Another milestone and great customer service

So while we were out and about at the weekend Dave reached another major milestone, 12000 miles. (and yes I did stop at the side of the road to take the photo)

Obviously I knew this meant it was time for his first service but I had a dilemma, Dave's supplying dealer is near 100 miles from home so not really an option for me, however I have a number of dealers nearby.

Now which one to choose? Either one that is part of a large group or a smaller family owned franchise? I would always tend to use the smaller business as I feel they tend to offer better customer service and an ex work colleague recommended them.

So I dropped Dave off yesterday and they provided me with a Renault Clio as a courtesy car (note to self when given the choice of cars next time DONT choose the Clio, underpowered and cramped compared to Dave), and collected him first thing this morning. Fully serviced and the nearside weather seal replaced under warranty.

I have to say what brilliant customer service by Jaybee Motors near Banbury and I think Dave has found his new 'doctors'.

McDacia here we come.

To quote the great men themselves...............

Elwood : It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses.



Jake : Hit it.


Or in this case.......

 It's 388 miles to Knockhill, we got a full tank of diesel, no cigarettes, it's dark......and the sunglasses are on the dash.

Time for Dave's journey to the McDacia meet to begin.

Autumn's here and getting excited.

Well it's been a bit quiet for Dave over the last couple of months. After the Dacia day he has been doing his duty as a daily commuter Monday to Friday and has now clocked up nearly 10,000 miles.

My Saturdays have been mainly working at the lock and Sundays have been out on the bike with Lewy and Albert, so Dave hasn't really had any adventures.

However we are getting quite excited about the 11th October.......

So what's happening on the 11th???

It's going to be a great day and also a chance for Dave to do a circuit of the track (albeit stuck behind the marshall's safety car). And promises of CAKE from the organiser.

I've heard a rumour that Dacia UK will be coming and hopefully bringing some goodies too.

If you fancy joining us pop over to the DaciaForum McDacia Day forum and sign up.

For us it's going to be a mad weekend as I won't get home from work until 11pm, then grab a quick 5ish hours sleep before leaving home at 5 a.m. for the 390 mile drive to Knockhill. So not many photos on the way up, but hopefully loads at Knockhill and a few more on a leisurely drive home on the Sunday.

See you there!!!!!

Dave and friends at Dacia Day

An early start Saturday morning and an 8am meeting with fellow enthusiast at Chieveley Services just off the M4.

Then head south on the A34 before joining the M3 and the M27

Then cross country through the New Forest

Before finally arriving at Beaulieu.

What a great location for a car show, with lovely facilities and a great display area.

It was great to see such a good turnout for the first ever UK Dacia Day.

And a big thank you to Andy Hieron and his team from Dacia UK for their support, their cars and of course the goodies too.

It was really great to meet and finally put faces to the names from DaciaForum and exchange ideas and experiences with the various models.

The weather was amazing and everyone appeared to enjoy the show.

Camera crews were on hand filming the cars and interviewing many of the owners.

As the day came to a close it gave me a chance to finally look around the museum and the Top Gear displays while Lewy looked after Albert. I returned to a very excited girlfriend telling me to quickly go and get Dave as she had managed to get permission for me to bring him down to the museum area for some unique photos.

I would like to personally thank some of the Beaulieu staff Jon Tee and Chris Palmer for arranging the photo opportunity and Brian Wood for giving Lewy a special guided tour of the museum and a lovely chat about her favourite car Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Dave in front of the Top Gear display building.

And with a beautiful classic bus outside the main motor museum

And another thank you for Chris for taking this great photo of me, Lewy, Albert and of course Dave

As you can see I was grinning from ear to ear.

What a fantastic day which wouldn't have happened without the hard work and dedication of D&M and Nick from the Daciaforum.

Roll on 2015 and hopefully a bigger and better show as the Dacia family grows.

Dave does Didcot......

Don't panic it's not a low budget remake of a dodgy porn film.

Since I have had Dave his daily commute to work has been up and down past the Didcot cooling towers, a great landmark that can be seen for miles around.

Didcot A was constructed for the Central Electricity Generating Board between 1964 - 1968 at a cost of around £104m, it was built on a former MoD ordnance depot and covered approximately 300 acres.

It ceased operations in March 2013.

So what has this got to do with Dave?

Well in the early hours of Sunday morning the three southern cooling towers are due for demolition by controlled explosions.

Dave will miss the landmarks particularly when driving north on the A34, so we have taken a few shots to remember them by.

Busy morning, new products and duck news

So those of you who read my blog frequently will know that Dave was dropped off at a secret location at the beginning of June for some research and development. Well today I revisited the company and I can now reveal what it was all about.

Those of us of a certain age will remember RGA bodykits back in the 80's, well the company have moved away from bodykits (although they do still have all the original moulds), have rebranded themselves, Richard Grant Mouldings and specialise in the design and manufacture of bumper protectors and sill guards.

Well Dave spent his overnight stay being measured and used as a basis for the newly designed protector for the 2013 onwards Sandero and Sandero Stepway, I got the call yesterday to tell me it was all finished and ready to be collected (and fitted).

Apparently Mr Grant wasn't happy with the initial design and suggested they redesigned it with the ridges to give it a more rugged look, they produce it in 4 colours, black, carbon fibre, brushed silver and plain silver, I went for the latter as I thought it would match the front and rear underbody panels. I think it looks quite good.

On the way back I thought I would pop into Tiggywinkles to see if they had any updates on Carl the duck.

Carl did have a broken wing and was very undernourished, they have been feeding him up and have this week released him from the hospital cages into the holding duck pond where he can be with other ducks while his wing heals and he continues to build up his strength.

Thank you to all the staff at Tiggys, you are brilliant.

They are back n black

Dave got his trims back today, I decided not to do it myself but rather pay for a professional job, glad I did they look stunning, well done RCS at Challow, top job.