It is now four years since I started driving a car powered by bio-ethanol. Those four years ended yesterday when I returned the car to the dealer with only a few days left to run on the lease.

The car that I have replaced it with no longer runs on bio-ethanol (E85), although it does use the new E10 fuel.

So how have those four years been and why did I switch back?

Well, whilst on the one hand it was nice to try something new Read the rest of this entry »

This road sign means that you cannot park or wait on the side of the road where the sign is, on the sides of the sign pointed to by the arrow:

It is usually placed at the side of the road so that the sign is parallel to the road with the arrow pointing left in the direction of the traffic.  With both arrows you cannot park on either side of it.

Somewhere there is usually another one with a single arrow to mark the end of the restriction, and you often see this sign in turning circles on housing estates.

If the measure is only temporary, then it has a sign below with the effective dates:

So I was quite confused the other day when I wanted to park in this road:

The signs are not pointing up or down the road, but across it!  But even if they were standing so that the arrows pointed along rather than across the road, something else is still wrong.

> Continue reading at AllThingsGerman.net

Most people who know something about 20th Century German history, will know that the name “Volkswagen” is a translation of “people’s car”, and that the idea behind the Volkswagen was to create a car that a large part of the population of could afford.  It led to the the town of Wolfsburg being built in 1938 (although it only become known as such in 1945) to house the production plant for the cars.

What many are not aware of – myself included until recently – is where these cars were to be kept.  Obviously most of the houses built before 1938 did not have garages.  Certainly the housing used by the part of the popular expected to buy the Volkswagen did not have them.  This led to a Volksgarage being designed.

I do not know if it was ever called that, but I do know where it was built and where the very first and possibly only example of one is today.

Germany’s first garage, now in Oberursel

> Continue reading at AllThingsGerman.net

Many people coming to Germany to live are unaware of the fact that most cars here have two sets of tyres.  The reason for this is the large difference in temperature and therefore road conditions between the summer and winter months.

The winter tyres are made of a rubber mixture that does not because so hard in freezing temperatures, which gives them more grip on cold roads.  The tread has so-called “lamella” shape, which allows it to run better on snow.  Since many side roads do not get gritted or cleared of snow, this can be an important factor.  Cars that are primarily driven on roads in the Alps may even have spiked tyres or snow chains.

The summer tyres are made of a different mixture, that does not become so soft when it gets hot.  This allows them a better grip on hot tarmac in the summer, even when it is wet.

It is important to be aware of this difference, as driving with the wrong kind of tyre can have a negative influence on any insurance claims after an accident.

So every year in April and October I take my car to the garage to have the tyres changed.  They do not simply change the rubber tyre, but the whole wheel.  At the same time they balance them out and also make sure that the tyres with the most tread on them get put on the corners that are most likely to wear during the season.

> Continue reading at AllThingsGerman.net