IanW

Bookings are open for the event, all members of ReHaB are welcome to come along including wives/girlfriends and partners, its a family event! If you are new to ReHaB but haven't been able to attend many meetings come along!! You must make your own bookings with the hotel. Rates are as follows. Friday-Saturday Rate: Shared occupancy rates @ £82.50 per person per night for Classic Double or Twin Shared occupancy upgrades per room per night:- -ClassicPlus Double or Twin @ £10.00 supplement -Superior Double or Twin @ £25.00 supplement -Luxury Tower Double or Twin @ £45.00 supplement Single occupancy supplement per room per night:- -Single bed @ £15.00 supplement on top of the above sharer rates -Classic Double bed @ £40.00 supplement on top of the above sharer rates -ClassicPlus Double bed @ £50.00 supplement on top of the above sharer rates -Superior Double bed @ £65.00 supplement on top of the above sharer rates Rates include:- -Accommodation and breakfast -3 course choice evening menu with tea/coffee -Access to spa facilities and VAT - Reserved parking - Private dining Tel 01597 823700 and mention you are with the ReHaB group. Routes and trips out will be added in due course. It is the same weekend as the annual Fish and Chip run so you could include this on the Saturday either from the starting point or joining on route.

That might have been me. Although my registration is R300 NOT. Was one of your group R300 BOY?

My wife just showed me this news article - DVSA makes big change to MOT requirements. P.S. I may have posted this in the wrong forum...

Hi Malc, Just been to the garage and measured the wheels. PCD is 108mm Offset is +23mm Hope this helps. Regards, Ian

Hi Malc, PM sent. Regards, Ian

Hi, I'm not sure of the numbers but they fit my 2009 SV. I'll can get some numbers when I'm next in the garage. Regards, Ian.

I have three 14" Minator wheels that are taking up precious space in my garage. They look structurally sound but need refurbishing. Free for collection from Farnborough, Hampshire. Regards , Ian

Thanks to Simon and James for organizing this event in unusual circumstances. While not feeling well enough to complete the day on track, I did manage to take some photographs of the action. Pictures here. If you would like a full-size image, let me know. Regards, Ian

An update of my fuel tank planter.

Agreed! Thoroughly good day. Simon, please change the adhesive for the car stickers - it took me 30 minutes and a lot off scraping to remove it from my aeroscreen.

I had a fuel tank leak two years ago. I tried patching it with some sealant, which worked for a while but eventually started leaking again. Eventually I bit the bullet and I purchased a new tank from Redline. Replacing the old one was straightforward and also gave me the opportunity to adjust the float for the fuel gauge to give a more accurate reading. The old tank has been up-cycled into a flower planter.

A few 'moments' captured for posterity.

James, I've never been to Snetterton or Hethel, so these needed to be ticked off my list. Castle Combe is where I had my first 'off-road' experience, so I need to slay the ghosts. Ian.

Booked

Booked.

Booked. Looking forward to it

I hope the update is made before 1pm so that I have a chance to cancel my hotel if necessary.

Hi James, Please add my name to the provisional list.

After a discussion at my local 7Club meeting, I decided to try out some LED headlamps. Replacement H4 LED headlamps are relatively cheap from eBay so at less than £20 a pair I ordered some of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/H4-9003-HB2-260W-26000LM-LED-Headlight-Kit-Car-Hi-Lo-Dual-Beam-3-Sides-Bulb-Lamp/272757826058?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649. (They appear to have increased in price!). They were chosen because the control electronics were separate from the lamp and I was concerned about the amount of room behind the reflector as I have the smaller 5.25" bowls. The first thing I did before fitting them was to measure current drain of the existing halogen bulbs: Dipped beam: 8.7A Main beam: 9.7A After fitting the new LED bulbs, I re-measured the currents: Dipped beam: 4.6A Main beam: 4.8A As you can see, there is a significant reduction in current. Next I looked at the beam pattern and this is where I noticed a problem. The two bulbs did not give the same pattern when on dipped. On investigation, there was a difference between the small LED panels that were lit in dipped mode. My assumption was that the control electronics was wired incorrectly. The main beam looked the same because all the LEDs are lit. After an email discussion with the supplier and providing proof that I had rendered both lights unusable, I was sent a replacement pair. When these were fitted, the beam pattern was consistent but there was still a disappointing difference between dipped and main beam. Rather than give up, I decided to purchase another pair of bulbs that had a different construction. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-CREE-H4-Hi-Lo-9003-HB2-26000LM-LED-Car-Headlight-Kit-Double-Beam-Bulbs-6000K/401319848450?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649. These have the control electronics built in to the main bulb assembly. As it turns out the extra depth is not a problem, even with the smaller headlamp bowls. The current consumption for these bulbs is: Dipped beam: 5.0A Main beam: 6.0A In the garage, the beam pattern on dipped beam looked a lot better than the previous bulb and there was a significant increase in brightness when switched to main beam. The first problem I noticed was that one of the bulbs flickered. I decided to try the lamps and the local evening meeting was an ideal opportunity. The light still flickered but otherwise appeared OK. The drive there was in twilight but the beam pattern appeared OK on the road. When I left the pub, I had an opportunity to test the main beam. Visibility was very good. When I got to the end of the unlit road, I switched off the main beam. The light from the headlamps didn't seem the same as earlier and I soon realised that one of the bulbs wasn't working. The bulb that failed was the one that was flickering earlier. The next day, when I checked the bulbs, the flickering had returned, but the bulb was working. A three day trip around Wales where I used the dipped beam at all times. The flickering remained but the bulb didn't fail again. Maybe it was related to using main beam, but I didn't get the chance to test this theory. Another round of email conversations with the new supplier resulted in a new set of bulbs being sent. These were duly installed with no sign of flickering. The next road test occurred in full darkness and although it appeared to be going well, when I was travelling along unlit roads, I was flashed three times by drivers who thought I had left the main beam on. Conversations at the pub raised concerns about the light spread from the bulbs above the horizontal. In an attempt to reduce this glare, I masked off the top third of the headlamp with a clear tape which diffused the light from the top of the headlamp without affecting the dipped beam. I was a little concerned about the main beam as the top half of the lens is where this light comes from. The diffusing effect of the tap appeared to be OK in the garage test. On the road however, the main beam was woefully disappointing. The light in the dipped beam area was increased when switching to main beam but the distant road was not lit at all well. This was what I feared. In conclusion, the LEDs give a very bright, white light with a good range. The heat generated by the LEDs is not a problem. Although the fan can be heard when standing next to the headlights it is not loud enough to be annoying. The headlamp bowls get warm to the touch but never get too hot. If there were no other road users, then these lights would be great. Unfortunately, the glare from the dipped beam is just too much as it affects oncoming traffic. So replacing the standard bulbs with LED is not a good solution for me and I'll be switching back to the halogen bulbs.

Thank you for the pictures, Dave. Regards, Ian

My stealth mode must have stopped working. Thanks for the spot.

Mine used to stop working on hot days when the brakes were applied. Resolved it by fitting LED brake lights, to reduce the power drain, and earthed the sensor to the chassis at the back (probably similar to the aforementioned factory modification).