Recent content by RogerL_5041474

Yes, Lutz, a reduction in the number of standards is a good idea. But in this case standards are proliferating. In the UK the used to be just one standard in use for car - caravan connections. It was the 12N+12S. Now we have two standards as the 13-pin connection is being imposed on the UK market.

Lutz's comment has just rung a bell with me. Planning permission isn't needed to store a caravan within the curtilage (garden) of a domestic residence provided it's use is incidental to the occupation of the property. This can be used as a valid defence to stop local authorities "banning"...

I understand full well that ISO standards take precedence over EN, which in turn take precedence over BS and DIN standards. The fact that some European manufacturers, of cars and caravans, can choose whether to use an EN standard or a different ISO standard makes a complete nonsense of "standards".

If find your argument about cost of change for the UK market somewhat strange. Car manufacturers will readily make RHD just for the UK, and have different suspension settings for the UK, Italy, France etc. These changes must cost a lot more to engineer than a change of towing electric...

Is the caravan parked on the public highway, which would include a public pavement, or is it on private property? If it's on a public highway it mustn't cause an obstruction and it must be lit at night. If it's on private land, it'll depend whether the land is soley owned, jointly owned by...

I agree with you totally, Lutz, but in these cases (PS and 13-pin connectors) these DIN standards HAVEN'T been adopted as EN standards.

The Skoda Octavia is "just" another variant on the Audi A3, VW Golf/Bora, SEAT Leon/Toledo platform (Chassis, Engine, Transmission, Suspension, Electrics etc). As a small towcar it's good because of it's weight and engine/transmission but suffers from excessive rear overhang in relation to the...

Yes, I understand that countries can use their own standards in addition to EN requirements, and long may that remain the case. So why aren't DIN standards restricted to domestic German products. Surely all products sold in the UK should comply with EN or BSI standards, not some non-standard...

Argos, Maplin and Radio Spares to name three. DIY places like B&Q also sell aerials BUT they may be specific to the locality, ie not wideband. Get as big an "Extra High-Gain" aerial as you can accomodate AND use a Maxview signal amplifier.

Why are German DIN standards used so much on European cars and caravans which have by law to comply with EN standards? DIN is simply the old German domestic eqivalent of the old British BSI. For countries in the EC, the EuroNorm (EN)has largely superceded both BSI and DIN. There seem to be any...

If your price range is 5-6 yrs old you've a slight dilema. At 30,000 you'll need a large conventional car/estate, not 4x4, with a diesel but at that age diesel power outputs were quite low although diesel torque has always been good. Try Vauxhall Omega saloon or estate. Early versions had a...

A motor mover should be fitted IN FRONT of the axle, whenever possible. Movement of the road tyre, up or down due to uneven ground, can cause a significant difference in position relative to the motor mover drive rollers if fitted behind the axle. When fitted in front this difference is...

Favourite smell - bacon and mushrooms being grilled in the morning. Worst smell - barbeque at any time - I don't understand why so many people like food that is both burned and raw at the same time.

I've suffered with back problems for several decades. The bed in our old Ace, which we had for 18 years, was wonderful. The foam was just 4" deep so you could feel the solid base underneath. My back was so much better after a week in the caravan. The bed in our current Pageant is 6" deep...

John L's comment about exceeding 13.8v are correct as far as the EN caravan standards go, but still a bit of caravanning myth. When your car's attached to the caravan, with the engine running, the "12v" system in the caravan will be running at 14.4v which all current cars run at. In practice it...