dagaffman

I've just ordered a new Ford Focus and have chosen the option of the 18" 5 spoke alloys, as I don't think the standard wheels are so nice. Only after leaving the dealership, I began having doubts as to what the rear brakes would be... Drum or discs. The dealers ive spoken to cant say for certain what cars are given what brakes, so I was wondering if anyone out there knew, or could find the specs for all Focus engines/series online... Ive looked but cant find...

Ive gone for a 1.6 150PS petrol engine, Titanium X with manual gearbox.... If my car doesnt already come with disc brakes, can I pay extra for them??? Ive seen Used versions of my model, and it appears some have discs, some have drums!!!

If anyone can provide a link to help me, or an answer based on experience, it would be appreciated...

Many thanks!!!

Hi, i'm awaiting delivery of a new Panasonic LED TV (TXL42D25B) and 5.1 DVD Home cinema system (SC-PT480EB-K). I want to buy decent HDMI and Optical cables to get the best performance from the set up...

Before I take a guess as to how many cables i'm going to need, I thought i'd try get some advice from experienced people on here, rather than being sold everything by the shop!!!

Apart from the new TV and Home Cinema unit, I will have a Sky+HD box, PS3 and a Wii...

Can anyone "simply" explain what will plug into what, and with which cables....

Many thanks!!!

I need to make a decision once and for all...

I have a Juwel Rio 300 tank, with gravel, bog wood and some rocks. Not over crowded with decor, but not empty either, so say medium decor.

From Juwel website - Volume: approx. 350 Litres (I wont mention Gallons as UK & US are different).

Measurements: Length 121cm x Width 51cm x Height 66cm

I have :-

1 x 2" Albino Oscar

2 x 2" Parrot Fish

1 x 3" Plec

I know that this lot are gonna grow, and probably grow quickly. I have been to a few shops who have told me that I have plenty of room for another Oscar (I want a tiger), and these are resectable / experienced people. But having looked at various websites it seems that some people think otherwise...

Who do I believe???

P.S. When they get bigger, I might just lose some of the decor if it looks necessary!!!

Thanks.

I just bought two, 2 inch Parrot fish for my 350 litre tropical aquarium, to go with my Plec who has been on his own for a couple of weeks. I did my best to give them a stress free introduction to my tank, but its been two days now, and all they do is hide behind bogwood/rocks whenever me or my other half walk into the room. We see them in the main part of the tank together when we slowly poke our heads into the room, so I dont think theyre ill/injured. I bet they have a party when we leave the house!!!

Im used to having a community tank with guppy's, tetra's etc, where fish dont hide, so i'm wondering if this is normal for Parrot fish, and whether they will become more confident with time and growth???

Hoping to add an Oscar soon, nothing else!!!

I have just upgraded my 100 litre tropical fish tank, to a 350 litre tank, and would like to go for a change of fish type. I was just wondering which of my old fish I could keep.

At the moment I have (please excuse spelling mistakes) :-

Coolie Loaches, 1 x Corydorus Cat, 1 x Plec, Danios, Harlequins, 1 x Clown Loach, Neon/Cardinal Tetra's and a Ruby shark (which I know isnt really a community fish, but has not caused any problems).

I was thinking of keeping Cichlids which apparently is a big No No for the tetras, danios and harlequins (so i'd give them away), but I was wondering if it would be safe to keep the Plec, Coolie Loaches, Corydorus and the Ruby shark???

Are some Cichlids better than others for beginners??? I want to have a small number, that can grow to a nice size...

Thanks.

I have just picked up my new Juwel Rio 300 fish tank for my tropicals, which has 4 light tubes in the hood (two bulbs on each of the two plugged units).

Two of the bulbs are High Lite "Natural" and the other two are High Lite "Day."

It has come out of the packaging with a "Natural" bulb and a "Day" bulb on each plugged unit.

Should it stay like this, so when lights are on, there is a mixture of both lights, or should i have both "Natural" bulbs on one plug, and both "Day" bulbs on the other plug, and use at separate times????

Hope this hasnt confused you too much, because it has me. I need a lay down!!!

Thanks.

Answers from financial advisors / mortgage brokers etc are very welcome...

18 Months ago I bought a house with my other half, but due to her making 3 late credit card payments a year or so prior to our mortgage application, it worked out better for the mortgage to be in my name only, as opposed to a joint mortgage. She apparently had a poor credit rating. The mortgage rate was fairly high (6.26%) for that time due to the risk of a single applicant, considering others were getting mortgages around the 5% mark!!!

In the meantime, we've been working on building her credit rating up... Buying stuff in her name on credit cards, paying back in full immediately etc. But this month she has gone overdrawn on her bank account, and missed a credit card payment... After 18 months of "hard work", its fair to say that I wouldnt mind strangling her right now!

Do you think this nightmare month has screwed it all up for when our 2 year mortage expires in Jan/Feb 2010, and we try for a joint application??? Or does the credit history only start getting affected after a number of consecutive missed payments etc....

Heres hoping the rate is lower next time!!!

Many thanks...

I'm collecting a 1 year old used Ford Focus from a Ford dealer tomorrow. It looked all very nice etc when I saw it last week, but i'm trying to think up a checklist for when I finally sign on the dotted line and drive it away.

It has full Ford service history and i'm pretty satisfied that i'm not buying a wreck as its only done 12,000 miles on a diesel engine. I'm aware this doesn't automatically make it all ok, but without being able to take the car to pieces, it all seems pretty sound!!!

What things should I ensure are in/with the car when I take it from the dealer.

So far, i'm thinking Floor mats, Spare Wheel (or space saver) and kit, Alloy wheel locking nuts...

Anything else pop to anyones mind???

Thanks.

With whats been happening to General Motors, would it be a bad idea to buy a Used Vauxhall in the UK at the moment? Are prices going to drop and vehicle value plummet like Rover did? Or is it a totally different situation?

Also, if you know the answer, how do you know it???

Thanks.

Hello,

I'm using Windows Vista, and loading up Microsoft Flight Sim X. I have been doing this for ages, and there has been no problems. The Taskbar at the bottom and a bar at the top of the screen would not appear. The game screen would fill the monitor basically.

Just recently, I now have the Taskbar (Start Menu etc) and a Top Bar with "Microsoft Flight Simulator X" on the left, and the "minimize, restore down and close" icons, showing during game play.

Any ideas why they would be showing up now? I dont remember changing any settings (unless my other half has!). Also, how do I get rid of them?

The Taskbar is unlocked, and I have tried minimizing, then maximizing using the Top bar with no joy.

Thanks.

I'm taking my girlfriend to New York at the end of January next year. Any recommendations for things to do??? I know there's plenty, but with only 3 nights, i've got to choose carefully.

She's a BIG "Friends" fan. Is there anything to do with the show that we can visit???

Thanks.

I've been planning on booking a holiday for the last couple of weeks, and i've seen a hotel which looks nice and in a perfect location etc.

This morning I looked on a few "review" websites and found that while the majority of people enjoyed their stay at the hotel of my choice, there were one or two people who apparently were really disappointed. It has put a little doubt in my mind, but then I cant see a hotel out there with anywhere near 100% perfect reviews.

I wondered whether rival hotels faked negative entries onto other hotels, likewise tour operators fake positive entries???

What do you think???

I'm looking at the Westin Hotel, Times Square, New York BTW.

Thanks.

Imagine this.... You could stand on the Sun (without getting burnt) and you could shout so loud that someone on our planet Earth could hear you.

How long would it take for your sound to travel to Earth and be heard by the other person???

And if you were big enough to be seen waving to the other person on Earth, how long would it take for your "image" (or light) to reach that person???

And no, i'm not on drugs!!!

I borrowed my neighbours Coca Cola pop up gazebo, and four of the metal roof poles have bent slightly and look really weak. I dont remember them being like that when I first put it up, so I want to replace it for them incase it was me that broke it.

He got it as a promotional / marketing item from his work, so i'm not sure if they ever made them for general sale....

Ive searched the internet, including ebay and cant find them anywhere...

Its approx 2.5 metres squared with no side panels.

HELP!!!!

I'm off to Toronto with my other half for two weeks to visit her Dad who lives there. I wont be hiring a car, as her Dad has kindly offered me the use of one of his cars.

I obviously want to be legal etc. Is my full UK drivers licence ok to drive on while i'm out there, and how do I get insurance for using his car? Not sure if he puts me on his policy over there, or whether my personal insurance has to be adjusted?

Thanks.

I'm planning of flying from London to Toronto in June this year. I've been watching the ticket prices slowly decrease in price since Christmas time.

Does there become a point where demand nearer the time may push the prices back up again???

I dont want to leave it so late that the airlines have sold out.

Answers from travel agents or airline workers especially welcome!!!

Thanks.

I've recently moved into a house (hopefully for the long term), and would like to replace the current boiler for something that is more efficient, and that will give me hot water 24/7.

I've got 3 or 4 different Corgi registered companies coming to give me quotes over the next few days... i'm told the current boilers being installed are mainly condenser combi boilers. Apparently, this means my old water tank in loft and emersion heater in airing cupboard will be removed.

Do you have any advice for me, so that I dont get sold down the river... what were your experiences etc???

I probably cant afford to replace radiators and have a complete new system, but have been told that flushing the system and putting new radiator taps on isnt too hard or expensive???

My house is a 2 bed semi with side garage (where current boiler is), has 5 radiators downstairs, and 3 upstairs. Water pressure seems quite low..... if any of this info helps???

Thanks.

Might be a silly question, but its kind of importnant that I get this right...

Im just about to start my £225,000 mortgage on my new house. As I understand it, i'm allowed to make overpayments of up to 10% of the loan balance every year without being charged a penalty. I'm assuming this being the case, they'd let me pay up to £22,500 on top of my regular monthly payments in the 1st year??? The 2nd year will be very slightly less???

I just dont know if there's something hidden that I might be missing...and dont want to get stung. Hopefully, its just me being over cautious.

Does it make finacial sense to make these overpayments monthly, yearly or to save the money in a high interest account and hand it over when I re-mortgage at the end of my 2 year fixed term???

Thanks.

I'm due an upgrade later in the month...

What phone would you recommend? I've been using Sony Ericsson phones and like them.

I do loads of texting and would like a lot of memory for music. Not too bothered about the camera being great.

P.S. Orange have told me the Sony Ericsoon W960i wont be released by them.

I've just been on the phone to Orange about getting an upgrade. I asked them if they were going to release their version of the Sony Ericsson W960i any time soon. They said that although the phone was a good walkman, the general phone use (calls & texts) was so poor that they wont release it at all!!!

Anyone else heard this from their mobile phone operators??? Or think that this isnt true for any reason???

Knowing my luck, i'll get a different phone all together, and Orange will decide to release the W960i.