What Preps are you doing this week? Part 13

[GeraldTheBonzai]

Think I need to get the battery replaced on the car. It's one of these eco stop/start jobbies. Even though it's warm and had some longish runs, the stop/start isn't kicking in.

Had it serviced a couple of months back and the diagnostics flagged it as getting old. Unfortunately Fords are a bit picky on the type of battery you use plus the BMS needs to be reset/recalibrated, so looking like a dealership job...

A long motorway journey in hot weather can kill a battery if it’s on its last legs, you might have just got
it through winter when journeys are much shorter, I was told this by a mate, a RAC mechanic.

When I was talking to the chap in the garage he was explaining how these stop/start engines have smart alternators that "talk" to the battery bms, as well as the engine management system. Said they need multiple long runs so that the smarts know when best to charge the battery and when to activate the clever features. For instance, on mine, the stop/start disables itself if you have the indicator on...

When I was working I used to do a fair amount of business mileage. Now i've packed it in, for most of the week the car sits on the front or just does short trips. I still like it but can't help feeling that i'd be better off with something a bit more basic, without all the modern tech.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Think I need to get the battery replaced on the car. It's one of these eco stop/start jobbies. Even though it's warm and had some longish runs, the stop/start isn't kicking in.

Had it serviced a couple of months back and the diagnostics flagged it as getting old. Unfortunately Fords are a bit picky on the type of battery you use plus the BMS needs to be reset/recalibrated, so looking like a dealership job...

Most modern cars are fussy with batteries go for varta they seem to be better than most on the market been told today that yyuassa who used to be the dogs dangly bits are nothing like they were....

You've 2 common type of start stop battery

One being EFB (enhanced flooded battery)

And AGM (Advanced gell mat)

The latter been more expensive but a it's match what you have installed job

For coding ......


Some fords and your going to laugh at this ignition on.. within ten seconds.. press the fog lamp quickly 5 times then the hazard button 3 times and you'll see the battery indicator lamp flash

Next turn off hazards then turn off car


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iVik0YY9- ... 1HQg%3D%3D

Others it's the main beam flash and brake pedal

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/ATJoFo8IOhY

They dont seem to make it a standard procedure year on year


Look on YouTube for your make and year there will probably be a how to guide

[Frnc]

Got a mysterious email this morning about a NHS visit today, saying I had to fill in some info. I know nothing about a visit. Logged on to a Manchester section of the NHS. It said the visit is today and is virtual. I assume they will ring me. No time given. I did some detective work and logged on to a different page. Not sure how I got there. Eventually I found a message sent yesterday to their web portal (no way for me to know), saying they'll ring me today. Looks like it's just a routine follow up regarding some kidney stones that got picked up on a scan. I downloaded an app the email mentioned, but my login doesn't work. It should. It did work online. Poorly designed system. Wasted a lot of time. A lot of people would have ignored it, or rang their GP, but this is not from the GP.

[GeraldTheBonzai]

After my haggles with Virgin Media to get a better deal, they pinged me last week to say I needed to change my VM hub and they would send me a new one. Now, in my experience of dealing with VM kit, things are normally fine until you have to change anything, at which point it’s a nightmare. As such it was with a degree of trepidation that I did the router switch this morning.

After multiple reboots and hub software updates it seemed to settle down - took about 30 minutes. Then a case of logging in, tweaking DHCP and changing the SSID/passphrase to the same as the old router.

All the Mac were fine - sorted themselves out and just worked. The linux boxes - fine - most have static IPs anyway.

Then SHMBO’s windows laptop…. Omfg… unhappy, reboot, still unhappy, reboot, WiFi off, WiFi on, still can’t connect, delete the WiFi connection, recreate the connection, can’t connect. Best part of 30 minutes later, it’s suddenly happy. I f@cking hate windows…

Turns out, old router was WiFi5. New router is WiFi6. Every other OS - no problem. Windows... ooh new hardware, need to reconfigure everything as new wifi doesnt match old wifi... And this is a brand new windows 11 laptop...

[Frnc]

I was nervous when UW sent me a new router. Had no issues though. I think I read the wrong bit setting up wifi for my phone at first. Mac is on wire anyway. Think I also had to change TV setting.

[Frnc]

Never got the NHS phone call. Found another email leading to a link saying I had an actual appointment yesterday. But if I clicked on the link in that, it said virtual.
Now it's vanished. So I don't know what was supposed to be happening. Do they think they can send people vague cryptic emails and expect them to be there the next day? No time was given. I didn't even know which hospital. One message I eventually found did say, but the others didn't.

Could have all been a mistake. Someone playing with a new system. It's rubbish, anyway. The links were to Manchester University section of the NHS, but the website is linked to an app called MyChart.

I might give them a ring today and see if I can get to the bottom of it.

[Arzosah]

Frnc, the NHS admin sounds horrendous - I get the sense down here that there are too many ways of doing things - GP, A&E, private referrals, polyclinics, specialist clinics, it's really become a mess.

[Frnc]

Frnc, the NHS admin sounds horrendous - I get the sense down here that there are too many ways of doing things - GP, A&E, private referrals, polyclinics, specialist clinics, it's really become a mess.

Yep. When I burned my hand in Devon and had to get it checked here it was a nightmare to sort out. In the end, all I needed to do was walk into the Emergency Department when it opened.

With this new one, I did manage to speak to the department secretary, and she's going to look into it. I get the impression it might have been an online internal meeting to review my case. I was last seen 3 years ago, and nothing needed to be done. Maybe I was accidentally included in the meeting.

[GeraldTheBonzai]

Dealing with the NHS these days tends to be a nightmare at the best of times. The clinical and medical staff are fine, but the administrative functions just seem to not work. Anything to do with letters, appointments or correspondence in general just seems to disappear into a black hole and then, if you are lucky, pops out at some indeterminate point in the future.

[Kiwififer]

Not quite a prep but I have a job interview in an hour for a ‘diagonal’ promotion. It’s a senior position but for a different team, more responsibilities and a wee bit more money…

Wish me luck!