Dacia Duster.

[Retired]

Hi,

Bron and I are still dreaming of the day we can collect our new shiny red and black Monte Carlo. We were asked by the Skoda dealer if we would accept early delivery rather than wait until early July? This was on the 7th of May and we could expect the car in ten days on the 17th? We eagerly looked forward to the 17th which has now long gone and still we don't have the Monte. On the 7th we were told the Monte was on a ship in Grimsby Dock so perhaps the Monte has accidentally been dropped into the North Sea during unloading and it is being dried out with a low power hair drier?

The dealer is infuriated by the delay even more than us because he expected the Monte to arrive quickly hence he loaned us the new Roomster which we still have until the Monte is ready. The dealer has been brilliant with us.

Over the last two weeks Bron and I have come to like this Roomster Scout a lot and had it been red rather than silver we might be asking the dealer to keep it and cancel the Monte; we are still dreaming of collecting the Monte though which is saving for us. We see many Fabia's but very few red and black Monte's?

Kind regards, Col.

[Radio Fixer]

I had a look at the Dacia Web site but didn't spot where they are made. Is that Korea?

So many makes of cars: its all very confusing. Need to get on to Confused.com

Maybe you can negotiate a few extras 'cos of the wait Colin... Nice set of mats.

Still, great when you get it.

Trying to persuade my good Lady that we should have an Audi TT, just because I love them. This would be a 2-3 year old, low mileage 2L, non Quattro Auto. But she says she needs 4 doors for giving lifts to her walking group. But there are so few of them ... all getting passed it or away (sad) that I don't see it matters. Other option is to pack up the windsurfing, so van goes and me have the TT and she has something else with 4 doors and 4 seats. Don't like the thought of the van going, its so wonderful for jobs. Been doing hard landscaping and getting paving and mortar mix. That's so much easier now its just add water. Good Yorkshire lass mixes it up in the barrow as I put the paving down. This is Wentworth from Wickes and with hardcore under a rule of thumb is its a bag of mix per 3 x 1 foot slab. I don't go in for that 'spot' way of laying, get loads of ants; it teems with them down here and bedding totally I have never had a slab move, crack or even think about it.

Happy days, nice to be 'young', still fit and strong with joy in doing things. One of the builders 'kids' said why do you do stuff yourself now? My reply was that I always have and its hard to stop .... (besides I do it just as good as they do) ... need to spend energy anyway.

Gary

[Refugee]

Ants always undermine slabs unless you lay them directly on concrete.
Ant killer does not work either.

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks Gary; in spite of the extended wait to get hold of our Monte Bron and I are still happy with the deal we got and pleased to have the loan of the new Roomster which looks good sitting on our driveway. Perhaps the Monte will be with us next week but if not I'll be visiting Rufforth Auto Jumble next Saturday in the Roomster. Given the space in the Roomster I hope there isn't a BMW R75/5 750cc bike for sale at Rufforth or I might be tempted.

Yes the choice of a new car these days is truly bewildering and although the Dacia Duster hasn't taken off in the UK yet the Duster is highly regarded in other countries where it sells very well indeed; country of manufacture I believe is Mioveni, Romania;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacia_Duster

How about a Dacia car for your wife Gary with a tow bar fitted and then she can also collect all the building materials in a trailer which would replace your van leaving you with a lovely bright red Audi TT?

Like you Gary I too can now afford to employ but refuse to do so knowing I can do just as good a job if not better and certainly much cheaper?

Kind regards, Col.

[Radio Fixer]

Well to be fair Colin I couldn't have built the extension and they did do a good job. But they would put me out to grass, in a deckchair, and I'm not ready for that. I can still do plenty of maintenance jobs and gardening.

By the time the van goes I hope to have got over all the jobs that I would need it for. Slowly trying to make the place low maintenance. When the garage roof needs new felt I will have all the old chipboard replaced with ply and the facias and soffits changed to UPVC. Chipboard was apparently a mistake and condensation forms under the felt and crumbles it away.

Gary

[pwdrive]

If the garage has a flat roof you might want to consider having it fiber glassed, if done properly it's fit and forget.

Lawrence.

[Radio Fixer]

I imagine a lot more expensive than mineral felt Lawrence. And that done properly will be fit and forget for us !

Gary

[pwdrive]

I don't know the cost of fiber glassing Gary but I would imagine it's more expensive than felt as you say.

Make sure the underside of the roof decking has enough ventilation.

Lawrence.

[John M0GLN]

Hi,

Thanks Gary; in spite of the extended wait to get hold of our Monte Bron and I are still happy with the deal we got and pleased to have the loan of the new Roomster which looks good sitting on our driveway.

Kind regards, Col.

The benefit of having their car can be quite important, a friend of mine has just taken delivery of a new Suzuki Splash which took 3 months to srrive after placing the order, besides having to tax and MOT the car he was trading in, the big worry was if something serious happened to it, say a cam belt broke or gearbox failed, that would probably have reduced the trade in value from a couple of thousand to nothing.

John

[camallison]

I don't know the cost of fiber glassing Gary but I would imagine it's more expensive than felt as you say.

Make sure the underside of the roof decking has enough ventilation.

Lawrence.

I had ours fibre-glassed as it is in a very exposed position. Cost, including fascias was £1,400. Not cheap, but the original OSB, heavy-duty felt and chippings roof only lasted 8 years. In 8 years time (by then in my mid-70s), I don't want to be messing around getting a new roof again. The installation company, backed by the manufacturers give a 30-year written guarantee on the job. It is an insurance-backed guarantee too - very useful if they go out of business.

Colin


[EDIT - looked again at the guarantee and it is 30 years, not 25 years. I will be 96 then and probably incapable of bothering]