Off Topic Thread 5.0

pickarooney

DGRulz wrote: »

Always amazes me how much places charge to fix phones, I assume theyre charging for speed and know how. I've done screens on tablets and phones for some of my immediate family that were willing to wait for the part to come in. It's not a terribly difficult job most of the time, once you're careful. Most a screen has ever cost me was about €30 but usually takes about 3 weeks to get to me.

Yeah, people want it done quickly and don't want the hassle of transferring everything to a new phone, plus they have no idea how to go.about changing it themselves.

errlloyd

If anyone knows of a "no rush" screen repair service that can do a Galaxy S9+ for less than 150 quid I'd love to know. Smashed my screen on that phone a few weeks ago. Decided to buy a oneplus as a replacement anyway, but I'd love to fix the Galaxy as a spare.

Some restrictions coming back but appear to be focusing on shielding. Elderly to limit their time outdoors and indoor family gatherings reduced to six.

They seem to be pushing work from home (where possible) again albeit from what I can tell people are doing this anyway. Outdoor family gatherings reduced to 15.

Squidgy Black

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Some restrictions coming back but appear to be focusing on shielding. Elderly to limit their time outdoors and indoor family gatherings reduced to six.

They seem to be pushing work from home (where possible) again albeit from what I can tell people are doing this anyway. Outdoor family gatherings reduced to 15.

On the WFH, a lot of places were starting to bring people back in to the office, even if just on a part time basis, or at least putting roadmaps in place to do so.

I know a few of my mates were told September was when their offices were opening back up to allow people to come back in, but that's all being pushed out again.

Buer

Squidgy Black wrote: »

On the WFH, a lot of places were starting to bring people back in to the office, even if just on a part time basis, or at least putting roadmaps in place to do so.

I know a few of my mates were told September was when their offices were opening back up to allow people to come back in, but that's all being pushed out again.

Yup. Loads of places have had people back in the office on a reduced basis. The big multinational companies (particularly those with an IT/internet focus) aren't planning on returning this year but most others were well on the way to repopulating their offices and had signed of on their office amendments.

The traffic on the road at rush hour in pinch points is extremely noticeable. We're not back to full traffic but, for the peak of the school holidays, we're not far off. Although we do have to consider there are people who have ditched the train/bus and are back in cars now also though which is increasing traffic too.

Personally, I've been working from the office for a few months for about 60% of my hours The place is 80% empty and has been well kitted out with sanitiser, distancing measures, elimination of touch points etc. If we went back into a lockdown, it would be brutal. I'm dreading that the schools won't open but every sign indicates they will do so unless there's a continued significant increase.

irishbucsfan

Buer wrote: »

Yup. Loads of places have had people back in the office on a reduced basis. The big multinational companies (particularly those with an IT/internet focus) aren't planning on returning this year but most others were well on the way to repopulating their offices and had signed of on their office amendments.

The traffic on the road at rush hour in pinch points is extremely noticeable. We're not back to full traffic but, for the peak of the school holidays, we're not far off. Although we do have to consider there are people who have ditched the train/bus and are back in cars now also though which is increasing traffic too.

Was chatting to a friend who is involved in the car sales industry who said recently the demand for used cars from their places has spiked and they think it’s related to people who have to commute not wanting to do so on public transport. I think prices on them had come down a bit as well, wasn’t fully following the conversation

Buer

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Was chatting to a friend who is involved in the car sales industry who said recently the demand for used cars from their places has spiked and they think it’s related to people who have to commute not wanting to do so on public transport. I think prices on them had come down a bit as well, wasn’t fully following the conversation

There's a not insignificant number of people who have not been paying for childcare or gone on a holiday in the past 6 months which leads to them having a few thousand quid which they hadn't budgeted on having at the start of the year.

Financially, the lockdown and Covid has actually been beneficial for certain people in the short term.

awec

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Was chatting to a friend who is involved in the car sales industry who said recently the demand for used cars from their places has spiked and they think it’s related to people who have to commute not wanting to do so on public transport. I think prices on them had come down a bit as well, wasn’t fully following the conversation

My da works selling cars and he was hoping to be kept off for a while longer and eventually paid off, but they ended up having to bring him back early as they were so busy. Says he’s flat out at the moment.

thomond2006

Some of my friends working from home are back part time but the overall sense is normally won't return before 2021 at the earliest.

awec

awec wrote: »

My da works selling cars and he was hoping to be kept off for a while longer and eventually paid off, but they ended up having to bring him back early as they were so busy. Says he’s flat out at the moment.

I was in the market for a car just before covid. I put it off as I expected the market to dive but prices haven't shifted much.

I think there will be a lot of deals to be had in the new year though. As has been pointed out, a lot of money has been put aside - but we're still heading for a whopper of a recession.

errlloyd

The fun in cars is the PCP bubble. Some stupid percentage of new cars are bought on PCP. PCP is priced based on the value of the underlying asset second hand to the dealer. If everyone starts defaulting the market should flood.

Squidgy Black

errlloyd wrote: »

The fun in cars is the PCP bubble. Some stupid percentage of new cars are bought on PCP. PCP is priced based on the value of the underlying asset second hand to the dealer. If everyone starts defaulting the market should flood.

The PCP thing is a bit of a funny one. When it started really kicking off a few years ago, everyone kept saying wait until 3 years time and there'll be mass flood of 3 year old used cars on the market, but I don't think it ever really materialised, at least not in the way that people expected it to.

Zzippy

We're currently looking to change cars as we need something that fits three child seats now. Prices are still pretty high but there's definitely fewer cars available. Plus the option of going over to the UK to get a higher spec car is gone now as you have to self isolate on return.

jacothelad

Zzippy wrote: »

We're currently looking to change cars as we need something that fits three child seats now. Prices are still pretty high but there's definitely fewer cars available. Plus the option of going over to the UK to get a higher spec car is gone now as you have to self isolate on return.

Try NI then. A V90 has 2 built in rear booster seats. There is lots of room for 3 child seats in the back. When the kids are ready the booster seats are already there. I don't need them but they are there. Good car too.

Zzippy

jacothelad wrote: »

Try NI then. A V90 has 2 built in rear booster seats. There is lots of room for 3 child seats in the back. When the kids are ready the booster seats are already there. I don't need them but they are there. Good car too.

There are only a few cars that have 3 full size seats in the back with Isofix fittings for child seats... Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, Ford S Max, Peugeot 5008 is basically our search criteria. Looking north of the border too but not a huge amount available there either.

kuang1

Zzippy wrote: »

There are only a few cars that have 3 full size seats in the back with Isofix fittings for child seats... Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, Ford S Max, Peugeot 5008 is basically our search criteria. Looking north of the border too but not a huge amount available there either.

Find a guy who'll import the car from the UK for you?
Or you could buy a car in an auction in the UK and hire a company to deliver it as far as Rosslare or Dublin. Cost about €350 to ship I think.
If you're buying a brand new car or a car that's still under manufacturers warranty that's the way I'd go.

Clegg

I wonder will this latest round of restrictions cause people to lose faith in the government? Cases are rising so it makes sense to intervene, but the new measures imposed don't seem to tackle the root cause of the problems.

Stheno

Clegg wrote: »

I wonder will this latest round of restrictions is cause people to lose faith in the government? Cases are rising so it makes sense to intervene, but the new measures imposed don't seem to tackle the root cause of the problems.

Its a bit of a shambles imo

Clegg

Stheno wrote: »

Its a bit of a shambles imo

I think some of the new measures make sense. According to Dr Glynn, the spectator ban is because they have evidence of transmission between fans travelling to and from matches together and from congregating pitch side. But that wasn't articulated properly during the press conference.

We know that a high proportion of cases can find their origin in the food plants. It could well be that they're developing a comprehensive plan to tackle that particular problem. But by not informing the public if such a plan, if there even is one, it just makes us feel like we're being blamed for the spread. I haven't felt that way before and I'm sure it's that others are the same.

sydthebeat

It's a shambles because they haven't said what the goal is, or what the strategy is to achieve said goal.

Back in March it was "flatten the curve, protect the health service".... And we got a pretty clear plan as to how to do that...... Followed up by a phased pathway as to how to reopen.

However now we haven't a clear goal.... Are we targeting zero covid cases??? If so, that's an impossibility. Are we still flattening the curve?? It's well and truly flattened at this stage. Protect the health service?? The hospitals are severely underused currently and the numbers requiring covid medical attention is miniscule.

So what's the goal?

Is it to be kneejerk reaction on a county wide basis due to the case numbers?

Is there any publishing of reports into the risk to the health service capacity now that the vast majority of cases are in under 45s? If not, why not?

Is the goal to actually try to create a level of herd immunity in the low risk groups to act as a barrier to the spread to more at risk groups, thus the bull-headedness at which they are going about the reopening of the schools?
If not, why not?


show the reports of the risk analysis that NPHET and the government are working to.... Show the synthetisations of different scenarios..... Show the algorithms used in these risk analysis decisions.

Because if they are making decisions without that level of input then its nothing more than shooting from the hip into a dark room... Which is what they appear to be doing currently

sydthebeat

I see the GAA are calling on NPHET to present their evidence as to why 200 gathering outside and social distancing is an unacceptable risk.

Good on them

Squidgy Black

You can only have 15 people at an outdoor gathering from no more than 3 households, or 6 people if it's in a home. Even if it's out your back garden.

But if it's a wedding you can have up to 50 people. And you can still go to mass not a bother with up to 50 people.

And schools are still planned to reopen the end of the month.

It's actually quite stark the contrast from Leo and Holohan to how Martin and the rest of FF have broadcast the next steps and how they're handling things.

The Parish King

kuang1 wrote: »

Find a guy who'll import the car from the UK for you?
Or you could buy a car in an auction in the UK and hire a company to deliver it as far as Rosslare or Dublin. Cost about €350 to ship I think.
If you're buying a brand new car or a car that's still under manufacturers warranty that's the way I'd go.

What is the process for importing a second hand car from NI or England, and is there anywhere that you can estimate the additional costs on top of the cost of the car itself? Was having a look myself and there seems to be a significant enough difference in the price, but just want to make sure I’m comparing the full costs!

errlloyd

All I know is my mates who like cars always buy their cars in the UK. Always.

Zzippy

The Parish King wrote: »

What is the process for importing a second hand car from NI or England, and is there anywhere that you can estimate the additional costs on top of the cost of the car itself? Was having a look myself and there seems to be a significant enough difference in the price, but just want to make sure I’m comparing the full costs!

When you bring it in you have to have it assessed at a NCT centre and pay the VRT due. Motorcheck.ie have a VRT calculator where you can input the reg of any car you are looking at and will estimate the VRT you will have to pay.

b.gud

The Parish King wrote: »

What is the process for importing a second hand car from NI or England, and is there anywhere that you can estimate the additional costs on top of the cost of the car itself? Was having a look myself and there seems to be a significant enough difference in the price, but just want to make sure I’m comparing the full costs!

This thread gives a pretty good run down of the procedure https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057627507

I've done it myself a couple of times, once in the North and once in Britain it will definitely save you money though it's obviously harder than just walking up to a dealer locally

Buer

My limited knowledge of bringing cars in from across the water is that you will get it cheaper but after VRT, there aren't the savings that make it a no brainer. You will get a better deal but you need to invest the time and effort into achieving that which will also involve making a trip over and driving a new vehicle back...and you don't really want to waste a journey over to kick some tyres and find out the car is not what it seemed.

Once the deal is done, it's done and you've little ability to go back to the dealer (if from a dealer) for anything that arises.

I find that those who do go across the water, are looking for something specific and options in Ireland could be limited (as in Zzippy's case) or they're really into their cars and enjoy dedicating the time and input into sourcing a car from outside Ireland.

b.gud

Buer wrote: »

My limited knowledge of bringing cars in from across the water is that you will get it cheaper but after VRT, there aren't the savings that make it a no brainer. You will get a better deal but you need to invest the time and effort into achieving that which will also involve making a trip over and driving a new vehicle back...and you don't really want to waste a journey over to kick some tyres and find out the car is not what it seemed.

Once the deal is done, it's done and you've little ability to go back to the dealer (if from a dealer) for anything that arises.

I find that those who do go across the water, are looking for something specific and options in Ireland could be limited (as in Zzippy's case) or they're really into their cars and enjoy dedicating the time and input into sourcing a car from outside Ireland.

With my most recent purchase, almost 2 years, I bought locally for the first time. I did this because I had a car of actual value to trade in and had recently had a child, hence the reason for upgrading. So for me it just wasn't worth the hassle but I did do the research to see what the price difference would be. I found a pretty much identical car to the one I got locally, same colour, spec level, mileage, and age. The difference when everything, travel, VRT etc, was taken into account was about ‎€2k cheaper to bring in from the UK.

Things are a bit murkier now that the UK are leaving the EU but in my experience if you were willing to put in a little bit of research and were getting a fairly new car then there are definitely savings that make it worth going to the UK. The reason I say that it's worth it if it's a fairly new car and it's a bit murkier now is because the car manufactures have to honor warranties across the UK so if you buy a car with a 3 year warranty left in the UK then you will still have it in Ireland. A lot of people want to buy from a dealer for peace of mind but in reality what they offer isn't really much outside of the warranty.

Bazzo

Cars here tend to be in better nick and of a better spec than at home too. So even if you "save" little after VRT, flights etc you'll usually end up with a better car.

Squidgy Black

Bazzo wrote: »

Cars here tend to be in better nick and of a better spec than at home too. So even if you "save" little after VRT, flights etc you'll usually end up with a better car.

Yeah UK cars always tend to have at least a basic spec package with the likes of AC, proper rims and not hubcaps on steelies, nicer interior, better engine options, infotainment systems and so on.