tones down the phone line, recorded on an old tape recorder, something that could be very hit & miss, depending on the quality of the line.


Progression then moved at pace until finally we get to the modern day game with such complicated plots and such fabulous graphics. Throughout the progression my love of puzzle type games never lessened and I was always on the lookout for a good 'brain teaser'.


But doing puzzles on the computer meant being at home. When I was out or away, it was back to the trusty puzzle book.


Until I discovered the Nintendo DS. Wow, that was my kind of games console. I invested in a white DS and suddenly I could keep it in my bag and take it with me. Over the years I collected a number of games, 

some played with more regularity than others. When the Brain Training games came out I couldn't stop playing them, always competitive with myself, trying to beat my previous score.


When they started advertising Professor Layton games I pre-ordered.

It arrived in time for Christmas 2008. My friend Lucy also used a DS and also had the game for Christmas. Neither of us surfaced for 2 weeks whilst we challenged each other as to who would complete the puzzles first - as it happened we finished it pretty much together. People around us had no idea of the total fascination we had with the game but Lucy & I were totally addicted.


A couple of years ago I finally found a game that would be completely addictive, the only problem was it was incredibly difficult to find. It had been released in 2008 and they had not manufactured on a large scale and only made the one run. A £20 game was now selling on Ebay as used for £30 plus, and that was when they were listed, which was infrequent. Many were manufactured in single languages, French or Italian, finding one in English was    
proving a challenge. Eventually, after about 3 months I found a copy listed on Ebay and it had a Buy Now price - I bought it.


Over the last few years it has been played for hours but as my arthritis has worsened in my hands and fingers, it is becoming increasingly painful to hold the stylus and the DS itself. Finally, about 6 months ago the DS went back into its case and has remained there ever since. Now, my game playing is solely on my laptop. Unfortunately there isn't a version of Pic Pic for the laptop, but there are similar games that keep me occupied. I rarely sit watching TV without having my laptop on my knee.


And so, I have finally decided the time is right to Ebay my DS games, most of which will go for a fraction of what I paid for them, except for Pic Pic. 

The end of an era, but I shall hang on to my DS for now, you never know ......

Lazy Sunday Morning......cut short!

If I have a lie-in, it has to be on a Sunday. Quite often I'll be up early with the dogs and then go back to bed and watch a film. This morning was no exception, except halfway through the film the doorbell rang.


After a mad panic to make myself decent and find door keys, I opened the door to find the 'Orange' man on my doorstep. I had deliberately requested a delivery between 1 & 5 pm so as not to disturb any potential lazy Sunday morning. 


Bless! He was using his initiative as he was passing our house on his way from one delivery to his next. It would save him doubling back later.


And so, as he was there I went and got my phone, dismantled it to give him the bit back he was exchanging, and waited for my replacement. He scanned mine, then scanned the one he was going to be leaving and said 'oh dear!'.


'Is your phone a Galaxy Ace?', he said.
'No,' I replied, that's my husband's phone. Mine's a Galaxy S'.
'Ah', says he, 'they've sent the Ace'.


And so I closed the door, rebuilt my phone and went back to bed to finish my film.


Another call needed to Orange, try again. 

Kernel Panic Upload Mode

Until a few weeks ago if anyone had asked me what a kernel was I would have said it's the name for the pieces of corn on a piece of corn on the cob, or the bits of sweetcorn, so imagine my surprise when I started getting a strange message on my mobile phone saying 'kernel panic upload mode'.


Once this message appeared the phone froze and the only way to clear it was to take the battery out and then rebuild the phone. 


I did what I always do and 'Googled' it. Did I find the answer. In a word 'No'.


I now know that a kernel is a computing term. A kernel connects the application software to the hardware of a computer, explanation courtesy of Wikipedia. 


It seems a lot of people are having these kernel panic modes but the suggested solution may as well be written in Chinese. I had no idea what I had done to to get it and no idea what to do to clear it. All I knew was my phone would randomly go into panic mode, which in turn put me in panic mode.


I connected it to my computer to make sure I had the most recent software uploaded. It said I did. I reset everything to factory settings to see if that got rid of it. It didn't.


I called in to my local Orange shop to see if they could help. They couldn't. Not only couldn't they help, they hadn't got a clue what I was talking about, Mr-I've-worked-here-for-four-years-and-never-heard-of-this-problem. He didn't seem too happy when I asked if he would find me someone who had worked there for 5 years to see if they knew what I was talking about. If I wasn't wanting to buy anything and therefore add to his commission for the day, he really didn't want to talk to me.


Once home I rang Orange. I explained my problem and without any hesitation the helpful chap on the other end of the phone said, 'not a problem madam, we'll send you out a new phone, you will have it tomorrow'. 


'Tomorrow is Sunday', I replied. 'Yes, I know. Would you like it delivering between 9-1, 1-6 or 6-10?'


And so, having selected my delivery slot I await a replacement phone tomorrow afternoon which hopefully will be Kernel Panic Mode Upload free.

Wet Hair + Broken Hairdryer = Panic!

I have friends who seem to have a tendency to go though irons at an alarming rate. They seem to have a new one every year and so can get the latest 'features'. I waited years for mine to stop working so I could get a new one.


My problem item is the hairdryer. I have the type of hair that HAS to washed every morning, it does not fair well over night. I'm not one of those lucky ladies that wakes after several hours sleep, shakes their hair and it all falls back into place. I awake after several hours sleep and have hair that looks more like it's been near a hedge backwards than resting peacefully on pillows.


And so, the usual routine this morning of shower, dry hair, put rollers in, have breakfast, take rollers out, leave for work was brought to an abrupt halt when I got as far as shower,........ sweetheart, my hairdryer won't work!


After digging through various cupboards I found my old hairdryer stored in the box of my new hairdryer. I couldn't remember what was wrong with it that had resulted in buying a new one, but it obviously still worked or I would have thrown it away. 


It still had a Spanish plug on it. Fortunately, I knew where the adaptor plugs were and so, panic over, I switched it on.


Then I remembered why I'd bought a new one.


It sounded as if it was going to explode. A noise similar to when you put the stick from an ice-lolly into the spokes of your bicycle wheel. AND, as if that wasn't enough, the heating elements inside glowed redhot - they're not supposed to, are they? This worried me as, many years ago as a child of 7, I was subjected to the bake-a-lite Pifco, popular at the time, turning itself into a flame thrower and while Mum was drying my hair, flames were coming out of the end and narrowly missed setting my hair on fire.

And so, as a stand by incase of emergency, it got me over a serious panic, it's not really for repeated use.


So, time to Google hairdryer reviews and find a new one very, very quick.

This button does what???? Well, I never knew that!

Before the advent of mobile phones with cameras that have millions of pixels I had a little point and press digital camera. It was a good one and served me well for many years, until it was accidentally knocked out of my hand by a very excitable grandchild. While the camera still worked fine, the battery cover was broken and in order to keep it all together I have it taped up and an elastic band secured around the battery compartment, It loses charge frequently and the constant taping up made it all very sticky. But it was small and therefore easy to pop in my bag or pocket on trips out and so, despite tape and short battery life it continues to be used to this day.

At the time of the accident, Neil decided he would buy me a new camera, with lots of buttons. A proper camera, a posh camera, one to take REAL photos on not just quick point and press snaps. 


No, he bought me the real McCoy!

I read the manual, I looked at the buttons and I spent the next 5 years with it firmly set in Auto mode while F-stops, depth of field, focal lengths etc continued to make as much sense to me as my favourite book would have if written in Chinese.


It took reasonably good photos in Auto mode but I knew it could do so much more and, due to its size, I would often find myself taking my point & press held together with tape in preference. If I'm being totally honest with myself, I also felt embarrassed to be seen out with it as people thought I was a much better photographer than, in reality, I was.


Then, a few months ago a work colleague bought the new version of the same camera and she too struggled with all the buttons and how to set it on anything other than Auto mode.


It spurred us to finally take a course on how to use the camera properly. A day course was being run at a local country park where we would have a classroom session in the morning and a chance to get out and about practicing what we had learned in the afternoon.


Or that was the theory!


As it happened, even though we went in late April, we hit on one of the wettest days of the year so it limited our outdoor use a little but we did learn what all the buttons did and how to use them.


One of my interests, as far as photography is concened, is flowers. I love taking close-ups but I could never replicate the magazine shots where the flowers stands out against a blurred background. By the end of the day I knew the technique, I just needed to get out there and try it.

The following day dawned dry and sunny so, before setting off for work, I went into the garden to practice and took this shot of one of my tulips. The flower set against the blurred background is deliberate. The raindrop was an unexpected added bonus.

I doubt National Geographic will buy it but it is all my own work, no more auto mode! Now, I'm firmly an 'Aperture Priority' girl and no longer feel the need to be embarassed when out and about with my big, grown-up camera!

Apps and Androids.

So, we use simple pay-as-you-go mobiles to make calls and send texts. It's enough.

Or is it?

A couple of months ago Neil started to ask questions such as what's an app, what's Android about, should we have one of these new phones everyone is getting. What would we use it for. All we do is make calls and send texts but we couldn't help but feel that technology was leaving us behind, to the extent that we don't know whether we would use one because we don't understand what they do.

Then Neil went with one of his sons when he collected his new i-phone.

'Show me what it does' said Neil.

'Well, if you do this it does this, and then you can do this for it to do this, and when you need to see this just do this'.

And all that went straight over his head.

And the thought of having one of these new fangled phones went out of his mind.

Then we moved house and didn't have an internet connection, and there was an anticipated time frame of 3-4 weeks before the phone line would be connected.

'One of those phones would give us internet access while we were waiting for the broadband to be installed', said Neil, 'maybe we should pop along to the phone shop and have a chat with someone'.

And so we did.

We worked out that we were both topping up our mobiles with about £20-25 per month - which just so happened to work out as the perfect amount for a contract internet phone. Mmmmmm - being the cynic that I am - that seemed a little coincidental - but I decided to go with the flow. The young chap then proceeded to explain what we could do with the phones and lost me after about 2 minutes.

'Let me ask the questions I want the answers to and you tell me whether it can do it' I said.

Can I get my email? - Yes!
Can I make phone call ?- Yes!
Can I send and receive texts? - Yes!
Can I read the blogs I follow? - Yes!
Can I access Facebook? - Yes!
Can I browse Google for info? - Yes!

OK, I'm interested.

And so, half an hour later we both walked out of the shop with our Galaxy S Android phones.

For the next 2 hours we sat in almost complete silence while we read the manual and pressed a variety of buttons trying to set the phones up to get email, ring when it should, and get the hang of dragging our finger across the screen to answer a call. It took a while.

Then, of course, we wanted, nay.....needed to visit the Android store to download an app, just so that we could say we had.

So we sat and tried very hard to think of something we would want to know so desperately that we had to be able to get it at anytime. But inspiration and need were both lacking in huge volumes.

Then finally we realised there was something that would be so useful to have at our finger tips, no matter what time of day or night. Something that would change our lives and justify the longevity of having these new, shiny, all singing all dancing internet phones beyond the installation of our broadband service.

And so, filled with excitement, we both set about downloading the ' Weatherbug' app. Now we would always know whether it was to be a sunny day or not. Our lives has just been significantly improved!

Oh, it is to be hoped there are more exciting apps to be found over the coming months!