Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
With lockdown lifting, was able to get my car MOT’d today.

She failed. £840 later.....

ouchy even with gw prices thats many spacemans or a lot of good booze

still thinking saturday in the uk will be a display of really commited stupid

Going to play the pub by ear.

If it gets stupid, I’m offski!

Drove past my local on the way home today. Chairs and tables already out in the front yard, and a big sign declaring they are a "safe Pub" I hope they have adjusted the inside though as the bar is a fair way back. Could be worse though. There is a big ass spoons in the town center that has a beer garden smaller than my backyard.

Even if the country is reopening on Saturday I’m still waiting a week before I start properly venturing out. Better safe than sorry.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
With lockdown lifting, was able to get my car MOT’d today.

She failed. £840 later.....

You got your car Mark of Tzeentch'd?

 Tannhauser42 wrote:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
With lockdown lifting, was able to get my car MOT’d today.

She failed. £840 later.....

You got your car Mark of Tzeentch'd?

Magnetized Over Toast?
Massacred On Time?
Moored Off Taiwan?

Compulsory thing in the U.K. to ensure roadworthiness. Have to have it done annually.

Dunno if the USA has an equivalent.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Compulsory thing in the U.K. to ensure roadworthiness. Have to have it done annually.

Dunno if the USA has an equivalent.

It’s up to the individual states.

When I lived in Kentucky, just needed to have the exhaust tested make sure it was within some range of acceptable poison.
New York has a more comprehensive test, check the breaks, tires, lights, who knows what else. Make sure you aren’t going to explode on the highway, or swerve into a bus.

UK version would be closer to the New York then - its a test of road worthiness. Whilst we all complain about it (and mechanics whine about the lack of ability to fix modern parts and having to replace whole expensive chunks instead of fixing the 2 worn ball bearings inside etc....); it does at least help ensure a large majority of cars are road worthy and not total deathtraps.

Yeah it’s the Ministry Of Transport test, to make sure your car is legally road worthy. Brakes, emissions, lights etc. I usually have difficulties with mine on account of owning a 17 year old Alfa Romeo.

 Future War Cultist wrote:
Yeah it’s the Ministry Of Transport test, to make sure your car is legally road worthy. Brakes, emissions, lights etc. I usually have difficulties with mine on account of owning a 17 year old Alfa Romeo.

Better then Fiat.
Aka Fehler in allen teilen aka faults in all parts.

There are still cars on the road which most certainly haven’t had let alone passed an MOT in years!

I will be very (pleasantly) surprised if Saturday isn't utter madness. What I would say is more likely is the news being full of drunken louts singing arm in arm with pints in the air, and women bent over being sick outside the pubs.

I saw a tweet earlier from the Gov treasury with an animation of glasses clinking together and a reminder that pubs were re-opening (get out there and spend some money!) The comedian that does 'the room next door' (Michael Spicer) had replied drolly that today saw 170 deaths and over 800 new cases of infection.

As much as I would love to go to a pub or restaurant, see my friends and family, for all this to be over, it ain't happening until deaths are in single figures and infections not much higher than that. There is way to much of the virus out there still IMO for it to be worth the risk, although I understand that the sense of risk is subjective.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
There are still cars on the road which most certainly haven’t had let alone passed an MOT in years!

They should get pulled. You can't get road tax without an MOT and the police are meant to scan plates (although I must admit I have forgotten before now and been driving around without one for a month so they obviously aren't too hot on it!)

What I can't understand is why MOTs for HGVs were suspended at the same time as cars. From what I saw they were the only things still on the road, and you have to think as a form of work MOT testing and vehicle mechanics are fairly isolated in their activities (especially as things like bike workshops were viewed as 'essential').

It's not just when deaths and infections are low; its when the number of active cases is also very low. Otherwise it might just be a small gap in the waves that makes the numbers look small. When you've a high number suffering (remembering that the actual number is much higher) then you've a higher chance of people moving around infected and unaware.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
There are still cars on the road which most certainly haven’t had let alone passed an MOT in years!

The 40 year exemption is another strange thing whilst their number is low many 60/70s cars are solid metal bricks, plus locally proper old Land Rovers held together by mud and bloodymindedness are reasonabley common

My car's due for its MOT. Apparently there is an automatic 3-month extension, though, so it's not essential to go now. OTOH it's also due for the annual service.

So us broke 60k daily cases. They really want to be #1 in everything?

The 100k a day might not be that far off...

And we had now our second or 3rd case of a super carrier...

Great.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
My car's due for its MOT. Apparently there is an automatic 3-month extension, though, so it's not essential to go now. OTOH it's also due for the annual service.

Have the centres opened up again?

Oh wait, do you have your MOTs done by regular garages? I think I read somewhere that only us in Northern Ireland have dedicated test centres.

Also, allowed or not, I’ve talked myself out of taking any sort of holiday this year, no matter how cheap they might be going for. It’s still probably way too soon to risk travelling. I can’t see the others having much fun in Rome atm anyway.

There are garages which do MOTs, but not all garages do MOTs.

They need to be an accredited test centre, but can offer stuff beyond MOT.

For instance, I booked a full Service in immediately before the MOT, as it’s good practice, and it was the same place. Place also did all the repairs for me.

The only thing I’d say is Don’t Use Kwik- Fit. I may have seen the real Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at their Corstorphine branch back in the early- mid 80’s, but they’re rip off merchants.

Aye I'd say this year is a write off for travel holidays. Even if the area itself is safe the risk that you could spread the disease (picking it up on the way) is far too great. Plus 2 weeks lockdown isolation is starting to become the normal so chances are you'd need a lot of holiday time.


If the USA hits 400K case a day (as noted above) then that would beat the world highest of just under 200K cases a day. That's a staggering value.

Well the 2 week quarantee is being lifted between countries that have got it under control.

Edit: ugh. Graph looks even worse than i feared.

Good luck for us. Hopefully it starts to get better.

Japan keeps puzzling me with their crowds especially in trains. I was sure it would be hit hard and was worried of my friends there especially as many are older generation.

tneva82 wrote:
Well the 2 week quarantee is being lifted between countries that have got it under control.

Edit: ugh. Graph looks even worse than i feared.

Good luck for us. Hopefully it starts to get better.

Japan keeps puzzling me with their crowds especially in trains. I was sure it would be hit hard and was worried of my friends there especially as many are older generation.

I mean, pretty sure it was kinda trendy to wear a mask in Japan before this, so it was easy for people to adapt. They are the Expert Mode.

Meanwhile, MURICA IS #1!!!! We are Easy Mode. Nobody washes their hands and people cough in each others faces. Who wants a hug?!

Well yeah but seeing it doesn't protect you yourself and isn't quaranteed the difference is stark. Especially as due to constitution they didn't have true lockdown as they could not order anything, just ask. Luckily japanese are stickler for following rules and guidelines even if only they hurt(real case: minimum contract for room 1 month. You can't rent for 2 days less even if you pay full month. Because company rules say so....forced me to take unpaid vacation days)

Japan was also fast to get what outbreaks they did get under control early. Again being a nation of hyper dense populations and very close proximity to China and other major epidemic outbreaks in recent decades; means that their governent through to their population are far more experienced and prepared.

Even to the point where things like mask wearing are a normal expected part of daily life for them even outside of an epidemic in order to help reduce the spread of disease.


America's issue is one of multiple fronts and I'd say that a big part is basic political pressure and unrest that has been exacerbated through the duration of the Trump administration. though to debate that further I think pushes into politics a bit too much.


Suffice to say the data for the USA is very scary and the rate of increase is insane. Based on the graph alone one would have thought they'd be clamping down lockdowns nation wide like crazy. The lockdown clearly proved to work before, they clearly need it. Yet they are stalling in some states and even hitting issues with things like mask wearing. Then again the UK can't talk much on that as our government keeps having this very spotty reaction to things - mandating masks in trains and cabs and busses, but not in shopping centres, workplaces etc...

USA seems to have a spotty reaction from strict all the way to head in the sand "its not happening" whilst the UK seems to be erratic - clamping down in some areas and almost ignoring others.

 Overread wrote:
...the UK seems to be erratic - clamping down in some areas and almost ignoring others.

The "Whack a Mole" approach. Without going too political, it fits the easily digestible 3 word soundbite that this Govt favours, how effective it will be remains to be seen.

I can see local lock downs such as in Leicester harming the local static business' hard but am not convinced they will be effective in controlling the virus. There are too many variables and opportunities to get around the restrictions.
Plus our continued reliance on the common sense of the general public is just laugable. When a policy is centred around that, there is no policy.

uh huh.

Presumably if one lives in Leicester this behaviour is fine too ?

"He stressed his trip is ‘essential business’ to make his four-bed villa Covid-secure ahead of the holiday letting season." Oh well, when you put it like that..

Several of the pubs round my way are not opening this weekend, a few are doing sort of reduced hours

Expecting a lot of sirens on Saturday night either way.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
There are garages which do MOTs, but not all garages do MOTs.

They need to be an accredited test centre, but can offer stuff beyond MOT.

For instance, I booked a full Service in immediately before the MOT, as it’s good practice, and it was the same place. Place also did all the repairs for me.

£840 seems...very high.

Tires can be expensive, sure, especially depending where you buy them, but, was your car in that bad a shape?

And here in Massachusetts, we were given a 3 month extension on our yearly Inspection sticker... my extra three months is up...now!

Off to the garage - hopefully the older car passes everything...

Eh, is what it is.

£250+ was just labour, and tyres were £60 each.

Rather be safe and out of pocket, than buttered up the motorway and sorry!

Car repairs are also high because often as not you can't get into components now to fix them. So that 1 loose ball bearing - instead of replacing it at a nominal cost and a few minutes labour; turns into over an hour labour and an entirely new component. Computer design allows for some really space saving designs, but the ethos is all wrong. They don't want you to repair your car easily, they'd instead rather you bought new top end components.

I believe the EU was pushing through some legislation to make this less of a case, esp with a lot of electronic units that require specific tools to open sealed plastic cases. Offering no additional protection against things like water damage, but purely to make it hard to impossible to actually repair unless you go through official repair shops etc...