Old Peter

My wife has thought that I was mad for 50 years. She started that chain of thought when we were eating peaches out of a tin at 3.00 am in a 'bus shelter in Bangor. She said " Why would anyone carry around a tin opener in his pocket?" I thought everyone did. Peter.

I was well known in the Craig, Clydesdale, Gartcosh and other Scottish steelworks. I nearly had a job at the Craig. I went up there often and I was known as "The Wee man" -- as I am just 5'6". My favourite breakfast up in Scotland was bacon, eggs, square sausage, and black pudding, or indeed, smoked haddock!.

Nor I. But they will come! Peter.

Any drips on Drive, Stan? That would be a good starter. We were passing through Leicestershire on the way back from RAF Waddington yesterday. Doris, our Satnav, sent us back along A46, M69 and I chose the A5 rather than the M6. Peter.

When I was into cycling, Trevor, I was stopped twice for speeding by the police --- once on a tandem for doing 52 mph on a nice downhill gradient, and one when solo for doing over 40 mph on another gentle gradient, I got a slower motorbike after that! Peter.

Hi Charlie and Trevor, They are not going to abolish the Road Fund Licence, but from September [i think] they are going to abolish the tax disc. Apparently new technology is able to detect whether or not there is tax paid on the car. Speaking about caravans gong down south --- only a problem if they are towed badly. Some caravan owner do not check the weight applied from the caravan to the car - downward pressure - which can cause the caravan to handle badly so that it was to be towed slower than should be necessary. The only reason that caravanners come from the North down to the south is basically to see what the southerners are doing with all the good we make up north. Add to that, if there was not much tourism down south, the economy would suffer so that shop owners could not charge visitors a different price from locals. No tourists mean that everyone is the south would have to take in each others washing to make a shilling or two. In this area there are a lot of BMW drivers, many young women, who seek to believe that tailgating is compulsory. They have never heard of tyres and tarmac --- you should be able to see the tarmac and the tyres of the car in front of you when you stop. And you should always think that if the car in front of you stops quickly, can you do so. Peter.

That would do the job, Stephen, Just the case on mine failed. Not too bad a price. Go for it. Peter.

Charlie, Women like getting married -- they think of the magic words :- Aisle ---- altar ---- hymn, Peter.

Hi Steve, You can buy a new bit that replaces the pad. Quite easy too. My numbers had all worn out and I got one via the internet off Taunton Jaguar. Googled and it came within two days, It is possible that the innards of the pad are worn out. Peter. ps. Cost about £3.95.

Trevor, They are only going to make the XJ in India to service that end of the world rather than ship them out from Caste Bromwich --- they are still producing them there. Several hundred acres has been acquired inCastle Bromwich and Castle vale to make more Jaguars, the new smaller one with engines from Wolverhampton, and the F Type and other new performance cars will also be made on a dedicated site. Additionally a company in Birmingham [in which I was somewhat involved] which make the parts for many cars, has increased its workforce from 180 to 400 over the last two years, and has just got new contracts for parts for the car companies in the Far east and South America. Brummagem is still the British Motown. Regards, Peter.

Trevor, They once asked a lad from Brummagem what did they make there. His reply was "What do you want making?" They make the best cars in the world jus 6 miles from where I live. They are Jaguars. They also made the Spitfire there, too. If the Aston Martin and BMWs were made in Brummagem, they would have been better cars. Peter.

Hi Trevor and Charlie, I have been very busy filling up the tank with £80 worth of top quality diesel and otherwise preparing the car for its little trip to RAF Waddington to watch the Air Show. Your car will not need a terraclean for the next few years, Charlie. But never forget that it is men who do all the important work in this country. We determine the performance of the Government, the economy of the country, we are expert at all things sporting and know exactly when there is something wrong with the car. We never get lost, although there are time when others think we are. We always know exactly where we are, even tough it is not the place we actually want to be in. Now it is Friday, and I do believe that the sun is below the yard arm -- somewhere, so I am just ready for my preprandial glass of bubbly before dressing for dinner. Regards, Peter.

Welcome to the Club, Chris. My S type feels a bit out of date and slow compared with all the XKR's about. But, I don't mind southerners --- you make good use of all the things we make up here. Regards, Peter Lancastrian in exile.

Trevor, Diesel engines need to have more of their innards cleaning out. There are EGR valves and DFP filters for instance, which get some benefit from the process. But Terraclean was invented, if that is the right word, for us on petrol cars, and it does a great job on emission controls. Petrol engines with higher mileages will benefit also, but normally I don't think a petrol engine would need the service until it has done over 50k or if it has problems with emissions. Petrol engines run much cleaner than diesel engines, which is why the diesel engines has to have more additives in the fuel and much more emission control. Peter.

It was a very easy job on the S Type -- just 5 minutes.

Hi Kevin, I do less than 7000 miles a year, so I would be inclined to have the Terraclean every other year a week or two before the MOT, which will make sure the emissions are up to scratch. I think, and it is only a guess, that every 15,000 or so miles would be about right. Keeping an engine clean inside is just as important to me as keeping a car clean and tidy outside. Regards, Peter.

Hi Andy, As a Premium Member, there is a company which gives a 20% discount to Jaguar Owner' s club members, called Rimfurbish, which you will find by clicking on Membership and going from there. They also supply alloy wheels and do a part exchange service. They are based in West Bromwich, which is 12 miles away from me, but they will deliver, but that could be more expensive than driving down here and letting them do the job on their premises, if you decide on a set of new alloys. It is worth having a look at the site. Regards, Peter.

Hi Charlie, Pouring in an additive can make your tank of fuel just as expensive as buying Shell vitro. Terraclean is something that equates to the old de-coke of an engine, in a way. It removes carbon deposits and generally cleans the engine. Cars with a diesel engine benefit the most, although the procedure for diesels is more expensive. One of the things it does do is improve the engine emissions. That is the technical bit which can be seen on You Tube --- just google "Terraclean" and you will get a choice of videos to watch. The after effects for my car have been very noticeable. The car is quicker, quieter, and the fuel economy has improved by over 10%.The engine on my car was replaced by Jaguar at 21k miles and has only done 34k which is quite low for a 7 year old car. I am having it done to my son's immaculate 13 year old Skoda for his birthday present. The cost for my car was £114, and it was well worth the money. Regards, Peter.

Interestingly, Graham, on 5th Gear this morning, one of the presenters said that there are more computers on a modern car than on the Space Shuttle. Peter

Hi Trevor, I did some research about biodiesel and find that it powers quite a lot of trucks and there heavy vehicles. But I don't have a truck, I have a Jaguar, and I think the best car in Europe deserves the best fuel in Europe. Regards, Peter.

Chrissy, Any luck with the bonnet catch? Peter.

Welcome to the club, Kevin. Beware biodiesel. The 2.7 litre CRD engine in the S Type Jaguar is a performance engine and was designed by Peugeot and Ford for Jaguar and Land Rover. It might be cheaper, but a new engine can cost more than you think. I have been advised not to use supermarket diesel without adding additives, but rather to use the expensive diesel, which gives you better performance and better mpg. I had my car terracleaned a month ago and got 49.2 going up to Lancashire, and just knocking round the locality I am getting 32 mpg. I know the EU do insist that biodiesel is the way ahead and that a certain amount can be added to standard diesel [some goes into supermarket diesel], but the difference in performance I get from the dearer stuff is worth the extra I pay at the pump. Add to that the EGR valves don't stick any more, and the DPF filter gets better treatment. Regards, Peter. Lancastrian in exile.

Hi Andy, When I had an x type I had 17" Wheels which I found gave me a very good ride. I think 18" wheels would look a bit too big on the X type and I have heard that the smaller wheels give a better ride. I have 18" wheels on my S Type and they look about right for the car. Tyres are a different matter. They are more utilitarian than aesthetic. You have a performance car and you should not skimp on tyres. I have Pirellis which were on the car when I bought it, and I have no complaint. I had similar on my x type 2.5 AWD and I thought they were very good, too. Regards, Peter.

Welcome to the club, Tom There are quite a few knowledgeable members who will assist if they can. I hope I don't get the same squeak in my 2.7D SE, as my solution for squeaks is WD40. Regards, Peter.

Steve has said that Halfords discount cards will be on their way to all Premium members within a week or so. For the other discounts you will need the code. Peter.