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The grumpy thread


outlaw118

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We'll see what they say, the internet and my experience of working for a council suggests their insurers will fight to say it wasn't them and if it was they do a risk assessment so can't be held liable. The E of Bay suggests a a pattern bumper in primer is about 60 quid delivered. Getting it painted in a way that doesn't look terrible is the main issue. 

 

In which case you've got a great 'angry local news' angle. I'm sure their risk assessment doesn't say there's a risk of knocking bloody lampposts down!

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I have just spent the day replacing a CV joint boot on SWMBO's 2.2 Astra Convertible.  It's 15 years old but being Australian is rust free and is low mileage so I like to take care of it. Over the last couple of weeks I have done a complete major service including replacing all fluids (engine oil, gearbox oil, brake and clutch fluid, coolant etc.) As I had all the wheels off to bleed the brakes I had cleaned the inside of the wheels to get rid of all the brake dust. Last but not least it had 4 new tyres last week, Yokohama C Drive - the last of the japanese ones.

 

Yesterday after a very early start to look at some steelwork in a shopping centre 70 miles away that was put up overnight and had to be signed off before the shopping centre opened we got to the Yacht Club for a leisurely breakfast before racing and parking up I noticed black stuff on the front left wheel. Moly Grease. Sailed (Came 2nd so not Grump) , drove home put the Astra away and thought this is an easy fix I've done lots of these on Astras before (I've had 6 over the years plus a couple of Novas and three Cavaliers.)

 

Got the wheel off this morning and I've never seen so much grease, all over the inside of the wheel, wheel well, brake caliper, macpherson strut. Turns out the culprit was the ****ing brake pad wear sensor had falllen of the brake pad/caliper, got tangled around the boot and cut through it. The business end of the sensor was inside the CV joint boot!

 

Now we've run out of kitchen roll and had to resort to toilet roll for cleaning up purposes.

 

Breaking news - two rolls worth of kitchen roll liberally impregnated with moly grease and some petrol (ultimate degreaser) is really good for getting the wood burner going very quickly indeed.

 

Now I've also got a brake pad warning due to the lack of a sensor. That isn't getting replaced- will figure out the wiring and reconnect so it thinks the sensor is fine and brake pads have lots of thickness.

 

Edited to add - comment from Non PC wife - "You could be in the black and white minstrels show"

 

Sturdy paper clip shoved into the sensor connector usually bypasses the sensor

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Because they haven't yet worked out where to put a fourth one.

Our local Waitrose now has two cafes, two 'coffee points', a juice bar, a snack / salad bar, a wine-tasting bar and a while you wait liposuction station. Ok I made the last one up.

 

It also has 940 4 mile wide car parking spaces for the "dimwit with 43 children called 'Jocasta' in rented MPV" clientele, who still can't park between the lines. It now also has an EV charging point for Wayne and Waynetta to park the Corsa in "cause it's near the shop innit M5'.

 

Alternatively, like me, you park 300 yards from the store and run the gauntlet of drivers* who don't know what a one-way system or 10mph look like and morons who think the car park is for abandoning trolleys because they are pathologically unable to walk 10 yards to that unused area called 'the trolley park'.

 

But can I find the catfood?

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I spent the entire morning dismantling and re-assembling the inoperative electric step on Mum's Autocruise/Peugeot Boxer camper. All of the internal parts - motor, gearbox, runners etc. - were as dry as a nun's twat. Half a day's worth of unpleasantness could have been avoided at a stroke if the retards who assembled this particular Omni Step had used about 2p's worth of grease FFS.

 

I may add that this process was not in any way helped by the fact that a cordless drill had clearly been used to wang up all the screws, destroying their heads to the point where I had to use Mole grips to turn them out. Sadly, this level of workmanship is about on a par with the standard of Autocruise's wiring... can't wait till that starts playing up.

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Try Swift, if you want really shit 'workmanship'.  

 

Next-door paid £stupid for one of those six-wheel gin palaces with the front end of a Fiat Ducato.  Oddly, the Italian bits were of immeasurably higher quality/reliability than Swift's contribution.  After three attempts at rectification by the factory - one visit resulting in body damage - the van was rejected and all funds returned, slightly ahead of legal action.

 

They decided instead on an Audi S3 and an annual fortnight in the Maldives.

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Why the fuck does Warwick services have two Starbucks about ten yards apart in the main building and a third one in the car park?

 

The one in the car park is a drive through? I'm sure we went in one yesterday but I think it was at Keele.

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The new bath is still leaking and the builder has told us to FRO he is bored of trying to fix it. We have also discovered the pipe work or waste for the sink is leaking but it's all been boxed in.

 

His final offer was to take down the partition wall that the shower and shower screen is on and then give £75 to get someone to put it back. Obviously having paid him to fit the bathroom including plasterboard, tiles, tiling, shower and screen we don't find this solution acceptable and we think it means he will be breaking the contract.

 

So now we are trying to get some kind of money back (having spoken to CAB) but of course this relays on getting quotes for the work that needs to be done.

 

Naturally we are now back to the situation where people are coming but not sending the quote in writing or saying they will come and not turning up.

 

Nightmare.

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Write or email the builder telling him that either he fixes the leaks or you will have a surveyor look at the job he did, will pay someone else to rectify his faulty work and then take him to the Small Claims court for what you've spent.

Stopping the bath and sink wastes from leaking is plumbing 101 and any competent builder's labourer should be able to do it.Any competent diyer in fact.

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Apparently not. Matt knows the local TS dude and he said it wasn't really their scene.

 

I don't understand why either!

 

WHAT??!?

 

Write or email the builder telling him that either he fixes the leaks or you will have a surveyor look at the job he did, will pay someone else to rectify his faulty work and then take him to the Small Claims court for what you've spent.

 

This.

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Thanks. This is what we are in the process of doing. The main problem I think is we are both not wanting to make a fuss. They have been back several times and they are saying that this proves we are unreasonable, where as we think that a.) we must be having problems to keep asking them back and b.) we are giving them opportunity to put it right rather than demanding a refund or going legal on them.

 

Basically we need to toughen up and get to it!

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We sent an email with a list of problems, including photos and said we were getting quotes. They haven't replied so I suspect they will deny having received it. So Matt's job today is to print it all off and I will get it sent recorded delivery.

 

It's a nice little project for Matt while he is recovering from an emergency appendectomy... (I was not cut out for nursing it seems!).

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In which case you've got a great 'angry local news' angle. I'm sure their risk assessment doesn't say there's a risk of knocking bloody lampposts down!

 

 

They've still got a few days to get back to me, I always feel you should give people a chance to do fix their mistakes / do the right thing before getting too excited. It's irritating but something that can be bodged and lived with even if I can't get them to sort it.

 

If it would have landed on the windscreen and I'd have had to make a claim on my insurance even for vandalism then I'd already be outside the council offices with a torch in one hand a pitchfork in the other. My wistful dreams of a 90's supersport bike would be badly affected by insurance issues.

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Need a passenger side mirror cover and indicator for my 2005 Volvo S40 as it was knocked off on the dim and distant past, just a couple of pieces of plastic... you can't buy the cover separately and a full mirror unit is £120 odd! Why so pricey?? Sod that, I'll just live without it

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Guest Hooli

Apparently not. Matt knows the local TS dude and he said it wasn't really their scene.

 

I don't understand why either!

 

 

I have tried TS for several things & it's never their scene. I'm at an utter loss what they do cover as it doesn't include anything you buy from or get done by a trader.

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It appears we have another new set of wankers living here, as my garage has been blocked in for the second time in the past month. Left my usual note but I'm extra annoyed tonight as I was going to drag the Astra dizzler out and do some cleaning/tinkering, seeing as it's been a nice evening.

 

I feel like letting his tyres down, but that would make me as uncivilised as him.

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My wife was born in Canada to English parents.They moved back in 1976

and she has only ever had a UK passport.Same for her sister.End of August

the two of them plus MIL are going to the far west near Alaska so they can

see where they lived before Mil is too old.(She's 82).You dont need a visa

but you do need an electronic travel authorisation which costs $7 over the internet.

Filled in the onlineform which includes the question "where were you born" Answer-Canada

.It now turns out that they can't have the eta because they are citizens.Citizens can only enter Canada

using a Canadian passport since last November.That costs $190 and has a turnaround

time of 10 weeks.

They leave in seven weeks.Cue panic as they already spent €3000 euros for tickets,

insurance and car hire.

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I don't think so.I'm sure there will be some sort of expedited process probably

costing $$$ more.Her sister happens to be in Dublin on Thursday - hopefully

she can call in and find out.At the moment the form is being filled in and referees

chosen.Also they are picky about photos - the photographer has to have their

address printed or stamped on the back,for example.

 

Ironic really - something many would pay a huge amount for(Canadian citizenship) is rather a nuisance at the moment!

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