Its a while since I had a good moan, but......

Nowt even to do with bikes, but, I had to replace one of the side lights on my car ( a beemer - wot a nob)

Did all the usual checks, but could not find how to even get to it.

Went on the interweb, so much conflicting info, all of it bad news though.

Bought 2 bulbs from the local car parts - both wrong.

Apparantly if I changed the bulb with a "non-BMW" part, the on-board computer would not recognise it & continue to show the fault.

Phone my local BMW specialists & even they could not even advise what bulb was in - too many variants.

They suggested contacting BMW directly with my reg number & then I would get the right bulb.

I did & they had one - £34.00.

I told the sales person that because of vastly over priced items such as this I would never buy another BMW - did not seem bothered.

To replace it (a front side light bulb), the car has to be jacked up, front wheel off, inner arch removed, access panel off to reach the bulb. If BMW did it it would cost an additional 50 odd quid.

Bikes are heading this way, with high tech electronics & Type approval will only add to the misery.

Rant over.:banghead:banghead

Aye we all like a good shimf (as they say in Teesside). Dont ask, I only work there.

Thing is, by the time labour is added, any minor knock / bash / or crash can make a vehicle a "non-vaible repair".

Decent cars & bikes are getting written off because the theiving bar stewards are ripping us off.

And from that, all our insurances are going up.

I think this was the main reason "street-fighter" styled bikes were created, because a "perfectly good" bike was virtually scrap because the fairings were damaged. People were going to breakers for cheap parts to get them back on the road.

I wonder if a new trend for "street-fighter" cars is imanent ?

Flash beemers & audis with mondeo lights & bumpers - could be one for dragons den.

Aldo, thats right up my street.

When I was a youngster, living on a farm, we made a couple of go cart things.

One was a beetle chassis with 3 feet cut out to make it short wheel base, no body - that would wheely no bother.

Another time we joined two mini front subframes together with some box section, the front one had the brakes & steering. The back one had a 1275 GT motor with the steering locked straight ahead. That was very fast & very funny.

Another time we had an old triumph herald. One of us ran into a tree & wrecked the radiator. So we got a big piece of mesh & about 20 yards of hose pipe. Rubber radiator - no more bother after that.

The youth of today have no imagination.