240 General: Down Under holiday snap

[John Tancredi]

While most of you guys are wrapping up your 240s against the winter weather, here's a quick taste of the weather Down Under... (Constance Bay, South Island, NZ)...! Happy Christmas! John.

[JIM C]

Well we have had frost on the car up in in bonnie scotland over the past few days.

[Mike_Brace]

We can but envy you. Mine is more black than silver at present desperastely needing all that salt washing off it. Looking out the window I cab see beautiful frost patterns all over it. Oh for some nice hot sunshine!
thanks for sharing it with us though - lovely pic.

Mike

[PTJS]

Here in Derbyshire the sands are blowing and the aircon is at full stretch - not! My waxoyled 240 just laughs in the face of adversity at our crap winter weather - this is what they were built for.

Phil

[John Tancredi]

Originally Posted by PTJS

My waxoyled 240 just laughs in the face of adversity at our crap winter weather - this is what they were built for.

Phil

Quite right... but it's still hard on the vehicles.

Besides in Sweden I don't think they use salt on the roads as it attracts the elks/whatever who then stop in the middle of the road to lick it up.... They use studded tyres instead. So it may be that 240s were not actually built to withstand salt after all! (If anyone knows better, please correct me!)

Here in NZ, the authorities just close the roads when there's more than a dusting of snow... which is an absolute pain... but at least the cars survive. Just as well really as parts here are far more expensive than in UK/Europe so one thing helps to balance out the other!

[Checkpoint Charlie]

For those of us who live North of the Bombay Hills (a small hill range at the southern border of what everyone sensible would describe as the suburb of Manukau but in reality is the southern edge of Auckland) we do not get any of that white stuff that falls out of the sky - ever. We had one night last winter when there was a slight dusting of frost on the windscreen but not on our lawn, only once though!

I just could not go back to living in the UK winter, did it on and off for over 30 years and that was 29 years too long. We have a great climate here and I would commend New Zealand to anyone who wants to live in a great country. I have lived in many parts of the world over the years and this is the place. They used to call it Gods own country and I reckon they were not far wrong.

Strictly speaking we should send greetings from on top, to those of you downunder in the UK since astronomers show north as down not up, so in astronomical terms the South pole is at the top of the globe.
Seasons Greetings from NZ,
Checkpoint Charlie

[John Tancredi]

Originally Posted by Checkpoint Charlie

For those of us who live North of the Bombay Hills (a small hill range at the southern border of what everyone sensible would describe as the suburb of Manukau but in reality is the southern edge of Auckland) we do not get any of that white stuff that falls out of the sky - ever. We had one night last winter when there was a slight dusting of frost on the windscreen but not on our lawn, only once though!

I just could not go back to living in the UK winter, did it on and off for over 30 years and that was 29 years too long. We have a great climate here and I would commend New Zealand to anyone who wants to live in a great country. I have lived in many parts of the world over the years and this is the place. They used to call it Gods own country and I reckon they were not far wrong.

Strictly speaking we should send greetings from on top, to those of you downunder in the UK since astronomers show north as down not up, so in astronomical terms the South pole is at the top of the globe.
Seasons Greetings from NZ,
Checkpoint Charlie

Hi, I agree with most of what you said, but I do get homesick (for England), although I'd probably get "homesick" for NZ if I actually went back for any length of time.

Fortunately, down here in the civilised part of NZ, we do enjoy some proper "white" weather in winter which makes things feel more like home. I don't know how people can live in sticky humid Auckland... Then there's the traffic up there - might as well be on the M25...! Ah well, the good old north/south rivalry... not too unfamiliar to people "back home" although the reasons are quite different!

All the best, John.

[Mike_Brace]

Originally Posted by Mike_Brace

Mine is more black than silver at present desperastely needing all that salt washing off it.

Mike

This is how it looked after 800 miles of salty roads - now washed off thank goodness.



At least the days will getting longer now and we can dream of trips to sunny places.

Mike

[John Tancredi]

Originally Posted by Mike_Brace

This is how it looked after 800 miles of salty roads - now washed off thank goodness.
Mike

That's the problem, eh... I remember once driving across Germany in mid winter and the salt from the trucks in front was just caking the windscreen. The washers had frozen (it was a Citroen BX!) so I was reduced to having to stop every few miles on a German motorway to scrape off all the salt! Not a lot of fun...!

[Mike_Brace]

I run with 100% concentrate screen wash - so far no problems with it freezing. Also keep some in a spray bottle for cleaning all the lights and mirrors with a supply of clean cloths.

Mike