Foibles .

[paulie b]

I guess I'm not the only one who has certain habits while driving, for example I never have the radio/CD on (I owned my last car for over five years and never even knew how to turn the radio on!). I also always drive with front and rear facing dashcams. A left over from days of yore I know, but I always carry a few tools in the boot.

What are your little personal likes/dislikes or habits while driving?

 

[Agent Orange]

Hi Paul,

Good question and I have to agree with your list.  I never put the radio on either, in fact I'm toying with the idea of taking the radio out altogether.   I know, it might sound a bit daft but you can get a triple 52mm gauge, single din housing and I fancy a water temperature gauge, a voltmeter and a clock (to replace the one on the radio) fitted there....With an after market radio fascia surround, to make it neat, I think it might look the part.

I always have the front Dashcam on but I never got decent results with a rear one, due to the privacy glass on my Aygo Fire and as for tools, I carry a small socket set, a few bits and bobs of tools and an extendable wheel wrench in the spare wheel well, all wrapped it cloth to stop rattles and to wipe my hands if needs be.

In the Aygo, I always drive with one particular pair of shoes with thin soles.....(Driving shoes!!!...Crikey, I think I've fallen asleep and woken up in 1936 )....It's that clutch biting point again and I've grown used to it in those shoes.

The other foible of mine isn't to do with driving but I love a clean car and my Wife thinks that I've got shares in Auto Glym...I really enjoy washing, waxing and polishing...Sad but true!

My pet hate when driving is usually aimed at drivers of Mercs and BMWs....Did you not think to order the optional extra indicators with your new motor???!!! 

Oh, and a final thing I do is to always park at the far, quiet corner of the Supermarket Car Park, hopefully out of harms way and exercise is supposed to be a good thing, isn't it? 

All the best and I hope that you're having fun with your new Aygo. 

[zuh]

4 minutes ago, Agent Orange said:

In the Aygo, I always drive with one particular pair of shoes with thin soles.....(Driving shoes!!!...Crikey, I think I've fallen asleep and woken up in 1936 )....It's that clutch biting point again and I've grown used to it in those shoes.

So do I. That's crazy, I thought I was alone in this case. I hate it when I do not feel the clutch so I always swap shoes when I get in my Aygo. Sometimes, it looks ridiculous but I am unable to do otherwise.  When I see my girlfriend driving her own car with all kinds of shoes, this seems impossible in an Aygo.

I never listen to the radio either, and my latest Aygo is not equipped. I think it is important to hear the engine and the environment. When I have a radio, I am tempted to put the volume too loud.

I always park far away from the crowd, too.

[paulie b]

Neil,

Re the Dashcam. I got round the privacy glass issue by using an action cam. It was only a cheap thing, an 'Intempo' which cost less than £30. (They sell them in B&M if you have one near you). It has the rubber suction cup setup and works from an internal Battery. I have to manually switch it on and off, but can leave it in situ because it can't be seen from the outside because of the tint. I have a 32gb SD card and it records quite high quality footage (I can clearly make out number plates/drivers faces etc) It's supposed to be HD but I wouldn't say so - it's not far off though. I was impressed how it coped with the privacy glass but that said, I haven't used it in the dark yet. The only thing is you have to manually erase the recorded footage as it does not overwrite like a dedicated Dashcam. While doing so I use the opportunity to charge the Battery. 

Yes. The drivers whose cars do not come with indicators.

I also park in quiet areas of car parks, where it is too much effort for the masses to walk to the shop.

The point made about shoes is a good one. I've only ever driven my new Aygo in thin soled trainers. 

 

[Agent Orange]

Nice one, Paul and thank you. 

There is a B&M on my local retail park, so I'll check one of those cameras out.  My rear camera was hopeless through the back screen, even in daylight so a little self-contained unit that actually works, sounds just the job.  May I just ask, how long do you get out of the 32gb SD card, please?  I know recording lengths vary with the quality of the camera and what you are talking about isn't a true Dashcam that overwites the recordings, so it would be good to get some idea.

It might not be a true Dashcam but it sounds like a great idea and not much of a hardship to switch it on and off....No problems with hiding wires on our frameless hatches, either....It's a good tip, so thanks again.

All the best. 

Edit: I've just had a look on Amazon and eBay, Paul....Is it one of these?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172868037727

Thanks again.

[paulie b]

I've just checked the link, and yes, that's the one. I don't use it in the waterproof casing. Like I said, it works very well through the privacy glass. I actually have two of these and the other is set up on the front screen. My existing proper Dashcam works well enough, but (although it's supposed to be HD) doesn't record in enough detail for my liking.

On 'HD' setting the card lasts for about two and a half hours. On the lower setting I think you will get another hour or so. I think the Battery will last about three hours - but I haven't tested it to its limit. Just for your information I bought the SD cards from Wilkos for £10 each, which I thought was a bargain.

All I do is hook it up to my laptop and erase the footage/charge the Battery. I had thought of running at from the cigarette lighter socket, but will wait until the Battery is kaput. 

 

[Wiz201]

I have a Nextbase 402g Dashcam, I just run it from the cigarette lighter. I like having the radio on but apart from that I have no particular likes and dislikes to driving.

[paulie b]

Hi Isobel. I've not heard much about the Nextbase dashcams. What are your thoughts? 

[mickburkesnr]

I can't drive a car without the radio being on. It's more of a habbit now but I have to say I've learnt a lot of stuff from listening to podcasts etc while driving and being stuck in traffic. Silence just makes my mind wander in a weird way really.

The car must have some sort of air freshener inside it. Nothing worse than being in a car and smelling stale smells of whatever has been in it before.

I always carry a set of jump leads in my cars which I have never, ever used. My old man drilled it in to me and I just keep doing it. No idea why. I also carry a big breaker bar for when I get a puncture, it's a lot easier to get the wheels off instead of using the small one they provide you with the car. It's also handy to know it's there in the car if someone decides to be a prat and start kicking your car in (happened within the first 2 months of me driving, was very scary). Also I leave the car in first gear all the time when I park it up. No matter what car I drive. 

Other than that, I'd like to think I'm fairly normal :P