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TheOtherStu

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Posts posted by TheOtherStu

  1. We played the "buy cheap, buy twice" mantra a couple of years back and spent proper money on a Samsung washer and dryer.
    With washers, we kept buying Beko, Candy and the like, then wondering why they only lasted 3 years before the motor burnt out or the board fried.

    As above, kept playing the triggers broom with the condenser dryer, replacing parts, new condenser (they get gummed up and there's only so much you can do with them).
    Ripped it apart a few times - you'd be surprised how gummed up the rest of the internals get. Replaced some internal parts a few times and so on, so that lasted 10 years.

    The dryer is a heat pump based one, so uses hardly any electric.

  2. So completely under the radar, 30,000 people in South Hampshire lost their water on Thursday night and it never came back until Sunday. We're told we may well have more outages.

    But because we don't have lots of MPs living in our area and being the scumbags that we are, it barely got a mention on the news, unlike a few thousand folk who lost theirs in leafy Surrey for 24 hours and suddenly it's a "Major Incident".

    Anyhow, we turned that into a benefit. To avoid the outage, we booked a last minute holiday to a holiday park on the other side of the New Forest (who did have water). Was dirt cheap and turned out to be made up of brand new static caravans that were very clean.

    And the best bit is that it turns out we get £30 compensation for every 12 hours we're without. As that was 6 of those, we'll get the holiday paid for too!

  3. 1 minute ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

    The bloke in the dark suit is Patrick McGoohan in the cult TV series The Prisoner

     

    Thank you :)

    I've heard of the series (I've a friend who is an absolute nutter about it - goes round taking pictures in London of all the locations it was filmed in).

  4. 27 minutes ago, Metal Guru said:

    I didn’t know who Russ Swift was but Jackie Stewart, Joanna Lumley, Cilla Black, or Capt Kirk? Come on.

    I'm OK with those.

    I'm pretty sure my son who is 26 would possibly recognise Lumley out of those because of Ab Fab. I took interest in the New Avengers when it was repeated on TV, but I don't believe there are many under 50 that could name them all - it finished in 1977 when I was 5. Even Knight Rider is probably something that many under 40 have never watched.
    Cilla died 8 years ago and probably became irrelevant around 2001 when he was 4.
    He would probably recognise Jackie Stewart these days, but certainly not 60 years ago.

    These, maybe I should know who they are..... but I don't
    image.thumb.jpeg.747495b5c3183a5b6015b7a6cb7783c3.jpeg
    image.thumb.jpeg.ddf63cdcb3327c0a9493602241412075.jpeg

    image.thumb.jpeg.dcca68f6abb7cbd11545f648d516b942.jpeg

    And I'm glad someone asked about Paul Mariner. I even know who he is (having originally lived in Bury in those days).

  5. 7 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

    If you stuck up pictures of any of the latest pop song peddlers or social media wannabes I wouldn't know a Sam Smith from a Lewis Capaldi.

    Well indeed 🤣

    I'm afraid it was one of your pics that did it for me.
    Should I know who these people are?
    image.thumb.jpeg.8b894cdaf45b2a7a9aeb54470b762159.jpeg

  6. On 22/10/2023 at 15:19, reb said:

    My mum has been in Australia for a few weeks. She's just been round to show me holiday photos (most of which I'd seen on Facebook already, but that's ok) and drop off the things she bought me there.

    We have a tshirt that says Perth on it, a beer coozie the same, koala socks, and the best part:

    20231022_150759.thumb.jpg.02d0e49a27883a597a1e080aba544e55.jpg

    Like a penguin but better! The 0.5 star health rating = delicious. 

    These are amazing. I have family and friends who regularly return to these shores. We always ask for these.
    You can actually buy them in Asda in the foreign food aisle.

  7. 10 minutes ago, Asimo said:

    Why are dogs stolen, is there a black market for them as pets or are they exported?

    I won't use the P word, but certain communities either overbreed them if they're still complete, or they use them for fighting, hare coursing, that kind of thing.

  8. On 14/10/2023 at 11:16, catsinthewelder said:

    Apparently did it in a week, although 24 hours of that was continuous driving so I'm guessing speeds weren't too high!

    On a completely different note, I've heard of BYD but not the Dolphin so was surprised to see it win an award.

    https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/361181/byd-dolphin-carbuyer-car-year-2024

    Screenshot_20231014_111526_Chrome.thumb.jpg.bf699b0ff7de335ee3df73bf6e6ce2ec.jpg

     

    In case you were wondering, BYD are a battery maker. In fact, they make batteries for Tesla.
    This is rather ironic that they've in turn decided to become a manufacturer of EVs because Tesla themselves didn't really want to be a manufacturer originally - the idea was that they would put the battery technology together with their motors and running gear and sell it to other manufacturers. But the other manufacturers weren't that interested, so Tesla decided to do it themselves.

    I'd argue that Tesla are still the "Apple" of the EV industry, but like Apple, they're also expensive and fairly mundane. But they definitely do it best.

    Anyhow, going back to it, the Dolphin and the Seal will shortly be seen on these shores. This is the Seal. It costs more than the equivalent Tesla. Yet these Chinese EVs were supposed to be cheap 🤷‍♂️
     

    BYD Seal 2023-3.webp

  9. I don't know if anyone else watched it last night, but the new Wheeler Dealers series started with a Pug 205 Rallye.
    What I didn't realise was quite how startling the prices are now for pretty much any Pez Pug.

    I mean, the one they got, whilst it was generally in good shape rust wise, they felt they got a bargain for a heavily underpowered 1.4 engine with some rotten paintwork, 2 broken bumpers and a scabby interior.

    Is this going to be the new Mk1 Escort? Is it time to hide your genuine GTIs in the garage?

  10. 20 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

    That's the giffer mode you've disabled then? Found the correct fuse to pull - congrats :-)
    You may find also a giffer-block on fifth gear with some Vectras. It's due to fibres from their bonnets wedging down the side of the gear lever preventing any further sideways extension from the 3rd/4th gates.
     

    I'm aware I'm taking this particularly enthralling topic a little off-topic, but I test drove cars for our fleet team - at one point I had 1-2 a week.

    What I've found is that many new cars have both an analogue dial as well as a digital version. Using a GPS, the digital one is normally pretty accurate - often within 1mph. The analogue dial can be as much as 10% and usually at least 5%.

  11. On 21/10/2023 at 17:15, Cavcraft said:

    Mr Wannabe bike gang member.

    67 years old. Unkempt, grey hair. Straggly long beard. Open face helmet. Sunglasses all year round. Face contorted into a sort of welded on grimace as he tries to look hard when it's -5. Rides a Honda Shadow  750 with more chrome than a bathroom warehouse. Stupid, loud exhaust. £1 shop tattoos. Prize possession is a cut-off leather waistcoat with sew on badges that say things like 'biker for life'  and 'ride to live' with an eagle on the back so people think he's a legit member of an outlaw motorcycle club. Revs his bike up at the lights. Won't nod to a scooter riders, people on 125s or sports bike riders. Lives alone after his wife fucked off because he was knocking her about. Has a confederate flag on his bedroom ceiling. Post messages about 'snowflakes' and tells everyone he's not allowed to say what he wants to say because it's 'probably against the law'.  Hates imported goods, everything should be made in Britain. Keeps the Chinese in business with the amount of tat he's glued/bolted/screwed to his bike.

    This man comments on every EV advert (including wall chargers) letting people know the usual tropes - catch on fire, kiddies in the congo, they're not green, powered by coal.
    That kind of thing. Anyone who tries to put him right is "woke".

  12. 2 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

    And now electric cars are seeing the price for a car as basic transport double the starting point.

    I don't think you're wrong there. I think manufacturers are using that as a way of pushing prices up.
    The cheapest Ford Focus is currently £28,000.

    3 hours ago, wuvvum said:

    That is at least partly because they've got rid of the bASe models though.  It's not all a "true" price increase.

    A Kia Picanto Wave 1.0 is not a million miles away from a Kia Picanto "1".

    It's now £13,655 compared with £9,233 for the old model. I get its a minor facelift, but realistically, nothing has changed. Same engine etc.
    My Mum has just paid £12k for a 21 plate pre-facelift. Make of that what you will. It's more than the list price was.

  13. 4 hours ago, Saabnut said:

    The cheapest new car in that period was the Ford Model Y which I believe is the only sub £100 car sold in the UK at 99 pounds, nineteen shillings and sixpence.

    To put that into perspective though, a reasonable 2 bed terrace house could have been bought for £60

    Cars overall have never been cheaper than they are now.

    Sadly, over the last 3 years, they've really jumped. In 2019, you could buy a brand new Dacia Sandero for under £7k.
    They still make the cheapest car (I think it shares that plaudit with the Kia Picanto). £13,795. That's nearly twice as much.

    Ironically, said £7k car is now worth nearly 8k from a dealer.

  14. 20 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

    This exciting looking carriage is a Renault Austral. The sole example I've seen had a E tacked on the end of its name to show its green credentials 

    image.thumb.png.35fde1bd98d87bdde451d69bb7703332.png

    All of the hybrid/EV renaults are called e-tech.

    The Austral is a hybrid. Also available as a Nissan Qashqai e-Power.
    I think it's been mentioned already, but the Scenic is returning. Funny enough, the designer left Peugeot for Renault.
    You really can't tell why

    image.thumb.jpeg.665ce15ea6f53a8848655d7c4002a2e8.jpeg

  15. 40 minutes ago, artdjones said:

    It's a practice that's dying out now, but solicitors used to have fireproof deed safes, so as long as you didn't lose the receipt you were fine. And even if you did your ownership was officially registered. They normally didn't charge, but of course they would expect to do the conveyancing of the property if it changed hands. Or prove the will if the owner died. So it was a small quid pro quo for thousands worth of work in the future.

    In the UK, Deeds are now held by Land Registry electronically, so it's rather irrelevant.

    Back in the day, the alternative was to let the bank hold the deeds whilst you had a mortgage. It was sometimes cheaper to keep £100 on your mortgage unpaid than pay it off and have to pay someone to look after the deeds.
    Although even banks can lose them too.....
    https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Blaze+gives+building+society+major+headache+over+deeds.-a060703355

    I think that's one of the reasons why Land Registry started storing them all online.

    What it has meant though, is that anyone can access anyone's deeds for £3. Which is positive and negative (positive in that if a neighbour encroaches on your land, you can quickly grab it back, negative in that you may not have bought what you thought you had and that neighbour can grab it back)

  16. On 9/19/2023 at 2:04 PM, aldo135 said:

    Just came off it. Fair play you are right, it was interesting. I’ve had very little training in the 26ish years I’ve been driving so was probably overdue! I had it in my head it would be patronising and kind of like “getting a row” but it was informative and useful. Definitely better than 3 points too 😂

    I was one of the first to do it online in 2020 (they had to, because of Covid). Have to say, it wasn't the most dull thing I'd ever done. Some of the people on it were just fucking idiots though. People who genuinely don't know speed limits. One person even said that the national speed limit was 40. How she got a speeding ticket, I have no idea.

    Another one thought that most speed cameras didn't work, so she just ignores them all. I do wonder though why it took so long for her to get caught so I asked. Turned out it was the second time she'd attended a course.

    What I didn't know was that there are 2 courses. A Motorway one and a Non-motorway one. As I was caught on the A11, I have done the non-motorway one.
    My son admitted that he's done both and still has no points 🤣

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