davidfowler2000

First portion of collect: Walk.

RODENTCEPTION

"this new series better be good" -smol dave, 2024

"where is da popcorn" -Tactical Assault Potato, 2024

I forgot to mention - standard rules apply. A collection starts when you leave the house and return with a new car.

I have also been gifted a mascot for this journey

!!!MODERN WARNING!!! My last collection thread for the V70 was a bit of an epic and mostly enjoyed so let's do another... It's 2100 and I am just getting ready to begin the festivities.

I've been on the move again. Wasn't expecting to be down this way with @Inspector Morose so soon but here we go... Sedgemoor Location: M5 Type: One on each side. No link bridge. Welcome Break (Northbound), Roadchef (Soutbound). Petrol Station: Welcome Break (Northbound), Shell (Southbound) Electric Car Charging: Gridserve Hotel: Days Inn (Northbound only) Pros: It's not Bridgwater. Wood planked ceiling immediately in the front door. Cons: Not much. Small. Comments: Northbound review only. The first services I've been to where each side is owned / operated by different companies. It's a small affair and the amenities building is very pokey inside but I gather it's not horrendously busy. Feels like a bit of a frontier being the services immediately south of the exits for Weston-Super*-Mare so it's either the first or last services for folk heading to / from Devon and Cornwall. As stated, it's not Bridgwater which is a major bonus. RATING 5/10. Fairly plain. Does the job. Severn View Location: M48 Type: One site at a junction. Moto Petrol Station: BP Electric Car Charging: Gridserve Hotel: Travelodge Pros: Severn Bridge Viewpoint. High levels of grim. Cons: Very small. Entire site is run down. Comments: This one is quite special in that the current services occupies part of the site of an older, much larger service station which still exists. I'll link below to the page on Motorway Services Online and you can read it at your leisure. Suffice to say this one is definitely worth a visit. I've also included a 1999 aerial view from Google Earth below showing the transition from the old site which is still operation. The new site occupies what was mostly the truck parking and the petrol station. As a service station today, it's actually a bit shit - the facilities are small, allegedly one of the smallest on the motorway network and it's quite far back off the motorway. The old site was a major affair when it was just the old Severn Bridge but when the new bridge opened the traffic flows decreased sharply so keeping the old services going was uneconomical so it was scaled back to what we have today. The shitness is greatly balanced out by the fact you can still access the viewpoint by crossing the old abandoned site. Motorway Services Online Article: https://motorwayservices.uk/Severn_View RATING 8/10. Worth a visit just to see the desolation of the site as a whole.

Movements are afoot. Collections may be happening. If you know... shoosh.

A somewhat random day out with FAITHER_df2k in his Golf to do a mission. It just had to be done didn't it... Blackburn with Darwen Location: M65 / Mary Leaver Way, Darwen Type: One site up the road from a junction. Extra Petrol Station: Shell Electric Car Charging: Ionity Hotel: Travelodge Pros: Not much. Spose it beats going in to town. Free to use microwave. Cons: In an industrial estate. Feels smaller than it probably is Comments: This one was chosen as a stop for a McD's. The amenities building has a very strong feel of "Was something else and has been taken over". Give my previous, but limited, experience with "Extra" branded sites this one feels nothing like them and the inside of the amenities feels very much like a shopping centre food court from the 1990s. Usual McD's, chopstix, Costa etc - much less choice than a full on Extra site - and being in an industrial estate made it just feel like it was something that was there before the motorway and was conveniently there when the signs were put up - something along the lines of Bridgwater Services but not as extreme. Extra points for a free to use microwave oven just outside McD's. RATING 5/10. Nothing bad really to say but not much good either

One x wall calendar please. Ta.

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. meep.

Is that a feminist guinea pig?

Yes, the spare rib identifies as a feminist

They may have changed things or it may be classed differently. It's all a load of bollocks. But aye I agree with all the above. Do away with DRLs and do away with permanently illuminated dashboards and just do what the Swedes do and have permanent dipped headlights. Problem solved - you get permanently illuminated cars and you do away with all the idiots driving about with just DRLs with no tail lamps or no exterior lights at all because their dash is constantly lit.

Daytime running lights but contruction and use regulations forbid DRLs with active tail lamps. It's <insert word not allowed on Autoshite>

There are a decent amount of 1.6TDI Match and GTs with auto climate and toasty seats. I'm probably more leaning toward the 2.0TDI though in a GT spec and you can either have them auto climate or toasty seats or just manual hvac. It's all a bit odd.

While looking for replacements for the V70, I have been looking at VW Golfs again. Mk7 and 7.5 to be specific. One thing that stands out amoungst all of them is that even on remarkably high spec ones like FAITHER_df2k's latest effort that has: heated seats, navigation, electric adjust / fold / heat mirrors, adaptive cruise, bluetooth phone and audio, USB connectivity, LED headlights, android auto, apple carplay, quite a nicely powerful engine (1.4TSI).... and some other bits and pieces - FULL MANUAL heating and climate controls. FAITHER's car is a Match spec. Even the next trim level up, the GT, seems to come as standard with MANUAL heating and climate. Even my GT from 2009 had semi auto climate - the fan and direction were manual but the temperature was automatic. Seeing I have pretty much accepted I'm getting another Golf I have set my target to find one in the right spec I want with auto climate. I ain't spending £10K+ on a car in 2024 to have manual HVAC.

Are we going for a record poo count with this collection?

My involvement is also at an end. Maybe.

Phone AI is confused

Busy motorway looks busy

Anti-collection poo count: -5

Big alcoholic potats? Or smol whisky?

squeak squeak squeak wheak wheak meep meep meep meep squeak