Commentary by GL

Write to GL with relevant comments about MG ownership (NO SPAM please).


 
Fuel costs
By the end of December 2004, lead replacement petrol (LRP) will no longer be available in Western Australia.
It will be necessary to buy Premium Unleaded (PULP) and add an Anti Valve Seat Recession (AVSR) additive.
I decided to check out the cost of the fuel. The WA Government FuelWatch site gives daily comprehensive price details.

On September 24, 2004 I found LRP was priced between 4 and 6 cents per litre more than unleaded petrol (ULP) and PULP was 5 to 6 cents more than ULP. The price diffential varied between fuel companies and on this day the best prices were at Peak and Woolworths at 5 cents more than ULP.

For fuel price information, see the W.A. Government site fuelwatch.wa.gov.au


 

Christmas in July 1999
Christmas was celebrated 6 months early on July 25, 1999 at The Packing Shed at Lawnbrook in Bickley.
This very fine lunch was attended by 26 people who drove their MGs up into the hills and down into the valley to find this hidden venue.
Despite the dark clouds later in the day, the weather remained fine. This was probably because a few people ran back to the car park to put up their roof.
We were welcomed with mulled wine and appetisers and later had a traditional meal of ham and white meat with vegetables. This was followed by a traditional christmas pudding. All was supplied at a very reasonable price and some people bought a bottle of the wine produced at the winery.

Santa then visited and distributed presents. One little girl would not sit on his knee, but everyone else did. One woman, whose husband was absent while Santa was there, got a very special embrace from the man in red. You had to be there to appreciate it.
The club took up about half of this restaurant and the other patrons got some free entertainment.

I think they would have us back and thanks should go to Sally and Peter for their efforts in making this another great occasion.

Click here to see a picture


 

Car Security
In Western Australia after July 1, 1999 it will be necessary to have an approved immobiliser in cars that are less than 25 yeas old before they can be transferred to a new owner.  The government is providing a $40.00 subsidy to have immobilisers fitted.

With this in mind I realised that before long, my prized MGB may be one of the few cars in the car park that did not have that little flashing red light to indicate the presence of a security system.  To avoid being a target for thieves, I investigated the options.

Basic systems are available for $79.00 and $89.00 after taking into account the government subsidy.  They immobilise both the ignition and starter circuits automatically 30 seconds after the ignition is turned off.

There are options for sirens and more sophisticated security controls and features.  There are imported and locally made products. Some have 10 amp circuit breakers and others are rated at 20 amps.  Some are sold and installed by muffler shops and others by qualified auto electricians.  You can see advertisements for them in the RAC magazine.

The immobiliser is turned off with a little microchip wand that you should keep on your key ring.
Many immobilisers have a personalised pin code to allow you to start the car if you have lost the wand.  The code is entered by turning on the ignition and then turning it off after counting a certain number of flashes and repeating this process four or six times.  Make sure that your installer gives you a personalised code.  Otherwise your car could be started by anyone who knows the default code that is in the unit when it is delivered.

For more information, see the W.A. Government site immobilisers.wa.gov.au
 


 

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