The new news 24 thread

[Bobthebeard]

High drama at Beard towers this morning. Nipped out to the shops and came back to find street full of people, an ambulance and a police car outside the house! Turns out that the woman next door had come round hammering on our door in a right old state. Mrs Beard answered the door to be confronted with the crying woman pleading for help as her son had hung himself! Mrs Beard rang 999 immediately. Her and another neighbour went in and assisted in getting the bloke down, still alive thankfully and the emergency services arrived very soon after. What a palaver. Seems the son is bipolar. We don't know them (rented house and fairly recent tenants) and are only on nodding terms so had no idea he has problems. Although occasional shouting and swearing disturbances in the past. Ambulance and police left after a couple of hours and AFAIK son is still there so no major harm done.

I only went out for 30 minutes and shat myself thinking something terrible had happened to Mrs Beard when I got back!

[Bobthebeard]

The Bentley, tired of such mundaneness as being a car, has booked itself yet another holiday at its favourite place. Off tomorrow, being picked up and carted away.

It has used a third of a litre of atf in 150 miles.

Used or leaked?

Bummer either way. Although leaked is the better scenario I guess.

[vulgalour]

Bob, if you're able, be a friendly neighbour to them.  Bipolarism is shitty and just letting them know you're available sometimes can help a LOT.  No need to be super pals with them, but if they know there's a place to turn to immediately for help in the future it can often prevent the help being needed in my experience.  I hope both mum and son are okay and can recover, they'll have both had quite a scare and take some time to get back to their own state of normality.

[Bobthebeard]

Bob, if you're able, be a friendly neighbour to them. Bipolarism is shitty and just letting them know you're available sometimes can help a LOT. No need to be super pals with them, but if they know there's a place to turn to immediately for help in the future it can often prevent the help being needed in my experience. I hope both mum and son are okay and can recover, they'll have both had quite a scare and take some time to get back to their own state of normality.

Agree wholeheartedly. Never really spoken much to them as they seem to be content keeping themselves to themselves etc. As are we TBH. Although we are friendly enough! Introduced ourselves when they moved in but no real contact from them up until this. The husband is ok and approachable, she and (her) son less so understandably. It also now transpires that she is recovering from cancer. We will go round when this blows over and offer help/friendship as you say.

[Matt]

It moves and even stops (at a mile an hour...). Should I make a thread for this?

 

Proof, it's facing the opposite way. Hopefully get an MOT booked this week.

 

Bonus: the tyres all have this much tread! 

[xtriple]

Leaked I think. Power steering. Bummer. Still, off tomorrow for another stay at its spiritual home! Being picked up at 8:30 now.

[cms206]

Yay!: fannied up the demister motor in the 340 Vario. It now clears the windscreen meaning I no longer have to drive with my head out the window when it is -6 outside.

 

Boo!: the demisters work only on speed 3 and the current available temperature settings are shown below.

 

[beko1987]

Agree wholeheartedly. Never really spoken much to them as they seem to be content keeping themselves to themselves etc. As are we TBH. Although we are friendly enough! Introduced ourselves when they moved in but no real contact from them up until this. The husband is ok and approachable, she and (her) son less so understandably. It also now transpires that she is recovering from cancer. We will go round when this blows over and offer help/friendship as you say.

Deffo offer use of a phone in future. The girl 2 doors down had the shit kicked out of her on boxing day by her boyfriend. We were out, and she apparently came to our door, then hid in a hedge, left her 2 year old there. Was too late for me to go round and kick his fucking head in a week later when we found out, certainly won't be chummy with him in the future

[fordperv]

It's never too late beko, there really isn't an excuse for giving a woman a pasting, it makes it even worse when a little un is around, this bloke sounds like he needs showing the error of his ways, there are only a few things in life that get my back up and this is one of them.

[beko1987]

It's never too late beko, there really isn't an excuse for giving a woman a pasting, it makes it even worse when a little un is around, this bloke sounds like he needs showing the error of his ways, there are only a few things in life that get my back up and this is one of them.

Same. She's no angel from what I've heard, but no excuse. I'll wait. He says hi when we pass in the street, next time I won't be polite, and make it clear that he is a twat.

 

Possibly a good job we were out though, cos if she came here to hide and he followed, I have 2 kids here. Would not have been pleasant.

 

Getting wound up now just thinking about it!

[Fat_Pirate]

 

• Good news: bought a really nice 2001 Saab 9-3 convertible yesterday!

• Bad news: catastrophic turbo failure today!

• More Bad news: £133 to recover it to my house!

I bought it from a Saab specialist for no small amount of money, so hopefully a swift and amicable solution can be found tomorrow, when I ring them for a lovely* chat.

 

 

Dealer has been good as gold so far, it's on a truck heading for their workshop right now.  Though I'm entitled to my money back, I'm going to let them repair it - if I had to buy another, there's a reasonable risk of that blowing up too so better the devil you know.  

[richardmorris]

Dan, Dan my Mercedes man reckons it could theoretically fail the mot as the rust is probably within 30cm of the abs pump mounting. Albeit on another panel section.

However, it's not a definite and could be down to how grumpy the tester is( especially if I keep the 1l bottle of engine oil where it is at the moment). Easy enough to weld a patch in though- wings just unbolt/fall off with rust.

 

Given that this tester is used to 2cvs, they see a lot of rust and are sensible about it.

[Lord Sterling]

My free parking spot has pretty much come to an end. Had a note left on my windscreen asking to 'please not park here again' which is fair enough, but speaking to a neighbour it seems it may not have come from the house it claimed to have come from.

 

Don't really care, back on the street the KV6 goes.

[cort1977]

I'm going to the UK next week, 20th Jan.   If anyone needs anything from the states but is put off by the shipping i am happy to carry stuff*

 

PM me.

 

*Does not apply to engine blocks

[xtriple]

Bentley has just been picked up and is winging its way to Exeter. I'm sure that somehow, this will be my fault and cost me money!

[D Spares & Tyres]

My free parking spot has pretty much come to an end. Had a note left on my windscreen asking to 'please not park here again' which is fair enough, but speaking to a neighbour it seems it may not have come from the house it claimed to have come from.

Don't really care, back on the street the KV6 goes.

There's a closed down doctors in town, I often park there. The nosey old witch opposite has told me off for parking there and keeps leaving me notes on my screen and giving me evil stares. It's nothing to do with her and hardly anybody else uses it apart from her family but they seem to have claimed it

 

I hate busy bodies. I sometime park across 3 spaces now ☺

[Bobthebeard]

Yay!: fannied up the demister motor in the 340 Vario. It now clears the windscreen meaning I no longer have to drive with my head out the window when it is -6 outside.

Boo!: the demisters work only on speed 3 and the current available temperature settings are shown below.

FB_IMG_1452535420417.jpg

😄

I got fed up with the Mercury constantly steaming up inside during wet weather (all the time recently!) despite the blower and heater working correctly. Had a read of workshop manual, dropped the glove box and discovered the air flap thingy behind it was stuck on recirc. Now freed off and no steaming up. Result.

[Bobthebeard]

Agree wholeheartedly. Never really spoken much to them as they seem to be content keeping themselves to themselves etc. As are we TBH. Although we are friendly enough! Introduced ourselves when they moved in but no real contact from them up until this. The husband is ok and approachable, she and (her) son less so understandably. It also now transpires that she is recovering from cancer. We will go round when this blows over and offer help/friendship as you say.

Edit. It seems that an angry exchange blew up an hour or so prior to the attempted suicide. Mother falling out with the son because he was growing cannabis in his bedroom. Had slightly wondered why the bedroom light was always on and windows open, boiler firing 24/7 despite cold weather, but hey, nothing to do with me. Rented house innit. (Last tenant had bipolar daughter with all kinds of shouting and screaming episodes.) Seems cannabis is no longer that illegal so no action taken seemingly.

No issues with all that and hope the lad is ok... Plan to nip round tomorrow with some home made bread and biscuits for them in the spirit of friendship.

[Pillock]

Bake them some funny muffins.....

 

But seriously, good on you. Nice to know there are people like you who see an episode like that as a reason to say Hello rather than a reason to keep clear of the nutter.

[R9UKE]

 

Picked up the Espace today and got a good look around it. It's spectacularly "well used" which I think adds to its charm. The digital dash needs a slap when you start the car or it remains blank. The EML, electrical fault and air bag lights come and go. Passenger Spring is broken at the top. Heated seats, climate control, sunroof and cd changer are all spot on. The engine is just manic. It's wet here this morning and there's just a constant flicker of the traction control light keeping things in check. Plant your foot and after trying to go sideways, it's at 50 before you know it.

 

I have to go back and collect the rest of the seats and the roof box off him next week.

 

I'm chuffing well over the moon with it, and so is the dog.

[fordperv]

Well this afternoon I decided to tackle replacing the clutch quadrant on my saph, the pedal had felt funny for a while and it kept self adjusting as I was driving so expected it to have stripped teeth, so got a genuine one from ford, how wrong I was, started stripping it down and removed the pivot bar and the outer end of the pedal box fell off, the thing was broke,

 

 

A quick tickle from the mig fairy and it was one piece again, the clutch quadrant was fine but because it was all in bits put it on anyway,

 

I'll probably get hold of another bracket and replace it in the future

[Crusty Sills]

The exhaust on the daily Seat has finally given up! I've got it through 2 MOT's on a wing and a prayer and it was showing on the previous 4 as corroded so not bad really.

Currently sounds like a farting train where ever I go.

Garage can deal with that when they do the MOT in a couple of weeks, to wet for me to be crawling around and frankly I cant be arsed!!

May treat it to an oil and filters change when its dry.

[stuboy]

Had to deliver our works broken vw sharan to the garage, i got volunteered to drive a lovely pile of shite movano, after dropping of the shaggedran we had to collect a clients car and bring it up to the clinic, fortunatly i was only one authourised to drive the superb rover 25 1.4 gsi or powwer.... once we jumped started it.

[vulgalour]

R9UKE:  That's horrible.  Has someone been living/dying in it for the past few months?

[wuvvum]

I have both a 2002 Vauxhall Movano and a 2005 Rover 25 GSI.  Go me!

[R9UKE]

R9UKE:  That's horrible.  Has someone been living/dying in it for the past few months?

Seems it, doesn't it!? Previous owner wasn't the tidiest. Cleaning it will probably take a week given the size of it.

[cort16]

I've splashed 40 quid on a full sill for the cortina . I can't be arsed trying to patch it up its too fucked I'll just chuck on the full thing . I suspect I'll be splashing out on another one when I get around the other side. I'm

Going to try I to get the seat mounts for the fishnets built as it's easier to do make them up while the door is off.

[hairnet]

 Plant your foot and after trying to go sideways, it's at 50 before you know it.

 

I have to go back and collect the rest of the seats and the roof box off him next week.

 

I'm chuffing well over the moon with it, and so is the dog.

bai. crazy.

[andy18s]

Whilst perusing thet Internet for some alloy wheels for the Rover,I happened upon this site

 

http://www.wheelfitment.eu/index.html

 

It's a good source of info as not only can you search for wheels with a partictular Pcd or stud pattern,you can search for a certain model of car,and it provides a list of other cars with suitable sizes..

 

So for the 214 i can choose from a 2010 Citroen C-Zero,a good mix of Hondas up to some Mitsubishi's...

 

[vulgalour]

Don't forget similar age Vauxhalls and VWs also offer you wheels that will fit.  The PCD and centre bore on the Rover gives you LOADS to choose from, even the offset is favourable, it's great.