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A little mention and snippet of advice from us in The Sunday Times. Of course if you ever need any other advice, just pop us a mail or give us a quick call!
Garmin ~VS~ Google Maps Navigation! – Updated December 2014
When it comes to on the road Navigation, there’s a lot of options both in terms of hardware and software. Garmin, one of the biggest names in navigation is a long standing leader but Google Maps has been making a well deserved name for itself lately and as a driver who covers a lot of miles in unknown territories across Europe, I haven’t yet chosen one over the other and still have them both running concurrently on my travels.
So why not use just one? I’m using Google on my phone and for a start, a stand alone GPS is far better than having your navigation interrupted by phone calls and every other distraction a phone has. Also when you’re trying to speak to a customer over the phone to guide you to their address, explanations are always easier to act on using a stand alone GPS, regardless of any handsfree kits you may have. If my Garmin could do everything Google Maps could, there’d be no need to use my phone, if Google maps could do everything Garmin could, I’d probably still have the Garmin running as a standalone GPS.
So what are the major differences?
With Google, anything other than basic navigation is tricky/not possible. You can’t add a via point in Google Navigation, this is simple with Garmin. It doesn’t seem easy to “search along route”, or at least I haven’t figured it out yet. This is very easy with Garmin and the fact you can add an address as a via point in Garmin, means you can for example, search for fuel along a route of say a 567 km journey and you can check how each garage affects the total distance after adding it as a via point (it takes a little time, but at least it can be done). So if that 567 becomes 568, you know this fuel stop is going to be really quick.
Of course a data connection is required to use Google maps properly, it uses very little data and I’ve no problem using it within my data limits even when roaming on Vodafone Red Roaming, even when it used to be just 100mb limit a day, now it’s 200mb 🙂 Maps of a particular journey can be downloaded before setting off so there’s no need for data, but I haven’t tried this and then of course you wouldn’t have the best features of Google without the data.
Google maps accuracy will depend on the quality of the GPS transmitter of your device. Garmin is far more accurate in my experience. Using both at the same time, Google can think you’ve gone off a motorway and try guide you back to the motorway through all the side streets beside it.
Google alternative route selection is amazing and this is the strong point of Google. It gives accurate traffic information, highlighting congested sections of a route with what has so far been very good accuracy. It can give alternative routes on the fly and in real time so even if you’ve chosen a route, you can see alternatives displayed on screen as you travel just like here:
This could still be improved upon, if they would only show the difference in distance and maybe an icon to indicate if the route had tolls too as when you’re tight on time, rushing to catch a ferry for example, longer distance could be the difference of stopping for fuel or not, negating any time saved by taking the “faster” route. Google strangely doesn’t always follow the fastest route and I’ve been perplexed by it’s routing at times too but mostly it will follow sense and lead you on the best route. Garmin traffic information doesn’t work in Ireland whereas Google does but even in the UK and Europe, Google seems far more accurate with delay times and the need to suggest an alternative route.
Traffic aside, Garmin has at times tried to lead me far far astray in general navigation. One time travelling through Austria in particular, I set off with Google suggesting a route that was going to take 5.5 hours, while Garmin was suggesting only one route that was going to take 7 hours. Of course I followed Google and each turn I disobeyed Garmin, it fought and fought to take me back to its 7 hour route until eventually it recalculated to follow the same route Google had suggested all along, and low and behold, Garmin was now suggesting an ETA of 5.5 hours too!
So my advice is that if you do any sort of heavy travelling, a stand alone GPS is essential and running both devices together is going to be your best option. If you’re just doing the odd day of travel on unknown routes, under no time pressure, restraints or need for communication and such along the way, using Google Maps on your phone will definitely suffice!
The ultimate travel gadget for me would be a combination of:
Car Dash Cam – 1080p/wide angle lens/continuous looped recording/g-sensor/emergency clip save button/starts recording when the engine starts with no need for human interaction
GPS Tracker – Allows vehicle to be tracked 24/7 with a detailed history log accessible remotely and can even send a photo or small video feed.
Sat Nav – Uses Google’s intelligent live traffic knowledge with on the fly-in navigation slower/faster touch alternative route suggestions with full “offline” maps to reduce data usage.
Additional Features – Low voltage protection (stops device draining car battery and will always leave enough to start engine), Low consumption mode (allows GPS tracker to still communicate and uses “parking mode” feature for dash cam, recording shocks and motion sensor).
Optional Accessories – Rear View Mirror Cradle – Replaces your windscreen rear-view mirror and allows a plug and play slot in connection for inconspicuous mounting while taking up minimal windscreen real estate.
But it might be a while before we see this one gadget to rule them all!
This may be one of the best dash cam videos ever!
This guy will surely think twice about instigating road rage again!
I just hope it wasn’t set up, but I don’t think so!
Dash Cams – Buy Cheap, Buy Twice? Surprising Change of Opinion
Ok where to start? The above photo is a mix of cameras. 2 DRS1100’s, an iTronics ITB100HD and a Mini 0801.
I initially only wanted the best, the DRS1100 are both old and I stopped using them more than a year ago. The DRS1100 was one of the first dash cams and was the best at the time. From them, I upgraded to the iTronics ITB100HD, I bought 4 and had them shipped from Asia. They were the best on the market at the time too and they were expensive. Out of the 4, I kept 3 and gave one away in a Facebook competition.
Out of the 3, the one above stopped working with a “Boot Issue”. I hope the one that went to the competition winner is still going ok. After seeing what cheaper cameras could offer, pretty much the same thing, I decided there’s not much point going for the best of the best and having them shipped from outside the EU (risk of import duties, can’t claim the VAT back, expensive returns and if buying from Ebay, the seller may not even be around by the time it develops a problem).
I decided to get a cheaper camera for the replacement for the broken ITB100HD and went for the Mini 0801, and bought from Amazon and it was fulfilled by Amazon. This too developed a fault but the return process from Amazon was amazing, I went on live chat at 5am one morning, they sent a link to a page I just had to print out, cut around labels, stick to a box, bring it to the post office and it didn’t cost a thing. They refunded my card before I had even gone to the post office. With this in mind, I decided I’m only going to buy again “Dispatched and sold by” or “Fulfilled by” Amazon, I’ve had too many dash cams develop problems to be messing around.
I received 2 x Mini 0803 (update from the Mini 0801) today and although there’s a few bad reviews saying units have stopped working, overheated etc, I have that protection from Amazon so decided to go for it anyway. There is no camera currently out there at the moment which does EXACTLY what I want it to do. I started a thread on boards.ie about this only recently here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057270716
Until something comes out that’s almost fitting that description, I’ll be happy with what I have for the time being, safe in the knowledge that I can return it if they fail on me.
This is the link to the Mini 0803: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JJI41LI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Again, just make sure you’re buying “Dispatched and sold by” or “Fulfilled by” Amazon. I went for the one with the internal memory but on second thoughts, it probably would have been better to save money on that, and put it towards a 2nd memory card because if anything is captured, it’s always best to eject the card and replace it so nothing important risks being recorded over. I can still do this with the internal memory using a second card, but you have to choose between “internal” and “external” card on the display, which is more hassle than just swapping cards.
So based on my experience of the reliance of these cameras, I’ve gone from wanting the top of the range and risking import duties and the likes, to putting the returns process at the forefront of my purchasing decision.
Dublin to Berlin Removals – 5th Floor, No lift = Great exercise!
What better way to stretch the legs after a 2,000km+ drive to Berlin than having to make a 5th floor delivery, with no lift, 90 steps each way and about 40 trips up and down with mattresses, a Budda Bag, desk, table and a load of heavy boxes and miscellaneous items, on my tod!
Not being able to play basketball the last few days I needed to maintain my fitness and this was perfect. Done and dusted in under 2.5 hours/150 minutes. The box cam is on the last (and lightest) box and it still took about 2 minutes to go one way, with about 40 return journeys, that’s 160 minutes and if you’ve ever tried to move a Budda Bag, you’ll know it’s a little trickier than a box so I had to keep a good pace. Took a swig or two of water and had a slice of dried mango but the chewing got in the way of my breathing so saved the rest until after.
Man with a Van and a Cam! #1
Here’s my first little Man with a Van and a Cam compilation. Just a few snippets of things I’ve caught driving around what’s mainly Dublin, Ireland.
This one includes footage at Lidl and even overtaking a nice Lamborghini on the M50!
Driving to IKEA Dublin for Deliveries
One of the services offered at VanTasks is our “We Shop, We Drop” service where we’ll go to shop for any bulky items and deliver them direct to you. Doing IKEA Deliveries is certainly the most popular given that IKEA don’t offer any online shopping service, customers can trust us, depositing thousands of Euro for goods they need to purchase, knowing they can get same day deliveries anywhere in Ireland.
Some people use our service just to avoid the hassle of going to IKEA even if they live locally, it can be a daunting place. Besides rushing around trying to complete our customers shopping in as little time as possible, dodging the dawdlers, the endless array of kids running between trolleys, trying to find the the scarce staff members if you need help (who are always very helpful when you do find them, there’s just not enough of them!) and then the queues at the till that stretch the length of a few vans worth, there’s also the obstacles in the car park. This is from my last visit 🙂
Mini 0801 -VS- iTronics ITB100HD, Dash Cam Compare
I recently received delivery of another dash cam. The iTronics ITB100HD I had in the van was acting up, sometimes it didn’t turn on properly although there is adequate power getting to it. I tried it in another van which has another ITB100HD in it which is working perfect, so it’s the camera itself and not the wiring set up. As I bought it from half way across the world from an eBay seller, I don’t think I have much chance of a return, it was more than a year ago too so I decided to try out the Mini 0801 after it received a positive review from Dash Cam expert Techmoan.
The iTronics was a lot more expensive, after import duties etc it will work out around €200 or so. The Mini 0801 was fulfilled by Amazon so no need to worry about import duties and it came pretty quick too and at a cost of only €70 or so, it’s not too much different than the ITB100HD. It appears a lot darker in the following clip but you can still see pretty much everything that you can in the ITB100HD. The sound also appears to be better on the Mini 0801, or at least louder.
Amyl Upright Piano, Delivered!
The Piano on offer in this listing is an Amyl Upright. It’s part iron frame, overdamped and overstrung. I’m not sure of it’s age but the house I collected it from gave it good use as the children were learning to play on it. It has been tuned recently but is in need of another tuning. I’m unsure whether it can be tuned to concert pitch or. You can see the condition of the piano in the video below as well as a demonstration of each key, pedal and the innards too.
Terms and Conditions:
This is for the sourcing and delivery of this Piano. Please understand that the Piano is delivered as is. Although we have some knowledge of what to look out for when sourcing Pianos and will not acquire any Piano we feel is not playable, we are not piano experts and can not guarantee that every Piano we deliver will not need other repairs and associated costs.
Delivery Information:
As our earnings come from the sourcing and delivery of the Piano, collection is not an option. The minimum fee for our services is €200. This allows for ground floor delivery within a 20km radius of Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin with assistance provided from the buyer upon delivery with no delays or awkward angles to impede delivery
For delivery outside the above 20km radius, the fee will be based on distance and time travelled. If there is no assistance provided by the buyer, this will also increase the fee, as will having to move the piano up more than 4 consecutive steps. To get an exact delivery fee for your requirements, simply call 1890 987 996 or 01 440 7505 before placing a bid.
Example cost of ground floor delivery to Cork where assistance is provided by the buyer is €400. The below image indicates the price for a ground floor delivery with customer loading assistance:
Moving a Piano is no easy task. As we are experienced in the art of transporting piano’s, this piano will be delivered in a professional manner with specialised piano transporting equipment. Our experience combined with this equipment will keep the risk of damage to floors, doors, walls and indeed people to an absolute minimum. Risk of injury from moving a piano with no experience or equipment is extremely high and costs in medical bills, time off work and the pain itself are simply not worth the risk. Our minimum delivery price is on par with what most professional piano movers charge for delivery alone, without providing the piano too!
**Please note that all Pianos require tuning after being moved. It is recommended to tune a Piano approximately one month after delivery. This allows time for the wood to adapt to the temperature of it’s new location. We do not offer a tuning service but we can suggest highly recommended professional tuners. Tuning costs are in the region of €110 so please consider this cost when committing to a Piano.**
Hamilton Chicago Manualo Upright by Baldwin
The Piano on offer in this listing is a Hamilton Chicago Manualo Upright, by the Baldwin Company. It is full Iron Frame, underdamped and overstrung. I collected this from a community group who didn’t use it regularly enough to warrant keeping it. It hasn’t been tuned in some time but I had a tuner look at it and said it could be tuned to concert pitch. It is in good aesthetic condition and has very few marks. This was once a player/pianola piano but the mechanism has been removed. Baldwin is considered one of the better piano makers and I’ve seen pianos like this listed at around $9,000 when restored with a functioning pianola. The tuner I had assess this, was buying another piano off me at the time, he was buying it to fully do it up and resell in his piano warehouse. He said the Baldwin was actually in better condition than the one he bought but as he is solely buying to resell, he said it would be hard for him to find a buyer due to the size. Depth 72cm, length 162cm and height 145cm. It’s therefore better for me to try and find a buyer direct who would prefer a larger piano and has space for it. You can see the condition of the piano in the video below as well as a demonstration of each key and the innards too. The sustain pedal can be seen working too.
Terms and Conditions:
This is for the sourcing and delivery of this Piano. Please understand that the Piano is delivered as is. Although we have some knowledge of what to look out for when sourcing Pianos and will not acquire any Piano we feel is not playable, we are not piano experts and can not guarantee that every Piano we deliver will not need other repairs and associated costs.
Delivery Information:
As our earnings come from the sourcing and delivery of the Piano, collection is not an option. The minimum fee for our services is €200. This allows for ground floor delivery within a 20km radius of Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin with assistance provided from the buyer upon delivery with no delays or awkward angles to impede delivery
For delivery outside the above 20km radius, the fee will be based on distance and time travelled. If there is no assistance provided by the buyer, this will also increase the fee, as will having to move the piano up more than 4 consecutive steps. To get an exact delivery fee for your requirements, simply call 1890 987 996 or 01 440 7505 before placing a bid.
Example cost of ground floor delivery to Cork where assistance is provided by the buyer is €400. The below image indicates the price for a ground floor delivery with customer loading assistance:
Moving a Piano is no easy task. As we are experienced in the art of transporting piano’s, this piano will be delivered in a professional manner with specialised piano transporting equipment. Our experience combined with this equipment will keep the risk of damage to floors, doors, walls and indeed people to an absolute minimum. Risk of injury from moving a piano with no experience or equipment is extremely high and costs in medical bills, time off work and the pain itself are simply not worth the risk. Our minimum delivery price is on par with what most professional piano movers charge for delivery alone, without providing the piano too!
**Please note that all Pianos require tuning after being moved. It is recommended to tune a Piano approximately one month after delivery. This allows time for the wood to adapt to the temperature of it’s new location. We do not offer a tuning service but we can suggest highly recommended professional tuners. Tuning costs are in the region of €110 so please consider this cost when committing to a Piano.**
Man with a van takes cash off minors for smokes, gets them fruit and water instead!
I was filling up the van yesterday and saw 3 young girls asking pretty much everyone who went into the shop, to get them something. I thought it was only a matter of time before somebody did, so why not me? They wanted cigarettes and one girl said they were for her brother who’s 27 and around the corner so I took the money and did some shopping, but sorry girls, I forgot to give you 12c change 🙂
Make sure to watch in HD (bottom right of video player) and of course, watch until the end!
Who would be at fault if two vehicles change to the same lane and collide?
What would happen if the above video ended in two vehicles colliding? From the video you can see I’ve started to change lane before the other driver even indicates, it’s only a matter of milliseconds but if you look at the position the van is facing you’ll see it’s changed from straight on, to a little to the left. The rules of the road state you must give way to somebody who is completing a turn or maneuver so I’d say I’d be in the clear, but it’s a close call and I’m not sure if everyone, in particular an insurance assessor, would see it the same way?
No claim against me for rear-end case!
So following on from my previous post where I rear-ended a brand new 2012 Toyota Avensis, a collision where in the vast, vast majority of cases, the driver behind is to blame, the eventual outcome was in my favour. Although I strongly believed the driver in question pulled out far too soon, it was always going to be very difficult for me to prove this, given the nature of the collision itself.
Following on from the initial post, due to the fact I need the van for work, I repaired it immediately with my Ford Transit Mechanic. There was very light damage to my van and it was fixed and back to good for around €100. I met with the claims assessor from my insurance company and gave him a rundown of the events. We met at the scene and went over the details. The other driver, probably on advice from another party, refused to meet him to give her side of the story. I didn’t hear much while the assessor was dealing with the issue and about 2 weeks later an independent assessor whose job is to assess the vehicles to determine the point of impact, position etc, met with me and gave the van a look over. He said that due to the point of impact it would be difficult to prove my case and in order for proper readings of road conditions (such as rain) to be determined, it would have been necessary to close the road. Otherwise such claims wouldn’t stand up in court.
I spoke to the assessor from my own insurance company again and said how I didn’t want to accept liability. That accepting liability was accepting that I was a higher risk to my insurance company and would be met with years of increased premiums as a result, along with my license and driving history being tarnished. He spoke of what the independent assessor advised them and I was adamant to not take the blame on this. He said he would look into it further and be in touch.
About 2 months passed without me hearing anything. My renewal was approaching and I got a shock when I saw the renewal letter. A premium increase of around 52% and a claim against my policy for about €8,000! I got in touch with my claims assessor immediately who assured me that the case is still open and this is the standard renewal process with an open claim. That they charge you for it as if it went against you and then if you happen to win, they will refund you or charge less for the remainder of the policy based on no claims.
The assessor didn’t realise the renewal date was imminent so told me he would chase it up again. I reminded him again that I did not want to accept liability and was willing to take it further. A cost neither insurance company would want to risk and considering there were no personal injury claims with this case, it was a relatively small amount compared to what some cases can be.
A few days later I picked up the phone and it was my claims assessor again, this time giving me the good news that the third party insurance company has decided to take responsibility for the cost of damage to the vehicle and there was therefore no claim against me. That was it, no more had to be done, over and done with very quickly. I’ve since renewed my policy at the same price as last year and continue to have no claims against the policy.
This started off as an almost impossible task to prove but has thankfully and I believe justifiably worked out in my favour.
Be careful who you choose to teach you to drive!
I spotted this driving instructor on the M50 yesterday sitting in the overtaking lane.
I gave him a little flash to see if he’d move and a tiny beep driving by too but he seemed completely oblivious. I know it doesn’t seem like much but this is technically a driving offense and you can be fined and I think even a point or two applied to your license. The unfortunate thing is that if you drive the M50, N7 or any 3 lane road in Ireland, most vehicles are sitting in the middle lane which actually causes a lot of problems further back in terms of progress and I reckon over 95% of people are unaware. Sure driving lessons in Ireland don’t even explore driving on a Motorway so it’s no surprise.
The problem this causes is quite significant, especially when the roads are busy. If there is one driver in the middle lane going significantly slower than the speed limit (I’d consider 10kmph+ to be significantly slower) and if most other drivers are traveling above this speed, then this immediately diminishes the actual driving lane as it’s also illegal to pass on their left (unless slow queuing traffic etc). So the years spent upgrading the M50 and all the tax payers money is not really being utilized as well as it should. The knock on effect of this is great in terms of congestion and this is worsened when for example, a heavy loaded van such as I’d be driving after a home removal is going faster than the driver stuck in the middle lane, but doesn’t have the acceleration to match the speed of the drivers in the outer most overtaking lane. In order to make progress, the van after it was probably in the driving lane will now have to change lane to the middle lane, wait for an adequate gap to then get into the lane 3 (causing any vehicles approaching from a distance to ease off the accelerator), slowly pass the offending vehicle and then get back into lane 2 and then finally back into the driving lane. By completing this maneuver as traffic is beginning to build up, a lull has been caused and if this repeated (which is will be, by many different drivers, overtaking many different lane 2 drivers) a knock on effect will be caused and will contribute quite substantially to the flow of traffic.
You then of course get drivers getting frustrated and forcing an undertake maneuver to proceed faster so the safety level for all drivers is now of concern. To see a driving instructor from the Road “Safety” Authority sitting in lane 2 doesn’t inspire much confidence.
Also, I’d tend to avoid any driving instructors who don’t use their dipped headlights when they should. I personally always drive with my lights on. It’s just safer, but when it’s raining, cloudy, misty, dusk, dawn, and so many other scenarios, you should definitely have them on and again, I’ve seen countless driving instructors failing to do so, even in torrential rain on motorways when again, as a van driver, all I have to see them in their silver car, is a wing mirror and a look to my blind spot.
Emergency Man With a Van Planning After Blowout!
I had my second sudden blowout yesterday on the way to delivering a load for a customer. The first one was with the Opel Astra Van which had brand new tyres, the tyre which blew yesterday wasn’t new, but had a huge amount of thread left so wasn’t expected at all. As luck would have it, this journey was the only one I had undertaken in that van without the spare tyre. I had a custom built cage made for the back of the van which carries everything from blankets, to ratchets and of course the spare tyre. It’s positioned at the door of the van so as well as having everything for securing and covering furniture pieces at my hands when loading, it also means that if the spare tyre is needed when the van is full, it will be right there. When loading from their unit in Elephant Storage, it was almost game over in Tetris until I suggested, instead of having to do a 2nd run and it costing the customer more, to take the cage out, keeping it in their unit and I could return for it later.
10 minutes after setting off to Greystones, this happened:
According to the iTronics Dash Camera software, I was travelling 107kmph, quite fast to have a blowout! The tyre was in shreds and now I had to sort out getting the load delivered to the customer and arriving to the next customer with as little disruption as possible to their day. The first thing was of course to get the replacement tyre so instead of having to wait what could be half an hour for a taxi or an hour for the AA (who couldn’t really do anything without a spare tyre) I gave a call to my friend who lived near by. Minda ran to meet him and got a lift to his own car which he could then go back to the storage centre to collect the tyre with and come to me. There was still the problem of a delay for the next customer though.
My brother just happened to ask me for a lend of the van this weekend to move himself, so in the name of efficiency, I called him to see if he was free to do the next job. He was, thankfully, but then I realised I had both sets of keys on me for the other van as I was using both in the morning, yep, me who was stranded at the side of the motorway. So Minda had to go on a quick detour to get my brother to bring him and the spare tyre to me while in the mean time I had to ring my insurance company to do a 24 hour temporary transfer from one of the vehicles to Minda’s car to allow my brother to be able to drive it legally back to collect the other van. After catching some sunshine sitting on the grass they finally arrived, along with another friend who I also called to see if he was around to help, but he just happened to stay the night in my brother’s, so couldn’t help but then got a lift and hopped off at the next exit to go home as my brother turned back around to head for the other van!
So after all that the 2nd job was only delayed by half an hour and of course the delay with the job I was on at the time, but discounts were of course applied. We managed to make it back on time to Elephant Storage 10 minutes before they closed to collect the cage so it all worked out pretty well in the end!