THE WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER

We have been on a trip top Australia for two months, and unfortunately we could not pack Jeeves in our suitcases. So we handed over the keys to Tim and hoped he would keep Jeeves running and happy in our absence.

These lovely moments were captured by Quinn Bisset on Tim and his trip to the White Cliffs of Dover. We think it looks like Jeeves is having a pretty good time.

On the road

Jeeves and Tim by the romantic sun set.

The Dover Team

BATTERY CUT OFF SWITCH, THE FINISHING TOUCH

So we finally managed to install our newly purchased Battery Isolator Cut Off Switch that we wrote about in one of our previous blog posts. It was super easy so fix on to the battery, following the instructions that we also put up on that previous post and now it is bye bye to struggling with old rusty nuts and bolts that get stuck every time. The pleasure of switching the battery on and off by a simple turn of the dial is pretty amazing!

You just have to make sure the whole thing is screwed on nice and tight so that there is a good connection. Fingers crossed that Jeeves will be all good from now on!

Nice and tight

START YOUR ENGINES

So, in the previous post I was raving about the benefits of disconnecting your battery if you are planning on not driving your beloved old black cab for longer period of time (or even just a few days if you have a Jeeves). It just means there is no chance of the battery getting drained, saving you a lot of time, worry and money.

Welcome to our fool-proof tutorial on how to disconnect the battery of a Fairway Taxi.

You will need one of these;

Adjustable Spanner (Wrench)

Step 1.

Open the bonnet of your car and locate the battery.

Found it!

Step 2.
Locate the cable that you are about to disconnect. Its held on with a few bolts.

Here is the one we want 

Step 3.
Loosen the bolts carefully but forcefully. Don't be too scared to get electrocuted, but please be careful as you are dealing with electricity. Also, it can sometime be a little bit stuck so you might have to bang it a bit to get it off.

Should have done the manicure afterwards...

Step 4.
No need to actually remove the nuts from the bolt, just loosen it and pull the whole thing off. Try not to touch the bolt that you have just removed the cable from. (The one that is part of the battery) Again, its electricity which, even if its not black magic, can still hurt if you get a little chock.

Its all off now!

Step 5.
Place the cable away from the point it was attached to and you are done. Close your bonnet and enjoy some no-worry-time of a fully charged battery waiting for you when you are ready to drive.

Nice and Easy!

Remember that the central locking needs the battery so make sure you get everything out that you need and lock the car before disconnecting the battery or you will have to put it back and do it all again. If you do forget, you can simply place the end of the wire as it was, on top of the bolt from the battery, and it is connected. The nuts are just to hold the thing in place for when you are driving.

To re-connect, just place the cable back as it was and make sure to tighten the nuts. You don't want it to jump off whilst enjoying the exciting 55 miles per hours you have managed to achieve on the motorway with the turbo button...!

A job well done is a job well done, says Jacqui the Mechanic

JEEVES EARNING HIS KEEP

We are proud to tell you that Jeeves is no longer just another retired cab who thinks he can get away with just hanging around being fed diesel when ever he likes and going on nights out flirting with Mini Coopers. The other week we made use of him by picking up a friend from the airport. Catherine came carrying suitcases so massive even Jeeves got worried they might not fit in. But of course they did, and we even received a donation towards Jeeves' diesel habits!

Jeeves is back in the fold

SIGNS OF SUMMER

As opposed to his Swedish miniature version, Good ol' Original Jeeves is enjoying the first moments of spring. So we thought it fit to change to his summer wheel, courtesy of Anna, Mia's sister.

One happy driver

Yes, it might be a small thing to write about, but look how happy Jacqui is. Some things only the soft touch of a comfy steering wheel can achieve.

JEEVES THE SNOWMOBILE

There might be little signs of spring out there, with blossoms on the trees and occasional kisses of warm wind in the air, but winter is not over yet!  We received this image from snowy Sweden, showing the troubles of being a very small Jeeves in the claws of Father Frost.

Who forgot to change to winter tires?

This mini-Jeeves was built by Stefan, Mia's brother-in-law and is really being put to the test by the elements! We might send a 'Build-your-own-tow-truck' to save him!

BUTTONS AND KNOBS

This post is all about the buttons and knobs inside Jeeves... they operate everything from whether the car is ready to be started, heating and lights to the cappuccino maker, passenger ejection seat, and the all-important turbo button... good for the motorway. More on that later in this post.

First, we want to introduce you to our winter friend, the little blue box. We tried starting the back window de-mister as it fogs up a lot when its cold, but it didn't seem to work. We went to see our friends at the garage and they told us that there was a small blue box that should be plugged in, but was missing. This magic box makes the de-mister work. 

The magic blue box in situe

Mr friendly mechanic got us one from a dead taxi which was so nice of him as the are usually around £50 and often 'go missing' as ours had. Our back window will now stay clear and de-misted all through the winter. The de-mister works on a timer for 15 minutes as people used to forget to turn it off and drain their batteries.

The blue box

The buttons below are just on the middle of the dash board and and indicate various lights. (from left to right)

Button 1: interior light for the back passanger area
Button 2: interior light for drivers area (front)
Button 3: don't know as it doesn't seem to work (clues welcome)
Button 4: hazard light (thank you button for people behind)
Button 5: don't know, but same symbol as button 1 (clues also welcome)
Button 6: back window de-mister

All the little buttons on the dash board

The hazard light which is nice communicator with fellow drivers

The magic turbo button

So, back to the all important Turbo Button. This button basically allows the car to go into the fourth gear. It is the small square button next to the gear stick, in the picture above. When you press it the green light (in the picture below, to the right of the steering wheel) turns off and you can swoosh down the motorway like all the other cars.

Start indicator lights

These lights also indicates if the car is ready to go. When you first start the ignition the orange and the green light comes on and then when only the green light is on you are ready to go!