Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Feels like the right decision. Looking forward to seeing the V-class!

I'd wager that is the least likely one to raise a response so far. You've not paid them anything have you?

No, nothing.

Hairdryer, blade and patience

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Well, I think that's officially the end of (most peoples) working day, and no response from the VW place.

I’ve been patiently waiting and now it’s happened - the crossover from this thread to the In The News thread. A fridge gets mentioned 😁

I bought a set of second hand winter wheels for the e46 off gumtree. Just checked that the wheel size was the same. Think I paid £200~ for a set of wheels with winter tyres with loads of winter tread on (which I stupidly left on way into summer and now 2 of which are on the 4mm wear indicator, whoops). As people have mentioned you want to check the age of the tyres - lots of fairly vintage sets kicking around that I would not want to trust my life with.

When it came down to it, buying a set of winter wheels and tyres is a lot more economical than having to pay to swap tyres over every autumn and spring.

Also, I saved a load of cash replacing my old summer tyres changing from 225 r16 55 W to 205 r16 55 V. 20mm less width but a massively more common size, I also got tyres rated for a lower top speed V rather than W (checked that both these sizes/ratings were ok by checking the door card). Literally £66 a corner rather than £120 for the tyres I wanted.

Where are you going in Tuscany?

Rarely snows at Christmas, more likely to snow at Easter.

Check the rules about tyre depth especially if you are entering Switzerland

If you are worried get snow socks for the car.

@Nef - given it's a leased car I'll be sticking to same size as OEM, no point buying a second set of wheels + skinnier tyres as I have no idea what I'll be driving second half of the year, maybe another lease maybe buy something, but that's another story. Totally agree with your approach though, if only I owned the car :)

@lynx - Florence then Montalcino, day trips around the area too I guess. Yeah if I buy 2nd hand it will be known brand, 3PMSF and at least 6mm tread. Very likely to be driving back through Switzerland.

Doing things precisely the wrong way round I bought four Michelin Cross Climate 2, then read the reviews. Luckily they seem good.

Full m5 conversion from a 540 sport

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I still think buying and flogging a set of wheels + winter tyres is the cheapest option, lol. Doubt you'll even lose any money on them tbh. Appreciate that it's a faff tho.

I've got a few saved searches so hopefully something pops up!

It's doable but a massive PITA (rear windscreen almost killed me and it destroyed the demister)... If I had to do it again I'd get it done professionally...

Front tints removed and NCT passed. Debating doing the rest of the car tomorrow but worried about breaking the rear defroster.

Aftermarket tints can get in the sea!

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The original goal was to get a vehicle that the bikes could go inside.

Honda Civic or Jazz with magic seats.

But! That original goal become subject to a lot of feature creep

I'll say.

It would be great to have the bikes inside a vehicle so that things are just more convenient.

It is great.

Although you’ll maybe want to get the windows blanked out / extra heavy tinted if you’re planning on leaving bikes in there overnight and not sleeping in it at the same time

We use a picnic blanket in our Honda Civic. It has strong old lady vibes (the picnic blanket, I mean, not the Honda Civic, well arguably that too, yes, but) so nobody would ever guess there's reasonably fancy road bikes lurking underneath.

So, decent example Honda Civic with magic seats - £2k
Old lady picnic blanket - £7.90 (that one's too posh if anything)

Total: £2,007.90

£2,007.90 - £70,000 = £67,992.10 profit.

Florence then Montalcino, day trips around the area too I guess. Yeah if I buy 2nd hand it will be known brand, 3PMSF and at least 6mm tread. Very likely to be driving back through Switzerland.

Not going to Siena? DTM

From living there it was a pain if it snowed but suspect that the Swiss bit will be the bit taht has the highest requirement for tyres.

no response from the VW place

Unless they perform a truly incredible turnaround attempt tomorrow I'd say you've made the right decision.

We use a picnic blanket in our Honda Civic. It has strong old lady vibes (the picnic blanket, I mean, not the Honda Civic, well arguably that too, yes, but) so nobody would ever guess there's reasonably fancy road bikes lurking underneath.

Yeah this is what i did in my old Polo too, i also had a totally unbranded bike bag i used to use which worked well, it was big enough to put an MTB in with just the front wheel out and also did a decent job of protecting the car from bike related detritus.

I feel like getting a bike suitable van that isn't like driving a commercial vehicle, for 30K less than this absolute shit show of a company is a pretty big win.

I think we should probably leave it as we have differing ideas about cars.

Amazing how quick Vans fill up. This is mine, with a motorbike and camping stuff for a week for 2 adults and a nipper. All the camping gear goes in plastic roller boxes which we can haul out and dump in a cupboard. I leave nowt of value in the van in between.

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What about the dog Joe?

Goes without saying mate. Still a seat leftover for you too....