Dave53

>>Lol, he gave you the opportunity to get let out and you p|ssed it out the window due to pride. Top man Haha - glad I'm not the only one that thought that :o

I wouldn't think it will be 'plug and play', even if they made Astra's in 2001 with A/C (?) you'd probably need a donor car and it would involve swapping a lot of bits around... Having said that, from an electrical point of view the system is really simple, you just need a thermostat in the evaporator and borrow the control board from whatever car you fancy. The hardest part is fitting the Evaporator into the HVAC unit somehow, the second hardest bit is mounting the compressor and finding a crank pulley with enough spaces for an additional belt. Sorry I know very little about Vauxhalls - re-ask the question about a Rover or a BMW :) It's all possible - I've fitted a complete digital climate control from a Rover 827 Sterling into an MG Maestro... (and before I get a flaming for mentioning my MG, its fookin quick and seriously retro! :) ) Dave

What car is it? I've done it in a few Rovers, from modern ones to 80's stuff that would have never had AC... but it depends what car it is and how much work your willing to put in! Dave

ps. no knife crime??!! What you mean is the media is proud of there country and don't report the crime like we do in England. There was a case here where 4 girls where raped in the same location over a period of weeks... nothing in the paper... they didn't know to avoid this particular stretch of road...

I live in Munich too! Flat looks out over the olympic village. Houses here are expensive (in Munich in particular), fuel is nearly same as the UK, there are more 'immigrants' than the uk (which, to be honest, I don't have a problem with), basic rate tax is nearly double that in the UK, the exchange rate is awful, you have to pay the bank to have an account, the bread here is crap and the milk tastes funny... I'm looking forward to coming home!!! Still, it's a great country. I'll miss the beer and the weather. Dave

Yellow one "not sure" = Lotus 2-Eleven (it's written on the side!) Dave

I have a 10 tonne press... it does the job easily... i think 6 tonnes is probably okay. Dave

xx

Skirmish Paintballing at Lasham is superb for group events - they'll do a bbq for you, arrange large group games etc - I use them for work events occassionally: http://www.skirmishlasham.com/ Goodwood motor circuit are very very helpful and allow clubs to use the paddock area for meets etc - no contact details with me but googling them should be easy enough. Hayling Island Sailing club host car events too. Also "Inn on the Beach" on Hayling - they host the hot rod events every summer. Thorney Island Army Base would host a (BIG) event if necessary - but can't image 300zx.co.uk could get enough people together. "The Seven Stars" on the A272 near the A3 at petersfield has amazing food, good beer and a superb car park ideally suited to car meets. (Several clubs i've belonged to used it). The A272 is also a legendary route for spirited driving. Beaulieu Motor Museum have a paved area for car clubs to display on, have a good canteen, and obviously there is the museum and plenty of other attractions for the rest of the family. If I think of anymore i'll post again... Dave

the Club Arnage Guide to the 24h of Le Mans 2008 is ready for download at It's made by volunteers and can be downloaded for free. Strongly recommend anyone going prints it off (I do it double sided and 2 pages per side), its good reading for the ferry and invaluable once you arrive. Optional contribution to charity is the only payment requested. See the link. Dave

Gods own county. :) (Not originally from down south :hyper:)

B is 84

But if the objective is to save cost of fuel etc... a JCW / CooperS is going to give you a shock. I think my NA Zed is probably more efficient if driven gently!

I'm an Engineer for BMW (live/work in Munich during the week), and the Mini (especially the Cooper and the CooperS) are fantastic... though obviously i'm biased :) Great little car, well built and reliable - brilliant quick car around the city and on the twisties... a little bit lacking on the motorway but much better than the competition. Have a look at the clubman, I don't 'get' the little door thing, but the leg room in the back is good and the boot is pretty decent too - I think they look better in dark colours. My company car in Munich is a brown (yes brown) Cooper Clubman and I can't really fault it - except for the motorway thing which is exasperated on the Autobahn! Fuel economy is good (but not amazing) - i've not used one on the public road, but the CooperD isn't slow but is awesome for fuel economy. Dave

Nice looking Red one between Bognor and Chichester last night... looking good!