Scruffy police driving.

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st4

Banned
Joined
Mar 1, 2008
Messages
14,373
Location
In the driving seat
Car
C220cdi tourer
I shall set the scene. Marked up 5 series traffic car behind me. It had joined the A82 just at the Glasgow/Clydebank boundary and was behind me. It ceased to be behind me as I was nifty round a roundabout and he was stuck before he could get on. Same at next roundabout.

Then its behind me. 50mph speed limit. Yours truly is bang on the limit, he is a good gap behind me and all is well. We are west bound on the A82 heading for Dumbarton. There are some roadworks ahead, a yellow sign with black border says MAXIMUM SPEED 30mph. Its quiet and no road workers on it, sod it, I'll go through it at 35mph, its one lane and I don't want to go unneccessarily slowly to hold up "plod" not too quickly through it to cause upset for "plod". The road workers are not on shift, but the sign is there.

The limit then becomes 70mph just before the bridge. The road works has made us stay in lane two of DCW as lane 1 is closed. Some traffic is merging so I stick with lane 2 and accelerate smartly to 70mph. Smartly, not full kick down. Traffic car does the same, I move to lane 1 and expect plod to do the same. Plod stays in lane 2, but in my blind spot.

His front is level with the midway point of my boot. He stays there, I think, oh well, I'll lift off the go pedal slightly to assist him passing me. Marked up car like that won't want to be speeding. He too reduces speed keeping level with my boot. This is very poor, I'm trying to let the car past. This continues for about 20secs and I think sod it, back up to 70mph. He stays in his position.

I am approaching now a slower moving vehicle, sh*t, guess whats in my blind spot, check of the shoulder reveals 1x 5 series traffic car.

I try and accelerate infront of plot (not the wisest idea and gain a gap and put the ticker on, I've gained about 7mph, any more is just going to get those lights on. Plod speeds up. Crikey, best slow down, brake and let him through and then over take the passing car.

I wonder why such, to me poor driving is happening. Its would be clear from where he was sat I was approaching a slower moving vehicle and courteous driving would mean he would pass. Why was he in lane 2. He was not overtaking me, he had 90secs or so to do that. Why therefore "hog" lane 2 when lane 1 is where he should have been, behind me. I know I am meant to give way, and techincally lane markings on a DCW are also give way markings on a DCW so I do give way to him. However, common practice and smooth driving would be in his place to see I am approaching something slower, and either complete manouver or allow me space to do mine.

Some will no doubt argue this point, but then again, its hard to argue with the merits of driving in someones blind spot. I tried to reduce speed subtly to let the traffic car past, no luck. As far as I am concerned, unless one of the police members comes on here and can explain the police methodolgy of driving in the outside lane in someones blindspot without making progress, I shall view this incident to be their fault.

It gets better, the car passes me, and I look in and both are staring in. God knows why....

Then, at the Bowling junction someone pulls out quite suddenly and makes a balls of accelerating up to speed. I see this as I am negociating the second bend, plod doesn't and hits the anchors very quickly, although both his timing and road position would make this a lot harder.

Car pulls out, plod on emergency stop, me having to brake, but not as firmly as I have left a big gap infront of me. Plod lights car up like christmas tree, I slowly pass him, give him a cheeky wave and off I go....
 
It gets better, the car passes me, and I look in and both are staring in. God knows why....

Because judging from your photo of yourself Steve on the other thread , they could be mistaken for thinking that one of the hillbillies from Deliverance was driving your car ? ;) :D
 
They're just jealous mate ;)
With a beard like that and a benzo like yours; can't really blame them...
 
They're just jealous mate ;)
With a beard like that and a benzo like yours; can't really blame them...

They were behind me, they wouldn't have clocked onto the fact, that I do look like a complete hobo, even in my smart work clothes.
 
love your car BTW... Is it pain free now?
just changed the air filters on my 211 (wow what a difference!)...and found some oil dripped under the turbo intake- on top of the inlet port motor case...
 
love your car BTW... Is it pain free now?
just changed the air filters on my 211 (wow what a difference!)...and found some oil dripped under the turbo intake- on top of the inlet port motor case...

I need to get a quote for the body work ASAP. Probably this month will get it sorted.

It needs some TLC

new rear tyres in 4k miles time, they are about 3mm on the rear.
New battery control unit so I can start it if I leave it for more than 24hours. IBW Starred the car and confirmed this.
Major service is due in 2k miles time.
The body work needs done, the scrape and the arches and the alloys could do with a refurb too.

Probably tackle the alloys last, as they are not that bad, one I kerbed, the other a pothole got.

See if you hadn't got to that oil leak, you'd be looking at a £500 repair. There is a modified part/seal from where you discovered the leak to prevent this happening again, I'd keep tabs on it, as if its leaked once, it will leak again and make your car very slow as it essentials knackers the turbo
 
I'm not too sure of the problem besides a bit of profiling?

Young lad who looks like he needs a good hair cut driving a newish Mercedes getting followed by suspicious police officers.....

I'm amazed that they didn't pull you....
 
Could it be your distinctive number plates and perhaps a little previous. When maybe said feds have seen you up to no good but didn't pull you.

The feds have an amazing memory for number plates. Mind how you go Sir.
 
I'm not too sure of the problem besides a bit of profiling?

I'll make it simple. A professional driver driving in a blind spot of a car whislt similtaneous achieving poor lane discipline and potential obstruction. If he wanted a chat, all he needed to do was put on the lights.

Young lad who looks like he needs a good hair cut driving a newish Mercedes getting followed by suspicious police officers.....

I'm amazed that they didn't pull you....

As renault keeps saying, a youngish fella in a niceish car is not an oddity these days. Cheap finance and cars are cheaper now than ever before, particularly posh used ones.

Anyway, with very dark tints on the rear windows, and the fact he was never positioned in such a way that he could see me, he did not have a scoobies what I looked like, until he passed me, but he took his time and made it awkward for us both.

Maybe I was a tad too crisp round the roundabout, but its got good grip and power and nice steering, so it was not excessively fast, given I was not sliding the car nor tyres were squealing, nor the fact it was dry and well sighted. He had so many chances to get them lights on and pull me, but he did not.
 
You are most definitely in the wrong. The police were merely doing their job , and keeping you from using the BMW lane . Will you never learn?
 
Could it be your distinctive number plates and perhaps a little previous. When maybe said feds have seen you up to no good but didn't pull you.

The feds have an amazing memory for number plates. Mind how you go Sir.
Only time I was pulled in this area was for a buslane offence, x2 and I will still use them, as the odds of getting caught are low, given the times you can do it.

Other time (3rd in the area) was a amber gamble where a police car nabbed me, no points, a good word in the ear and never done it since. Same plates, different car back then.

Maybe they've seen me hooning around, Strathclyde covers a big area....
 
I need to get a quote for the body work ASAP. Probably this month will get it sorted.

It needs some TLC

new rear tyres in 4k miles time, they are about 3mm on the rear.
New battery control unit so I can start it if I leave it for more than 24hours. IBW Starred the car and confirmed this.
Major service is due in 2k miles time.
The body work needs done, the scrape and the arches and the alloys could do with a refurb too.

Probably tackle the alloys last, as they are not that bad, one I kerbed, the other a pothole got.

See if you hadn't got to that oil leak, you'd be looking at a £500 repair. There is a modified part/seal from where you discovered the leak to prevent this happening again, I'd keep tabs on it, as if its leaked once, it will leak again and make your car very slow as it essentials knackers the turbo

Thanks for that...

I had a new turbo under warranty about 6 months ago... and I noticed the jubilee clip wasn't tightened up properly so am hoping that the oil is remnant from then and maybe partly a result of the slightly loose clip. Have the modified seal and will carefully clean the gunk tomorrow and keep an eye on it.
How do you know if the motor is effected?
 
Maybe they thought you were security services from you plates! ;)

I don't know what you look like or how you were driving prior to them tailing you, so they may have been justified for whatever reason. HOWEVER, hanging onto your blind spot is just being a ****, is unsafe and massively inappropriate for an officer who will have been a highly trained traffic officer (assumption based on being in the BMW).

Knowing someone in the force and their experiences of most particularly male officers, it is very appparent that there are quite a few idiots out there wearing uniforms who take the job for all the wrong reasons. However I'll bet we have less idiots in the force by percentage than almost anywhere else in the world! Some people just want to wear a uniform and feel power; thankfully many more join for the right reasons. You either met the latter on a bad day or one of the delightful former!
 
Thanks for that...

I had a new turbo under warranty about 6 months ago... and I noticed the jubilee clip wasn't tightened up properly so am hoping that the oil is remnant from then and maybe partly a result of the slightly loose clip. Have the modified seal and will carefully clean the gunk tomorrow and keep an eye on it.
How do you know if the motor is effected?

The motor will jam, the turbo will stop boosting and the engine light may come on, not always, but probably will. The big thing will be the drop in power, but unlike a normal limp home mode, you can stilgo 85mph, if the road is long enough...
 
The motor will jam, the turbo will stop boosting and the engine light may come on, not always, but probably will. The big thing will be the drop in power, but unlike a normal limp home mode, you can stilgo 85mph, if the road is long enough...

Phew! I'm still ok then! ( pulls like a freight train on steroids!):D
Thanks again for the advice mate... can sleep easy now
Sorry to hijack your thread there...:eek:
 
Phew! I'm still ok then! ( pulls like a freight train on steroids!):D
Thanks again for the advice mate... can sleep easy now
Sorry to hijack your thread there...:eek:

No bother mate. But it it fails, you'll have no danger of dangerous BMWs with lights and cameras on them.

I am considering writing to Strathclyde police regarding this incident as its very substandard, but it seems a bit petty over something that was no harmful.
 

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