Yeah, yeah, I know it’s been a while. And I’ve read all the piss-taking comments in the opening projects page about my cars being AWOL (cheers for that Jules). But yes, it’s true that I haven’t had a lot of time over the last few months (you mean the past year – Jules) to spend on my little VAG turbos.
The TT especially has been taking up my mum’s drive for what seems like an age now. In fact, an email from Adrian Flux Insurance to say my renewal was due, actually reminded me I own one. So, as they did me their usual cracking deal for the next 12 months, I thought it was high time I pulled it out, stuck some tax on it, bought the old girl a bunch of flowers (my mother, not the car), and actually started using the bugger.
Of course, it goes without saying that this wasn’t all plain sailing. It never is when you neglected your motor for far longer than you should. Inevitably the battery (that I stupidly left connected) was knackered. So, my first job was to get my mitts on a new one, and I’m rather excited about what I ended up choosing.
Nope, this isn’t just a battery. Shit, it isn’t even a Marks & Sparks battery. This my friends, is an absolute whopper of a deep-cycle NorthStar battery.
If there’s any fellow audio nuts out there, they’ll already know why I’m almost aroused about what seems like such a trivial item. The US brand is one of the biggest names in the business and you’ll see these used on plenty of the top builds all over the world.
So, what with the guys at the Battery Megastore being their UK importer, I thought, “Only the best for my baby” and ordered the biggest one that would fit, an AGM unit that cranks over 770amps.For people who are far less geeky than I am, that’s what electrical engineers refer to as a bastard load of grunt!
Still, I will admit that none of this is the main reason I laid out 200-odd big ones. To be totally honest, I’m just an incurable gadget freak.
Due to the fact this particular item is compatible with the NorthStar ACE app, I simply couldn’t help myself. And yes, you did read that correctly; this battery actually Bluetooths to my phone to let me know if it’s running low, or if there’s any other problems. In theory, even with my atrocious memory, I should never get caught out with a flat again.
The best bit of course, is that now the car actually works. I’ve spent a couple of days blasting it around this week and I’ve even started to remember why I built the thing in the first place.
It may even get promoted to daily duties when the weather clears up. Maybe 2020 is the year that I finally get this car finished? You never know…
SPENT THIS MONTH
Adrian Flux insurance £450
NorthStar Elite battery £250
Total £700
CONTACTS
Adrian Flux Insurance
Battery Megastore
