Saturday, 14 March 2026

Ideal Standard quality failure Feburary 2026

After a few issues with fresh water leaking through one of the house loos I decided to replace the whole thing with something new. All turned into a bit of an epic fail on the part of Ideal Standard



As soon as the replacement pan arrived it could be seen that the exit pipe was neither round or consistant to make a good joint with the house waste pipe. 



The exit pipe is supposed to be 105mm diameter but was ± 5mm out. This template shows the gaps that would have caused a poor seal with the exit pipe.


The supplier was contacted who sent over a replacement but that replacement also had the same faults. Both were returned for a refund. I sent some photos to the manufactorer who said not to install the item and return it to base.

To see if this was a one off or a more prevelant problem I went and shoved my hand & camera up the waste pipes in a local bathroom showroom. Whilst it was not possible to measure for ovalness the toilet pans on show they did have poorly crafted exit pipes. An interior rim round the exit pipes was aparent which in service could have caused blockages and poor flow. These were also Ideal Standard brand loos. 

It's all very well looking nice but you also have to check the functioning parts of everything bought these days.

  






Friday, 6 March 2026

MR2 Drivers Club Social Survey results March 2026

 


 A short Google Forms survey was circulated to members of the South West region of the UK MR2 Drivers Club early in 2026.  This was followed up with a wider distribution of the form link to other MR2DC members. The result 35 responces are presented here :

Forms response chart. Question title: MR2 type that you have and drive  (Tick all that apply). Number of responses: 35 responses.

Forms response chart. Question title: My main MR2 is .... Number of responses: 32 responses.

50% indicated that there MR2 just for weekends and special occasions. 15% being restored and 12% as a daily driver.

Forms response chart. Question title: Area of MR2 activity ( not all areas have coordinators ATM ). Number of responses: 35 responses.

The 60% Slice is the South West.

Q: How far would you travel to a club event ( apart from National Day ) ?

A: Most respondants indicated about an hours Drive ( 50 .. 60 Miles ) with about 4 indicating 100 miles or 2 hours would be OK.  A couple indicated that 1/2 counties over would work.

Forms response chart. Question title: Which of the following events have you attended in the last 2 years. ( Tick all that apply ). Number of responses: 30 responses.

Forms response chart. Question title: What events would you like to do more of in 2026 and beyond. Number of responses: 34 responses.

Q: Other car club affiliations. Are you a member of another car club or group, if so what ?

A: 32 % belonged to no other group.  With 4/36  folks belonging to other MR2 related groups