The new news 24 thread

[clayts450]

I applied for a garage through Birmingham City Council several years ago. They've only just got back to me to ask if I'm still interested in applying for a garage. I replied saying that I am still interested providing they actually offer me a garage this time and not just keep my name on a list that'll sit around collecting dust.

 

If they are actually offering me a garage it'll be just in time seeing as Ma now wants to actually 'retire' her Micra.

 

This is a cunning trick deployed by social housing providers to get waiting lists down, I'm afraid, in the hope that a lot of people come back and say 'don't need one now'. You'll still be on the list, but tenty billionth instead of eleventy billionth.

[davehedgehog31]

These bolt grip nut removers (aka hammer a smaller socket over a seized bolt) seem to be mega cheap at Screwfix at present (half the price of other places, £11.99), but are collect only - your mileage may vary, but managed to bag a set to collect from Basford, Nottingham

 

ae235.jpg

 

 

https://www.screwfix.com/p/irwin-5-piece-bolt-grip-nut-remover-set/96028

These are very good, got me out a pickle with a drain plug on a motorbike which was fucking bastard tight and rounded off.

 

I didn't think Geoff Capes had owned a Yamaha SR125.

[Cheggers]

*august*

 

Dear Mr Watson

 

We are writing to inform you that we are increasing your direct debit amount to £xxxxxx

 

Love Thames Water...

 

IMG_20180603_100039.jpg

Having recently moved to a new place, the local water company wrote to tell me that as I'm on a meter my direct debit will be *only* £93 per month based on estimated usage.

 

After calling them and explaining I live alone, travel a fair amount of the time and don't have an Olympic size pool in the garden they agreed to take it down to £22 "But we will monitor your usage closely".

[Guest Hooli]

My water bill went from about £60 to £18 when I got a meter fitted, not had a year for them to review it yet though.

[Lacquer Peel]

Renationalise English and Welsh water. It's nationalised in Scotland, fixed rate for domestic water and every penny is re-invested in the infrastructure.

[Guest Hooli]

You know we have a fixed 'rateable value' for water if not on a meter down here right?

[Lacquer Peel]

Yes and it's a lot more expensive than Scottish Water rates.

[Guest Hooli]

Must be all the money we subsidise Scotchlund with then.....

 

 

 

/ducks

[loserone]

Or the lack of design and planning consideration for adequate water supplies when building huge cities in the south

[Guest Hooli]

But we've got Wales & Scotchlund as a water supply....

[anonymous user]

Welsh Water, whilst not nationalised, is supposedly a not for profit company, with everything invested back into the company. At one point it was registered in the Seychelles, which did make me wonder a bit, also they inhabit some of the most expensive office space in Cardiff, which has its own in house Costa Coffee outlet, so I suppose it makes not making a profit easier.

[Eddie Honda]

fixed rate for domestic water

Bollocks to that idea. I like many others refused to pay (we'll pay twice) and they had to get tae.

 

[beko1987]

We are on a meter and even with me spending 30 minutes a few times a week washing vacuums out with the shower, say 6 showers a week between me and Amy and 4 baths for the kids, and 9 loads of washing a week and this crap, plus the odd car clean our DD is £27 a month, which isn't unreasonable... Think it's the second lowest direct debit we have after my car tax

[clayts450]

Live alone, water meter - £11.86 per month. I thank you

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I find the rates for water hilarious, given that there's been an obvious mains leak just up the road from us for at least two weeks.  In that time, I've seen numerous water vans driving up and down to jobs on that road.  I'm paying for that incompetence and laziness.  Mains spring leaks, I get that.  That's fair enough.  But to not do anything about it for two weeks?!

 

The South-East is 'water stressed' but given that last year, it took five days, fifteen different people and numerous vehicles (including two diggers) to find the street stop valve at my partner's parent's house, I'm not bloody surprised.

[BavarianRetro]

Just wait till the glorious day when we turn off the tap at Gretna and install a big fuck off meter.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

*august*

 

Dear Mr Watson

 

We are writing to inform you that we are increasing your direct debit amount to £xxxxxx and imposing a hosepipe ban

 

Love Thames Water...

EFA

[richardmorris]

Back on track. We have pics from 2cvgb registers day on the sunny Wirral peninsula.

[Skizzer]

Aside from some Lotus fondling (qv), today’s little car job was to fix the right rear light cluster on my unloved modern BMW, which had gone out of service.

 

BMW, being a purveyor of quality*, premium*, reliable* automobiles as everyone on the Internet and in car magazines will tell you, makes its lamp connectors with excessively flimsy contacts that regularly burn out.

 

 

(This is one of the two reasons why BMWs often pull out on the motorway without indicating. I’ll leave you to guess the other. Me, I always signal, which is why mine has burned out, and probably why I’m blackballed from the owner’s club.)

 

Luckily, and contrary to appearances, there’s enough metal left there to still make contact with a bit of jiggling, so I cleaned it all up with a squirt of EasyStart (=carb cleaner, basically) and squeezed in a bit of graphite paste to the female side:

 

 

So far, job’s a good ‘un. Driving it to London tomorrow so we’ll see how well it lasts; I’ve ordered a new connector (cheaper from BMW than on eBay, interestingly) but you only seem to be able to get the male side which is annoying.

 

Annoying seems to be what the BMW ownership experience is all about. But don’t get me started.

[SiC]

Went to Gaydon and the Motor Museum today. It wasn't intentional but there was a Mini and Metro show on.

 

I think I've found my next car.

:wub:

 

Genuinely tempted to get one next. I really like the look of the mark 1 - far more than any of the later ones. They do have quite an angry look on them, which is a bit unusual given the year and not being modern.

[Six-cylinder]

I was at Gaydon with the worst Metro there! There were the lovely ones and then mine hiding in the middle.

[Shep Shepherd]

Took The Volvo for a run this evening, in order to see if my recent machinations had cured the misfire. Almost, but not quite. Next job will be to remove, clean and refit the throttle body, which I'm pretty sure has a faulty sealing gasket. If that doesn't cure the misfire, I'm going to have to remove the fuel tank sender in order to clean the screen on the fuel pick-up pipe, and if that doesn't work, I don't know what I'll do.

 

Anyway, misfire apart, it was a nice drive. The countryside to the east of Southend puts me in mind of that of the flat parts of Cambridgeshire, albeit with more trees:

 

 

 

[Mrs6C]

I was at Gaydon with the worst Metro there! There were the lovely ones and then mine hiding at the middle.

Oi! Careful what you say about MY MG Metro!

[Guest Hooli]

I had a metro as my first car. It was a fun willing thing to chuck about but a bloody awful driving position.

[somewhatfoolish]

Welsh Water, whilst not nationalised, is supposedly a not for profit company, with everything invested back into the company. At one point it was registered in the Seychelles, which did make me wonder a bit, also they inhabit some of the most expensive office space in Cardiff, which has its own in house Costa Coffee outlet, so I suppose it makes not making a profit easier.

It is effectively state-owned and is run for the benefit of the welsh, unlike the water utilities in englandshire which are run exclusively for the benefit of shareholders; isn't "the most expensive office space in Cardiff" tantamount to "the most expensive Proton/Perodua/Trabant in the catalogue"? I once helped to deliver a yacht for a senior Welsh Water heidbummer.

[Six-cylinder]

Oi! Careful what you say about MY MG Metro!

 

Time for you to put some anti rust paint on its beauty spots then!

[HMC]

^ how I remember them circa mid 90's, usually with all or most of the bumper end caps missing.

[320touring]

I'mma leave these here..

 

Explanation to follow.

 

 

[SiC]

I was at Gaydon with the worst Metro there! There were the lovely ones and then mine hiding in the middle.

Oh man. If I knew, I'd have stopped by and said hello! Beautiful day there wasn't it?

[MarvinsMom]

we were supposed to go to Gaydon with Marvin, but in the end we couldn't be arsed. the alarm went off EARLY this mornign, and it got turned back off sharpish!

 

so, instead we took the black mini out for a run to see it we had fixed it, and whether or not it could be trusted.

 

we went to Helmsley,

 

then we drove some more

 

kerry decided to try her luck, seems Felix the Cat isn't that keen though.....

 

we had to buy some fuel cos we aren't sure about the gauge....

 

kerry wanted to go to Scarborough (dunno why either!)

 

my foto skilz have no end (or beginning too for that matter!)

 

stopped briefly...

 

and back home to put it away in the garage. been around 80-odd miles in it today without any overheating/FTP/other unintended stoppage so we are pleased with that, maybe we'll take th eblack mini to Gaydon for BMC/BL day to make up for missing the mini and metro day today.