Sat-nav’s are one of those things that you only buy when your old one dies and always in a hurry before you really need it. I found myself in this exact situation a couple of months ago, prior to a long drive up North.
For my replacement satnav, I opted for the TomTom Start 60
Looks like my old SatNav, a Becker Z101 has finally died. 
Just typically this happens before a long journey up to see family. Sure, I know the route well, but if there’s anything bad happening on the motorway and you’re diverted off, it can be invaluable.
Have opted for the TomTom Start 60, which on first impressions seems very good. Full in depth review will follow shortly.
That time of year again, where your insurance increases your renewal, even though you’ve earned another years no-claims bonus. However, by shopping around and negotiating I’ve managed to get a good renewal price with Adrian Flux.
I was previously with Elephant (part of Admiral), who shockingly reduced my renewal price £80, purely by ringing them up and asking “if that’s the best they could do!”.
Tip #1: Never accept the renewal price sent through post – negotiate.
Tip #2: Shop around. So next I did the rounds on the price comparison websites. Definitely worth doing.
Tip #3: Try different job descriptions. I got better quotes as a ‘Software Engineer’ than say ‘Computer programmer’. See here.
Tip #4: Try adding old family members as named drivers (but not as main driver).
Tip #5: See if any auto members clubs offer discounts.
In the end I settled with Adrian Flux, who offered a nice discount for being a member of the Astra Owners Club and were more than happy with the various modifications I had done to the car (mostly all cosmetic, rather than performance). A bit pushy, but I did manage to negotiate a higher mileage allowance, with a little persistence.
A few weeks ago my wife passed her driving test and began to drive my Vauxhall Zafira. Being a new driver, the Zafira being a little large and being a sucker for gadgets I thought it a good plan to fit some parking sensors. My reasoning being the cost to remedy any reserving mishaps my wife may make, would far out way the cost of fitting parking sensors.
After reading the old review in AutoExpress comparing numerous brands, I choose the review winner, the Dolphin Parking System. Considering they could be ordered pre-coloured to match my car and were supplied with cutting tools, they were a no brainer. The specific model I went for was the DPS450, which is four rear sensors and a dash mounted display/buzzer unit. This version with the display, was only £!0 more than the base system, seemed like a good deal to me.
Continue reading “Gadget Review: Dolphin Parking Sensors” »
Approximately 18 months ago I replaced the head unit (HU) in my Vauxhall/Opel Zafira, with this Kenwood KDC-W7544U
Continue reading “Long Term Gadget Review: Kenwood KDC-W7544U + KCA-BT200” »
Recently went for a short break over in Weymouth, where we had the car fully loaded up. I mean really loaded! Everything went well and figured it looked pretty good, so here’s a couple of snaps.
That’s a Packline fibre glass roof box (P90 I think) and a Thule Euroway 945 bike carrier. Doesn’t appear to be available now, nearest current model is the Thule Euro G6 928
