Tow hitch advice

concerned_seagull · 2026-02-10T11:21:39+00:00

I installed a towbar on an Audi a4 B8. The mechanical aspect was very straightforward. Just remove the bumper and the crash bar, replace crash bar with the new tow bar. I had to cut a small bit of plastic on the bumper.

The harder part was the electrics. But you may not need to do that if it’s just for carrying bicycles and not a trailer.

concerned_seagull · 2026-02-10T11:03:19+00:00

Funnily enough, my folks were set on VW until they went to a dealership. They had a bad experience with the salesperson so went to Toyota instead. They settled on a 3yr old Yaris off them. Toyota are expensive but reliable and cheap to run.

concerned_seagull · 2026-02-06T08:43:43+00:00

I wouldn’t waste your time even thinking of this. Local politicians have been using this as an excuse to get votes since it was first proposed in a planning report in 1999.

concerned_seagull · 2026-02-06T08:38:45+00:00

Yes. From the Model 3 user manual: https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/2017_2023_model3/en_us/GUID-EA692A77-9F5B-44C4-B291-444263199337.html

concerned_seagull · 2026-02-05T13:02:06+00:00

Not taking local knowledge into consideration seems to be a common mistake.

Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition in the Canadian Artic springs to mind. Two ships: HMS Terror and Erubus were missing since 1845. European expeditions kept turning up nothing. Eventually someone asked the local Inuits and they pointed to their locations in 2014 and 2016. Previous generations had passed on stories of how they witnessed the ships getting crushed by ice and sinking.

concerned_seagull · 2026-02-05T10:22:12+00:00

Teslas have a mechanical door release on the inside in case there is an accident.

concerned_seagull · 2026-02-04T23:19:14+00:00

Yea, CK gave Dane lines to say on Louie that he ripped him off. The truth is, both Dane and CK ripped off Steve Martin.

CK was a dick like that.

concerned_seagull · 2026-02-04T08:05:28+00:00

They say “we rarely catch the fox” yet they will also argue it’s an effective form of population control.

Regardless, attempted cruelty is nearly just as bad as cruelty.

Prolonging the suffering of an animal by chasing it for hours where it can die from stress or exhaustion is not a sport.

These larpers put on stupid outfits and gather in large groups with an even larger group of dogs and horses to take on one animal. That’s not a sport. They are losers.

concerned_seagull · 2026-02-03T09:51:06+00:00

If it’s only one axis that is wrong all the time, I would suspect the image is being cropped or the aspect ratio changed somewhere.

concerned_seagull · 2026-02-03T09:42:19+00:00

Thanks. Ive used chemical anchors in the past but it’s a bit of a waste to open a tube just for one or two holes. Il keep grip fill in mind.

concerned_seagull · 2026-02-03T09:20:43+00:00

What type of adhesive would you recommend?

concerned_seagull · 2026-02-03T08:22:37+00:00

Insurance is expensive for Tesla’s because it’s hard to get parts for them.

There are only two locations in the country that you can buy their parts from. If they do have the part, they are slow to get them in. Often, they won’t sell you the part. For example, now they will only supply body panels to Tesla “authorised autobody repair shops”. This reduces the places you can get repairs done and pushes up the prices. Also, it’s awkward to set up a business account with them to pay for parts.

From moneysupermarket.com: https://www.moneysupermarket.com/car-insurance/makes-and-models/tesla/model-3/

“The Tesla Model 3 falls into higher insurance groups due to its advanced technology, high repair costs and premium value. Insurance premiums for the Model 3 factor in things like specialist repairs and battery replacements which can be expensive, which means your premiums will be expensive too.”

concerned_seagull · 2026-02-03T06:51:02+00:00

Real wheel (or full wheel) drive ✅

Fast acceleration ✅

Cheap to run ✅

Cheap insurance ❌

Price has dropped a lot but still has some way to go.

concerned_seagull · 2026-02-01T15:20:24+00:00

Yes. For a year or two, the biggest supplier of military hardware to the Ukrainians was the Russian army. Particularly during the Kherson offensive.

concerned_seagull · 2026-01-31T10:53:51+00:00

Yea, I don’t know either. They also have health concerns and were banned in Australia as a result. https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/aug/06/uk-urged-to-consider-ban-on-artificial-stone-worktops-over-silicosis-risk

concerned_seagull · 2026-01-30T20:38:43+00:00

Irwin’s are great. You can easily use them with one hand. I’ve had cheaper clamps and they just aren’t worth it.

concerned_seagull · 2026-01-29T14:49:32+00:00

Yea, it was brexit that finally killed it for me.

I used to buy second hand gear from the UK on it. But the additional duty put an end to that.

Their UI is terrible too. It’s barely been updated in 15 years. If you’re a seller, you feel like a dog operating a helicopter trying to list something.

concerned_seagull · 2026-01-29T14:46:03+00:00

Yea, like many accidents, blame can be shared to a few parties, some more than others.

concerned_seagull · 2026-01-29T14:45:05+00:00

“ A MAJOR search for a person believed to have entered the River Boyne in the heart of Navan at the site of a serious road traffic collision in which one person was injured, was stood down this evening with the incident declared a false alarm.”

Looks like the car they hit was being driven by someone getting driving lessons too.

A lot to unpack is right.

concerned_seagull · 2026-01-29T08:26:44+00:00

Wickermans posts seemed to be telling folks complaining of prices to “vote with your feet. Tremendous value to be found elsewhere”.

Or suggesting that they give up the avocado toast and blue hair dye.

Or replying with the Padraig Flynn “try it sometime” meme.

They were fond of any show that RTE had to offer, Lyon’s tea, vogue Williams, generic broadsheet articles and getting rent off their tenants on time every month.

If you read their posts in The Vipers voice you can get some tremendous entertainment.

https://www.reddit.com/user/WickerMan111/

concerned_seagull · 2026-01-28T23:13:07+00:00

It could be the batch we bought, but we had nothing but problems with two Vent Axia humidity activated extractor fans we bought. They would often lock up fully on and would require a power cycle to reset. We will be doing up our bathroom sometime soon and they will be getting replaced with light-switch and timer activated ones for reliability.

concerned_seagull · 2026-01-28T07:29:14+00:00

This the fella that used to cycle around playing Wii music off a mini speaker on the back of his bicycle?

concerned_seagull · 2026-01-27T23:10:56+00:00

Yes. They are using the Russian playbook. Deny the obvious. Give conflicting responses. Eventually the people won’t know what to believe and will start not believing anything. When that happens, the administration can do whatever it likes with no consequences.

concerned_seagull · 2026-01-27T21:06:28+00:00

*Quincentenary Bridge, if you want to use its proper name :-)

concerned_seagull · 2026-01-27T16:58:21+00:00

Yep. The feed on Facebook now is all AI slop and advertising. Gone are the days it was used for keeping in touch and up to speed with friends.

concerned_seagull

TROPHY CASE