Only 58 hours to go until we head off for the Ring.
80 hours until we can get on the track, where I will be driving very sensibly… Feeling most aware of the hazards associated with this trip.
Took the Saab to a little Supra meet on Sunday, organised by Steve who is responsible for the Ring trip. The Saab needed a run since it had sat for a week.
Drove fine, although all those poly bushes make bad road surfaces very noticable.
After the meet, since I was in North Wocester and needed fuel, I headed to the Shell garage between Droitwich and Bromsgrove since it was close and I only use V-Power. Shell fuel is tricky to find. There was a convenient station in Worcester, but they closed that a few years back. There was one in Ledbury (expensive), but that became Texaco. This Shell station has become BP. Not happy.
Put in £25 of BP Ultimate, but that is 97 octane… how can that be considered Ultimate? 98 octane fuel is recommended by Saab for the Aero in standard tune, and I run much more boost than standard…
Anyway, hopefully I will be able to get Shell at Bracknall on my drive South on Wednesday night – if they haven’t turned it into another company. Are Shell closing stations because they are doing badly?
On arriving home from my dissapointing fill I decided to give the car a bit of a pre-trip clean.Hoover, interior plastics, wiped the brake dust off the wheels. Car was clean due to being garaged, but a little dust from a small rain shower was present. I lightly wiped the bodywork and then cleaned the glass with Autoglym car glass cleaner.
On doing this I noticed some fine scratched in the windscreen. I am now not sure as to whether these were there fom the wipers (seem to be in the right direction), or from the polishing when it wasn’t perfectly clean… it’s hard to tell. Noticed fine marks in the paint as well, but these could have always been there since it is 11 years old, and I am only becoming sesitive to them since I started looking for them. Either way, it’s all very minor, and for an 11yo car it’s in good condition.
Still not using any engine oil (decent Saab engines), and can’t see any evidence on the garage floor of gearbox oil so that’s good.
Have equipped car with 4 yellow Hi-vis vests, and added gaffa tape, spare silicone hose, Haynes manual and a small multitool to the collection of goodies in the spare wheel well.
Lucky the Saab has a big boot, since we will have 2 holdalls, cool box (bring goodies back from France), 2 helmets (one in bulky bag), Disklok and other bits and pieces.