Alanc

Thanks for the helpful responses - I am pursuing them

I live close to Chinon (dept 37) and am looking to have a Bose docking station repaired. ( no sound ) Does anybody have any suggestions. I have spent a great deal of time and energy scouring the internet without any joy

I am in the all to familiar position of having settled in France, I have a RHD three year old Audi which I want to exchange for a similiar make new vehicle but LHD. Does anybody have positive experiences of this? If so with which company? I have raised the possibilty of such an  exchange with the main dealer in the UK from whom I bought the car and who has serviced it but they were not interested in supplying a LHD car - in fact the actual words from the Sales manager were ' too much messing about for us'! I also raised the matter with Audi UK who initially ignored my emails but then, when pushed, informed me that my query would be referred to their 'export dept' - whatever that is !!!!! Anyway, 12months on, I have heard rien !!!  This was something of a surprise to me as I have been a Audi fan for a number of years and in my previous dealings with the company have always found their customer service and their willingness to help first class. I should add that during the course of a recent trip to the UK I again raised my query with the main dealer thinking that perhaps there might have been a change in policy but the response was again in the negative. This time however it was couched in terms ' we don't do it in this dealership' which I took to mean that there are dealers who might be willing to do a deal but he merely shrugged his shoulders when I asked where else I might try. I'm not really inclined to set about contacting every main dealer in the UK.   So over to you. I have to say that I have been  an infrequent poster of requests for help on this site but whenever I have posted messages, somebody out there has come up with a solution.  

Thanks for the replies. The 'pit' solution was something I considered when laying the garage floor. However I decided that the lift solution was, for me, the better option. The thickness of the concrete floor is more than adequate to accomodate the fittings  but more I want to use the lift not only for inspection purposes but also as two tier parking

I'm not certain whether this is the right place to post this question but here goes. Are there any classic car enthusiats out there who have installed a car lift in their garage, or indeed anywhere else for that matter ? I am such a desperately sad person, according to my other half, and am looking to buy and perhaps have one installed at my property. I am driven to posting a message here as I can't find a supplier in France. There are plenty in the uk (suppliers that is ) but the response to enquiries is generally " sorry we don't deliver to Europe ". Isn't the Uk in Europe ??

Thanks again for your help pachapapa, it's appreciated.

Many thanks to those who posted a response to my original message. The local friendly artisan who originally identified the problem as termites ( and recommended xlyophene ) now thinks that the infestation may not be termites after all but rather some other wood munching insect. If what  pachapapa has said is correct about how termites access buildings/beams then my builder could be right. The area of the beams affected are peppered with tiny holes, something you see when woodworm is present. Unless of course these are exit holes but again this doesn't seem to fit with what pachapapa has said and he appears to know something about the subject. As far as the product is concerned, yes it was gel, hence the problem. That's now been rectified ! The plan is to inject deep into the beams and not just spray the surface. Did I have the property surveyed for the presence of unwelcome creatures ? Diificult when you buy a property which was originally  nothing more a pile of stones.  

The product Xylophene has been recommended to me as an effective treatment for termites which have been found in a couple of beams in an out building. Having bought a huge can of the stuff I now find that the substance is too thick to pass through the spray equipment I intend using. Can it be thinned down, if so how? Is there an alternative treatment which has the consistencyof water ? I need to act quickly as I leave for the UK at the end of next week and won't enjoy the festivities with the thought of these creatures munching their way through my beams, lurking at the back of my mind.  

God what a can of worms I seem to have opened. I posted the message after I'd had yet another  bad experience at the Brico in question. Felt better for it! I've been back since because it's local, bought a few bits and pieces but will not now to spend anything like the money I've spent in the past.  As far as staff attitude is concerned nothing changes!  I'd be interested to hear of anybody elses experiences of this particular store. Is it right that these stores are franchisees ?

I'm sure that some will say that this is not the right place to post this message but I'm desperate ! I have just returned from a trip to my local Brico Marche (nr Chinon - 37 ) - ten minute drive -  where incidentally I've spent thousands of euros over the five years or so I've been trying to make a ruin habitable, where I have again had to endure dealing with staff who are sullen, unfriendly, unhelpful, who feign an inability to understand my french, even though I know ( for once) my pronounciation is correct. It's almost as if there's an instore anti -brit policy. If they are to be believed their knowledge of the products they sell is nil. I base this assessment on the fact that whenever I seek advice on the suitability of a particular product for a particular purpose, they respond by shrugging their shoulders and telling me they don't know. Compare this to the attitude of the staff at my local Leroy Merlin - 45 minute drive -who are friendly and helpful in the extreme !! My question is : does anybody have the address of the Brico Marche charm school ?  I want to write and tell them they're underchieving. There, I feel better now that I've got that off me chest !!  Oops, just realised I need some screws. Here we go again !!! PS The management are no better !

Many thanks for all of the responses. I recall ( not in France at the mo') that the freeview box doesn't have the necessary connections but the various suggestions have given me some ideas - that is with the exception of the one from ErnieY! I fear that the neighbours would be able to hear the audio better than we would but thanks for the contribution !!

Thanks for your help, I'll have a look

I'm not certain whether this is the right place to post this query but... we have recently had a dish fitted to our home in France and this together with the freeview box enables us to receive a wide range of UK tv and radio stations. The radio signal has previously always been poor  but this problem is now 'sorted' with the installation of the dish and box. We would like to be able to listen to the radio in rooms other than where the box and tv are situated, eg kitchen, dining room etc. We don't mind if it's via a wired system or wireless but I'm looking for some means of getting the signal to these other rooms. I would like to be able to use some discreet speakers but don't want to pay a fortune. Any ideas ?  alanc

I am considering buying a couple of roof light/ velux type windows and will be looking to have them installed in my house in the Normandy. Does anybody have any idea what I'm likely to have to pay to have somebody do the job for me? I don't anticipate any problems in completing the job.