Safe Speed Forums

Why would it be about carbon ?
If you ignore the politically-inspired-control-the-people campaigners, there is nothing to suggest that carbon is a peril.
if you go by the science then you come to the conclusion that co2 is not the problem it is made out to be.

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

I think we need to be realistic here! Pretty much EVERY car (save a very small number of museum exhibits) is going to get scrapped one day! You'd only be postponing the inevitable (which is exactly what I intend to do, but just because I'm very fond of the car rather than as some kind of "favour" to the environment)!



I think I pretty much said that (or tried to!) in my last post! I can justify my 19 year old car (environmentally) against the equivalent current car because it only does 5000 miles a year. If it did 25,000 I doubt that I could make that justification, - and for exactly the reasons you state!

OK, but "staying focused", if it's carbon you're talking about, nothing changes anything that I've said!

I repeat:

"... the plain fact is that there comes a time in every car's life when replacing it with an equivalent new model will be of overall benefit to the environment..."

Now, we can argue 'til the cows come home about when that point is (and I think we can agree that it depends on a whole load of factors), but it doesn't change what I've said! Remember that at the end of the vehicle's life, a more recyclable vehicle will also be better from a carbon point of view than a less recyclable one!

Not quite sure what you mean about "intentionally ruining" either - I'm very nice to my car!

That's a fine opinion, but what matters is the opinion of people with the power to make decisions. And their opinion is that carbon is a great peril. Dissenters have been left shouting from the side of the road as the discussion moves by. The people with the power to make the decisions are agreed that carbon is the biggest threat, and they are telling us that they are setting policy to reduce carbon. Yet the means they have chosen is not an effective way to do that.

Speaking as the owner of an 11 year old Polo, dare I say that I wouldn’t part with it no matter what incentive they dangle in front of me and for several good reasons…

1) I don’t like the way modern cars treat me like a idiot. (Beep beep, put your belt on. Beep beep, you’re low on petrol. Etc. etc.) One went off at me the other week, a hire car, and I thought “Now WTF is wrong?”. After a few minutes of this incessant irritating, (and distracting), noise I eventually had to pull over before I killed something. Turns out it didn't like the weight of my laptop on the passenger seat. It needed to have its belt on

2) I don’t like digital speedometers. I’ve ridden many cars with them and I hate them all.

3) My insurance is always about £100. It wouldn’t be that low on a new car and then there’s the fear of getting it stolen or some sphincter scratching my new pride and joy. (Happened with my black Mazda ). I don’t care nearly so much with my Polo and these rogues aren’t nearly so interested anyway.

4) I keep things greener anyway by not making unnecessary short journeys; that’s what my legs are for. I cycle to work which also keeps me fit and healthy. These ‘holier than thou’ people often make short journeys because they think they are so wonderful in their green cars. Er, try walking or cycling a bit.

5) I don’t like the overly complex systems which always seems to lead to problems either with an outright fault or niggle. For instance, if I stalled the newish Mazda I had from cold, which was easy to do, it was an absolute bugger to get going again. It would take about two minutes before it would start while it checked to see if there was life on Mars or something.

6) I’ve mentioned this before but the Octavia I use seems to have a magnetic catch for the boot and even when it’s unlocked you have to pull really hard to open it which can fool you into thinking it’s not unlocked. So you go through the routine again: Put the key back in the door turn it twice, or thrice just to be sure, while standing on one leg and singing alleluia. I just want to open the boot for God’s sake!

I could go on…

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

I would always worry about these bluemotion et al cars that switch off and on automatically when the car stops as they get older.
My VW van has effectively the same engine (The 104 bhp 1.9 TDi? I think that's what the Golf Bluemotion has?) and it's a much less happy hot-starter after 88,000 miles than when it was new.

Don't worry about it, soon all diesels will be sealed-for-life.
Engine life decided by the ecu and a replacement power-pack when needed !

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

Just read James Martin's (generally rubbish) car column in the Sunday Mail: he asked his mechanic about this whole stop-go thing, and he apparently described it as "a really bad idea".

It can make a surprising difference to fuel consumption in congested urban conditions though! I also have worried about the starter / ring gear etc as the car gets old. I prefer the systems that use the alternator to start the vehicle via the ancillary drive belt. That seems like a much better idea.

Me too! It's one of the nicest things about getting into "my" car after the compny car. It's total indifference to what I do! After the moaning and beeping and pinging and nagging of the company car, I think my car should have had a synthesised Italian voice each time I turned the ignition on saying "you wanna kill yourself eh? Pah! what do I care?! - let's drive!"

Unfortunately, each of thse stupid seat belt warnings, ignition key still in the ignition warnings, etc get the manufacturer a couple of extra EuroNCAP brownie points. If they're just a few points short of that coveted 5th star, it can sometimes make all the difference!

If there is benifit in scrapping old for new, why is there no grant for scrapping old gas bolers? Domestic heating creates more co2 than cars. A boiler can be replaced for £1k A car costs £10k for less benefit.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

Dunno! I have an oil fired boiler (no gas round here) and I get through about 4000 litres a year. That's not quite as much as my car and my wife's car together get through each year (although granted, we do also have storage heaters that we use in winter sometimes). I've often wondered why I can't but biodiesel as domestic heating oil. Oil fired boilers are very simple bits of kit compared to a modern diesel engined car and I would have thought it would burn biodiesel very easily without worrying about trashing complex electronic injection pumps! I guess it might all turn to wax in the winter!

I sometimes use biodiesel in my car, and it works OK. I may use domestic heating oil in the car, when I get hold of some, as it is a lot cheaper. Also farm diesel is an option, but hard to get hold of unless you have a pass.

As far as I know, biodiesel, farm diesel, road diesel or domestic heating oil all work fine in cars or boilers. Straight vegetable oil (without transesterification) are "reputed" to work fine, according to my AA man, who has been told this by chemistry students at Aberystwyth University, who gas up their cars at Lidl's and Aldi. There are problems with "thickness" in the winter, which may require blending. Also, biodiesel causes the filter to get clogged, and you may need to remove it altogether, or back flush it. In an emergency, you could even buy one!

Why would you want to use biodiesel (transesterified vegetable oil) as a fuel for your heating ?
You can just use the straight vegetable oil (waste, but filtered)....they even have conversions for the boilers.
You may have problems getting 4000 litres for it, since most is now bought to be converted....
In any case, heating oil is rebated and cheaper than diesel.

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

Thanks for reminding me about this - I popped down to Mr Wing's Chinese Cash and Carry
at dinner time and got a supersized drum of oil. Now I just need a funnel.

Using heating oil in you car is tax evasion. It may well work but stealing the governments money would land you in court. (rather than MP's stealing our money which dosen't land them in court, even worse is when they steal our money to pay for accountants to flip houses to avoid paying taxes that they implimented)

back to the issue... £1000 spend on a new condencing boiler will save more per £1 spent than £10,000 spent on a new car
do they make oill fired condencing boilers?

I suppose it should be measured in tonnes of co2 but Gawd knows how you convert gas cubic meters to co/tonnes


yet the government spend 95% of thier time beating up the car driver, not the home owner.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

While you can use heating fuel-oil as diesel fuel you will lose the vehicle if detected, and have to pay a penalty and a fine if successfully prosecuted !
The same for farm diesel, as both are rebated oils.
Straight Vegetable Oil can be used in diesel fuelled vehicles if the viscosity is within the range that the pump can handle....mine runs on 33% SVO with pump diesel making the rest up.
BIODIESEL (transesterified) can release deposits on the tank/fuellines and clog the filter....but SVO from tescos does not !
Howevere, you really need to be careful when using food oils.....when bought new from a shop.
BECAUSE, when bought from a shop they are zero-rated for vat as a food item. BUT you are using it in a vehicle so you should be paying the vat....never forgetting that you are only allowed to use up to 2500 litres of biodiesel before you have to pay tax (at the above rate (ish))
As a van driver I would also like to point out that the revenue are getting very good at detecting the use of rebated oils in vehicles....they have roadside detectors now that pick-up the emissions (red diesel is high sulphur). You won't get a choice, if tested and you're running on red the car/van/truck will be history...to you !
Y

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

I wonder how many travellers' vehicles are impounded each year for using "rebated oils"?

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Abercrombie, whilst it's true that most (if not all) diesel cars will run on the stuff you mention for a while, it's asking for trouble on most modern "common rail" diesels. They are incredibly sensitive to fuel quality and incredibly expensive to fix once you've knackered them. Needless to say, if you're daft enough to do it during the warranty period, you can kiss your warranty goodbye! It's one of the big drawbacks of buying a second hand diesel these days - you've no idea what sh1te the previous owner(s) might have put in there to try and save a couple of quid in the past. At best, it won't be a problem for the time you own the car. At worst, they'll have got away with it and you'll be stuck with a big bill just after you've parted with your cash.

Obviously, I expect you'll point out that this is just part of the evil manufacturers' plan to make us all go out and buy new ones, and the evil manufacturers will claim that if we want the power, refinement and economy of modern diesels, then the complexity is the price we have to pay. I'm not taking sides on this particular issue, but I do deal with two major manufacturers of diesels and I deal with the taxi trade (many of whom are not in the least bit averse to trying to save a few bob on fuel if they can)! If you read the label on the back of the Morrisons' B30 diesel pumps, they tell you to check with your manufacturer before using the fuel - THAT'S how sensitive it all is! I know one manufacturer that has only just approved the use of B30 - and that's from a big supplier like Morrison's! You can imagine what they'd do if you brought something in that had been running on kerosene / chip fat / whatever!

as we have moved to the subject of how sensitive modern diesel engines are to fuel quality, I was told recently, that a certain brand of agricultural tractor manufacturer, who shall remain namless will not warranty their fuel systems if they are run on red diesel. You have to run them one white (ouch) and claim the tax back off of Gordon.