At first Sparshatts said on the phone they would sort it out as part of the service (which was covered by the combined service and breakdown cover policy I had with the car), but when I got there they were unwilling to commit to anything. In the end they apparently blew some air on them to clean off any dust, but after a few miles they started squealing again.

I’m not very impressed. A one year old car should not have brake problems, even if the performance of said brakes does not seem to be affected. I suppose I will have to look into solutions myself.

Otherwise the car is still excellent in most other ways. There is a nasty corner near where I work that is obscured by that pillar I mentioned in my review but I have learnt to look from a different angle there now. I adjusted the mirrors to give a better view of the blind spots which seems to have worked really well, and they are designed such that only the actual mirror moves rather than the whole body so they don’t get pushed out of place by the car wash.

I am pretty impressed by this. The order was for about �10 and I’m sure most places would just write it off (hi Weycrest). They� have requested samples from the bad batches and samples of how the colour should print. I will send the package off on Monday and fingers crossed they can get it right this time.

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I was hoping for some more concrete proposals to sort this out, but hopefully whatever they are planning will improve the situation.

As a bit of an aside I think this sort of thing is unfortunately symptomatic of the BBC’s attitude towards the viewers. The opinions of the public are held in high regard, and it’s normal for them not to be challenged at all. To me that seems completely backwards. Members of the public are usually the least likely to have any kind of reasoned and informed opinion, while those who can bring those qualities to the debate are interrogated vigorously (as they should be).

With regards to HYS specifically, the decision not to allow any kind of structured debate where people can respond to each other is, IMHO, a clear example of treating the public’s opinion with more reverence than it deserves. If someone says something which cannot stand up to scrutiny or debate then the BBC should not shield them.

I decided to look at the Mitsubishi Colt after reading some magazine reviews and checking various web sites. I was lucky enough to have a test drive in it’s native Japan, and despite the less than ideal test track it did reassure me that it was comfortable and refined. Back in the UK I test drove a Suzuki Splash and a Subaru Justy, but neither really impressed me. The Splash is nice enough but had no character at all, and the Justy was underpowered and noisy.

I decided to get the ClearTec model in an attempt to keep running costs down. The ClearTec 1.3l engine is not only more efficient than most but also has a feature called “Auto Stop & Go”. More on that later. The spec lists the “combined cycle” fuel consumption as 56MPG, and I have managed to hit that level a few times on the way to work when the roads are not too busy.

The Colt is a solid and well made car. The interior doesn’t seem cheap or flimsy and it’s pretty quiet when running. Importantly for me it’s quite a tall car with big, wide opening doors that make it easy to get in and out of. The position of the steering wheel is nicely adjustable and the seats are comfortable with good back support and ample adjustment options. All the controls are within easy reach and the displays are big and clear. They are lit evenly in orange with the lights on. All the usual features are there, as well as a few less usual ones like cruise control (which works very well), air con and fully electric mirrors. Rear privacy glass is standard, as are alloy wheels on the ClearTec model.

There are lots of little touches like being able to tap the indicator lever to indicate three times and then automatically cancel, ideal for lane changes and roundabout exits. The washers have a similar feature, as well a speed sensitive intermittent operation where the wipers speed up as the car goes faster. Overall it’s all very well thought out and implemented.

The sound system is pretty good too, with front and rear speakers. Touches like a leather wheel and gear knob add to the sense of class and refinement that I found other cars in this price range lacked. The car is also quite practical, with a decent boot and fold flat rear seats. Inside it’s very spacious.

The thing that most impressed me though is the handling. It’s the sort of thing that is hard to judge on a short test drive, but having owned it for six months I’m now really enjoying it. The suspension is pretty stiff so the car doesn’t roll when cornering, and you can fling it into a bend with confidence. It manages to absorb the many bumps and pot-holes on your average British road without sacrificing stability which is no mean feat on a relatively tall car like this. The 1.3l ClearTec engine isn’t particularly fast but still manages to shift when you ask it to and has plenty of power left at motorway speeds to not worry about overtaking etc. The breaks are very sharp too, requiring only a tap to activate.

I had parking sensors fitted to mine and have found it pretty easy to manoeuvre into narrow spaces in packed roads. The sensors are very, um, sensitive and will warn you about stuff to the side of the car as well as directly behind it. I quickly learnt that you only really use them to warn of things you haven’t seen or are trying to judge distance from, because they do go off a lot when backing up. That’s not a bad thing by any means.

Visibility is generally pretty good in the Colt, except for the side pillars which block your view at some junctions. The wing mirrors are extra large and provide good coverage.

The ClearTec engine works well. The “Auto Stop & Go” feature basically turns the engine off when the car is stationary and in neutral. The moment you put your foot back down on the clutch the engine comes on again. The idea is to save fuel when not moving while in a queue or waiting for the lights to change. When not moving you are getting exactly 0MPG. It’s quite intelligent, for example not activating if the wheels are turned in (such as when turning into a side road) or if the battery is a little bit low. Mitsubishi claim that it doesn’t do the battery any harm and the starter motor is supposed to last the lifetime of the car, but of course only time will tell on that. It does take a little getting used to as well, but once you learn not to try and second guess it everything “just works”. How much fuel it really saves I’m not sure, but the car seems pretty efficient and cheap to run overall. I spend less on petrol than I did with my old 1.0l Suzuki Alto.

About the only thing that does bother me about this car is that the air-con only delivers lukewarm air for the first few minutes until the engine heats up. It clears the windscreen in under a minute but takes longer to raise the cabin temperature on a cold winter morning. At first I wasn’t entirely convinced by the looks of the car either, but they have grown on me. It’s not ugly or anything, just an unusual shape from some angles. The addition of a spoiler really improves things I think. Colour wise you can have pearl white or red for free, or various metallic colours. It looks good in white but of course like all white cars shows the dirt up. I went for black in the end and am pretty happy with it.

There are other cars which on paper look like they might have an edge over the Colt, but spec isn’t everything. Mitsubishi have come up with a brilliant design which is well executed. The Suzuki Splash and Skoda Fabia are good examples cars which seem good on paper but which fail to impress when you get behind the wheel. The Skoda is pretty nippy but otherwise seems a bit cheap and basic inside, while the Splash is just utterly unremarkable.

In theory you can have two full size A4 pages on screen, but in practice you can’t because toolbars and window borders take up some space.

Half the screen is 960 pixels which is too small for many web sites which assume at least a 1024 pixel wide browser window. Otherwise it would be perfect for having two browser windows open side by side.

Clearly the only option is to upgrade to a 28″ monitor :)

The Bluray has only slightly better picture quality than the DVD. It’s not even as good as downloaded 720p, but I suppose it’s the best you can expect given that it was shot on 16mm and edited digitally with effects added.

The biggest problem is that the frame rate has been changed from 25Hz to 24Hz. I have a 100Hz TV and it judders like mad. It’s really off-putting, so much so I returned the Bluray and got the DVD. The slightly better picture is just not enough to compensate. The only reason I can think of for doing this is to make the disc playable in NTSC countries, but since it’s a UK program that hardly justifies ruining it. Even the pace of the show seems off in parts.

I’m not sure the sound is better either – the original BBC mix was certainly compressed and very loud in parts, but the Dolby mix here suffers from the typical film problem of speech being too quiet in parts. Maybe it’s better if you have a 5.1 system and can turn up the centre, but I am listening to normal TV sound in 2.1. The BBC mix is more “artistic” too, with the use of music and ambient sound being a lot more dynamic and integrated into the overall presentation. The Bluray mix feels a bit amateurish and occasionally the odd line will seem really out of place and not mixed properly.

Overall I’m really disappointed, as I love the series. I am hoping that Ashes to Ashes will be better, but it seems unlikely… I think you just have to accept that these series will never be in high-definition.

To opt out, don’t bother with the form on their web site as they ignore it, just send an email to website-exclusion@webwise.com

Previously I have flown with KLM and JAL to/from Japan. I couldn’t really recommend KLM, because while the service was okay you can’t go direct from the UK with them, making your trip take 16 hours or more. JAL are by far the best I have ever used. Their in-flight entertainment entertainment isn’t as good as Virgin’s, but somehow the flight itself was a lot more pleasant. Maybe the food was better or they had more fresh air in the cabin.

First thing to be aware of is weight limits. In my experience being a few kilograms over with your luggage is no problem, and they don’t charge you excess baggage. Carry-on is a bit different. Generally they don’t even bother to weigh it if you have just one bag and can lift it. If you have more then one though, they might take notice. JAL didn’t, and most of the time Virgin didn’t either, but this last time they did. Best thing to do is probably to get one of those mini suitcases with wheels. The size limits on carry-on items are never enforced IME.

If you are over the limits, the best thing to do is go to the post office and ship the excess back to yourself. Japan Post is very, very efficient and will treat your package well, but be aware that on the UK end it will be delivered by Royal Mail or Parcelforce. Generally they are not too bad, certainly nothing like the US Postal Service who seem to go out of their way to smash everything up, but it’s still worth packing things with bubble wrap. Delivery can take up to a few weeks by EMS, but my package arrived the day after I did. I must have been lucky.

I have to say that it was a bit annoying that Virgin didn’t just let me take the stuff as carry-on. The plane was half empty and there was plenty of space. JAL were very helpful when I had an oversize poster tube to bring back. Also, I was only 15KG over, which is easily less than the difference between me and the fat guy ahead of me in the queue. They should use a step-on scale and weigh the passenger, luggage and carry-on all at once.

On the flight, the best thing to do is to sleep. That’s easier said than done, but even just sitting there with your eyes closed and only half awake is better then being fully alert and distracted by the in-flight entertainment. Sleep is by far the best way to beat jet-lag.

I would avoid sleeping pills. I tried them but they didn’t make me sleep, just very tired when I got off the aircraft. Alcohol is supposed to be bad too. I tried having a single can of 88kal grapefruit alcoholic drink before the flight once as it does help me sleep some times, but in that case it didn’t seem to make much difference.

Closing your eyes as soon as you sit down and are strapped in is worth a try. The motion of the plane as it takes off and climbs to cruising altitude helps some people sleep. Of course it means missing the safety announcement/video…

Virgin provide a sleeping mask which is well worth using. Ear plugs are not a bad idea either. Even better are noise cancelling or in-ear headphones. Noise cancelling ‘phones tend to be full sized cans, but since you have to sleep sitting up it’s not usually a problem. In-ear monitors (IEMs) don’t suit everyone, but if you can live with them they are obviously even better. I find that listening to an audio book helps me sleep too. Again, somehow JAL make sleeping a lot easier… I find the air on VM flights is very dry. I have heard that a damp cloth places over the nose and mouth can help but have not tried it so far.

I was not feeling too good on the return flight. The cabin staff graciously set up a row of four seats for me to lie down on. If the flight is not heavily booked, you can do this yourself or ask the crew about it. The arm rests usually fold up out of the way.

As for upgrades, I did once pay £75 for an exit seat. Basically that gives you unlimited leg-room, although you cannot stow anything under the seat in front (because there isn’t one) and they are usually high traffic areas due to being next to the toilets and the place people wait in to use them. I’m 182cm (6′) tall and find that my knees are wedged against the seat in front when my seat is reclined, but I’m still not sure if it’s worth going for an exit seat. I have never tried an upgrade to a higher service level (Premium Economy on Virgin).

All said and done, flying long hall is never a particularly enjoyable experience, but you can do a lot to make it more bearable.

Luckily it’s easy to remove:

1. Regedit
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Mozilla\Firefox\extensions
3. Delete {20a82645-c095-46ed-80e3-08825760534b}
4. Restart Firefox

Bastards.