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Dollywobbler's Consolidated Tat Thread


dollywobbler

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11 hours ago, warren t claim said:

And while I'm at it (can number seven currently being enjoyed) what about the shifting demographic of YouTube viewers? I know this is a bit of a vague analogy but hear me out on this. Radio 2 has decided to position itself to play more 90s music to cater for its new listeners meaning that as a 52 year old who's nearer Boot Hill than Grange Hill I've switched stations.  Does the same thing apply to what cars on your channel would get the most likes with a younger generation buying cars that they wanted when they were young? Do you think that a video of you reviewing something like a Saxo VTR would get more views than a 1981, four speed, carb fed, Escort XR3?

Demographic change is an interesting point - it applies to everything, even if a brand or product is successful  - they still have to appeal to new mainly younger customers continually, as brands that don't literally have their customer base die off.

It applies to cars as much as anything else, and what older cars people are interested in as well.

Famous brands that 'died' include Daimler, Olsmobile, Buick and to an extent Cadillac etc etc.

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Watching Derek Matthewson on TV, he says there is no market for pre war cars now as the old fellas that remember them are either gone or past tinkering.

The stuff that fetches mad money now is 80s and 90s. 

That Saxo VTS that sold at Kings Lynn for £19k a couple of weeks ago is a case in point.

Is that the same with YT videos?

Nostalgia sells?

 

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4 hours ago, MJK 24 said:

I’m obviously the black sheep!  I’m guessing you’ve done many hundreds of reviews.  I think I won’t have seen more than 15!

For me, it’s all about your own cars.  The tinkering, collecting, the travel in them etc.

I’ve also enjoyed the camping and I didn’t think I would!

Kind of the same. I've seen so many car reviews on various channels they become quite samey. I can often find something to learn in a tinkering video - even if it's how not to do something! (Betty headlining springs to mind). So I prefer the tinkering (or collection capers) to reviews.

Have also enjoyed the camping videos more than I thought I would. I think its the appeal of taking in a lovely setting and being close to the outdoor world (but being able to stay dry in the pissing rain!). I do fancy a motorhome when I retire.

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Cheers Maxxo. A few have said that. Quite relieving in a way!

I'm still trying to understand how it works, but it clearly detects the current flow through the reverse lamps so the rear wiper comes on with the fronts when you reverse. But having two blown bulbs confuses it into thinking the reverse lights are on, so the rear wiper comes on with the fronts even going forwards...

Anyway, all sorted now. 6000 miles covered since May, the subject of today's video.  Pic taken this morning when I was on kiddie taxi duty.

FdBcs8nX0AAmxhz?format=jpg&name=900x900

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On 9/17/2022 at 2:39 AM, warren t claim said:

I'm curious about something and as I've had six cans of Stella tonight I'm going to ask anyway.

In classic car journalism, magazines usually put something safe like an MGB or MkII Jag on the cover because it attracts casual viewers. Does the same apply to the world of YouTube views and likes?  Did your video of the Jag S Type from the Jaguar heritage collection get more likes and comments than for example, your video featuring the two pot Visa? 

Would going down the clickbait avenue of "DID THIS CAR DESERVE TO FAIL?" and showing a blurred out thumbnail making a casual viewer click the link out of curiosity work?

What's the significance of YouTube comments? Why do so many content creators beg for viewers to write something in their comments?

Sorry WTC. We were away over the weekend and I've only just seen this.

Classic rags are all about 'pickbait' which is why it's always a red MGB. Always. Videos are the same, but can throw up some odd curve balls. Yes, my red MGB video did quite well tis year, but so did the Renault Espace and Vauxhall Senator. How the frig are you meant to predict that? Driving a DS on 3 wheels? Almost 1 million views. Doing the same in my GSA? Utterly MEH. The Jaguar S-Type did quite nicely, but not as well as the Austin 3-Litre. Didn't predict that one either.

Going clickbait would probably work, but I'm shit at it,  and people tend to see through it and get annoyed if it seems to clickbaity.

I just like to engage with comments, and spend far too much of my life doing so. But I think there is a factor in the algorithm, so it'll promote a video with loads of comments ahead of one that doesn't. Though I'm not sure what happens if you disable comments...

 

On 9/17/2022 at 2:54 AM, warren t claim said:

And while I'm at it (can number seven currently being enjoyed) what about the shifting demographic of YouTube viewers? I know this is a bit of a vague analogy but hear me out on this. Radio 2 has decided to position itself to play more 90s music to cater for its new listeners meaning that as a 52 year old who's nearer Boot Hill than Grange Hill I've switched stations.  Does the same thing apply to what cars on your channel would get the most likes with a younger generation buying cars that they wanted when they were young? Do you think that a video of you reviewing something like a Saxo VTR would get more views than a 1981, four speed, carb fed, Escort XR3?

I think there's definitely something to be said for doing a video on something that isn't yet getting much love. The Berlingo videos have done surprisingly well, so I suspect a Saxo VTR video would be a great idea. I'd ruin it by arranging to do a 1.5D instead... Late 1980s/early 1990s is a massive area of growth at the moment - Retro Rides, Radwood, FOTU and the like tapping into that vein very nicely. I guess the problem for me is this growth is driving values up, so they're no longer the cheap cars HubNut was all about. Quite what the HubNut cars of ten years time will be, I've no idea at all.

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Oh and thanks to everyone else for their comments. One rule I've always stuck to is to make videos I'd actually want to watch myself, so it has always been a bit personal to me, and kind of ignores what would probably do well for views. I love that freedom, even if it probably costs me...

That's not to say I utterly ignore comments about what content people would like to see though, I enjoy that feedback loop and it does have an impact somewhere in the depths of my mind. The camping videos have been an interesting experiment - very Marmite in the comments but certainly not a direction we'd be jumping into full-time.

I miss Collection Capers, but don't so much miss the results... (ie a load of cars I struggle to move on)

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24 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Ian, if your ever back Cambridgeshire way my Monza you drove it for CCW, a low HP TDI T4 van (so hubnut) and a eGolf to compliment The MG EV  review are all available for review. 
 

james. 

Crikey. That Monza was some time ago! Glad it's still going. Please email ian@hubnut.org and I'll see what I can arrange. Actually already done an eGolf! Liked it a lot.

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3 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

Crikey. That Monza was some time ago! Glad it's still going. Please email ian@hubnut.org and I'll see what I can arrange. Actually already done an eGolf! Liked it a lot.

2007 don’t use it much if I’m honest   

Will do. 
Im enjoying the camping stuff BTW, I kinda reminds me of our camping adventures good and bad  lol.

FYI our honeymoon was camping in a frame tent in Cornwall travelling down in a diesel early C15 van! we got attacked by snails if I remember rightly! No pun intended. 
The  XUD didn’t miss a beat but did use some oil but at nearly 200k it was excused. 

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just watched your ownership report on the berlingo

colour wise, i'd say it's pentland green....same as my C5!

anyway, electrically

it's partially multiplexed, it will have 3 ECU's i believe engine ECU, BSI and abs

the later ones are fully multiplexed with the comms2000 unit, so the same stalks as the C5 etc, those are easy to add cruise control too

it is still good to wait a minute or so before disconnecting the battery with doors shut etc, it's going to prefer that

airbag light will be the connectors under the seat 99% of the time, likely the pretensioner cables or side airbag cables (if fitted)

i know quite a bit on that era of citroen's, especially how electrically weird they are

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2 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

Oh and thanks to everyone else for their comments. One rule I've always stuck to is to make videos I'd actually want to watch myself, so it has always been a bit personal to me, and kind of ignores what would probably do well for views. I love that freedom, even if it probably costs me...

That's not to say I utterly ignore comments about what content people would like to see though, I enjoy that feedback loop and it does have an impact somewhere in the depths of my mind. The camping videos have been an interesting experiment - very Marmite in the comments but certainly not a direction we'd be jumping into full-time.

I miss Collection Capers, but don't so much miss the results... (ie a load of cars I struggle to move on)

I appreciate that you may not want to answer this question but I'll ask it anyway.

Have you ever been offered the chance to borrow a car for a test but refused to take up the owners offer as you don't think it'd make a worthwhile video?

I couldn't imagine a review of something like a Mk4 Mondeo getting many views under normal circumstances but if it had lived, a video of my old Mk4 Mondeo with nearly half a million miles on the clock might have been the exception. The super high mileage Skoda Octavia on another channel did incredibly well.  

 

 

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18 hours ago, warren t claim said:

I appreciate that you may not want to answer this question but I'll ask it anyway.

Have you ever been offered the chance to borrow a car for a test but refused to take up the owners offer as you don't think it'd make a worthwhile video?

I couldn't imagine a review of something like a Mk4 Mondeo getting many views under normal circumstances but if it had lived, a video of my old Mk4 Mondeo with nearly half a million miles on the clock might have been the exception. The super high mileage Skoda Octavia on another channel did incredibly well.  

 

 

Yes, I turned down an Audi S4 in New Zealand (I think it was an R4). Then the owner mentioned he also owned an Isuzu Mu Wizard and I was I WANT IT! Also got offered a more modern Audi recently with over 470bhp - just not right for the channel, so declined. More often, folk end up in my 'pending' email folder and I never actually find myself anywhere near them. Frustrating that, for both parties!

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15 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

Genuinely not interested. It's impossible to exploit such power on public roads, and so becomes an exercise in sheer frustration. 

Indeed. I have 61bhp in my blue Favorit (possibly even less now) and it is still faster than 99% of other cars on the road. I have double that in the green Favorit and it is harder to drive than the blue one because you have to tickle the throttle and be careful pulling away. I can't imagine what you can do with 470bhp unless you live in the Highlands. Even then could you ever really put your foot down for more than a couple seconds?

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Power is exciting, don't get me wrong, but there's a time and a place for it, and I increasingly feel roads are not that. The Alpine GTA had about the perfect amount of power, but even with that I wasn't fully able to exploit it, and found myself the wrong side of the limit (off camera) on occasion. 

There's definitely more fun in driving a slow car fast than fast car slow. Despite that, I am giving very serious thought to a 720 engine for the 2CV next year...

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Absolute power corrupts, absolutely. A very fast car will always bring out the pillock in every driver.

Plus, going fast in a straight line gets old really quickly.

Going quickly round the bends in a car that has no right being driven that way is always hilarious.

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9 hours ago, Yoss said:

Indeed. I have 61bhp in my blue Favorit (possibly even less now) and it is still faster than 99% of other cars on the road. I have double that in the green Favorit and it is harder to drive than the blue one because you have to tickle the throttle and be careful pulling away. I can't imagine what you can do with 470bhp unless you live in the Highlands. Even then could you ever really put your foot down for more than a couple seconds?

I find 300bhp is adequate.

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13 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

There's definitely more fun in driving a slow car fast than fast car slow. Despite that, I am giving very serious thought to a 720 engine for the 2CV next year...

I'm increasingly thinking that.

 

However I beg to differ that a 720 2cv is a fast car.

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22 hours ago, Yoss said:

Indeed. I have 61bhp in my blue Favorit (possibly even less now) and it is still faster than 99% of other cars on the road. I have double that in the green Favorit and it is harder to drive than the blue one because you have to tickle the throttle and be careful pulling away. I can't imagine what you can do with 470bhp unless you live in the Highlands. Even then could you ever really put your foot down for more than a couple seconds?

Even the ~270bhp in the saab formerly of @Flat4 was more than necessary... and terrifying. 😂

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3 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Even the ~270bhp in the saab formerly of @Flat4 was more than necessary... and terrifying. 😂

You'd think that but after a few months you'll get used to it and want more. Or I did when I was younger. Saying that my Saab 9000 running 270 ish BHP was far more exciting than my 315bhp M5. Mainly because the Saab was putting it's power through the front wheels with a big wallop of boost whereas the M5 was so well put together that it could've easily taken more power.

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14 hours ago, Yoss said:

Famously of course, James Hunt had an A35 for this very reason. 

James-Hunt-Van-Image-2-1024x682.thumb.jpg.1633dc7d5b18d8f7a9f83e2207be96c5.jpg

 

Amusingly, whilst googling the above I also found this. 

Shutterstock_9030844a.thumb.jpg.011d40fb345989726f19fe4c36a51981.jpg

He also had a very large and fast Mercedes but parked on bricks to slow it down. Or someone has pinched his wheels. 

Apologies for thread hijack. 

He refused to pay ( or couldn’t pay) the road tax on it, so put it on bricks to show it was off the road. The a35 /40 van was for his budgies.

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Turns out you can fit quite a lot of Aussie Ford inside a Berlingo.

20220924_105112.thumb.jpg.1c029930f7a709a37eebd293974706cc.jpg

A fruitful 620-mile drive to Essex and back. Rear doors, bootlid, headlining, four wheels and tyres, front bumper and various engine ancilliaries and interior oddments. Also got to drive an AU Ute with the Windsor V8 (taken from the XR8 that donated these parts). And a Panhard. It's been a good week.

20220923_124027.thumb.jpg.0ff036764d061b5cb104828dfee9f574.jpg

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