The grumpy thread

[Mrcento]

Buried my Nan today. The last half year her dementia had progressed to the point where she didn't know who I was anymore. Not sure what was harder out of those two things. Confusing mentally as I've just lost her but then we also lost her as a person before that.

 

My grandad at the funeral was getting confused and thought the service was for a friend, not his wife. He probably will have forgotten today by the end of the week. However he does remember my name and who I am still.

 

Other Grandad didn't go as he wasn't feeling well. Phoned up after the wake about going to see him. Carer answered. She said he had fallen over and they were waiting for the paramedic. He's now in hospital awaiting tests.

 

Oh and Mrs SiC operation that she is supposed to be having next week got cancelled earlier this week. An operation that we have been waiting for over 8 months for. Being to do with fertility it's low priority on the NHS list.

 

Life really sucks at times.

 

Sorry to hear that.

 

It's just over a year since my Gran was cremated, she also suffered from dementia for well over a decade. The final 6 or 7 years in particular were horrific and no humane kind of existence at all with no mobility and being unable to recognise people.

 

It's a weirdly conflicting emotion when the day comes, Of course the death itself is heartbreaking, but also their suffering is over, which brings a weird form of relief and closure. In time, i saw the truth is, it's kinder for them and those around them for it to end... The really cruel part was the dementia to begin with that robbed them of who they were, the death, whilst obviously horrible.... nobody wants to live a life like that.

[richardthestag]

sorry to hear SIC

[SiC]

Sorry to hear that.

 

It's just over a year since my Gran was cremated, she also suffered from dementia for well over a decade. The final 6 or 7 years in particular were horrific and no humane kind of existence at all with no mobility and being unable to recognise people.

 

It's a weirdly conflicting emotion when the day comes, Of course the death itself is heartbreaking, but also their suffering is over, which brings a weird form of relief and closure. In time, i saw the truth is, it's kinder for them and those around them for it to end... The really cruel part was the dementia to begin with that robbed them of who they were, the death, whilst obviously horrible.... nobody wants to live a life like that.

My Nan mind started getting noticeably weaker about 4 years ago. However it was only the last 6 months that it deteriorated rapidly, which in some ways we are lucky for as it gave us many more years of her as a person before we knew the envitable. About 6 months ago she went in a home. Not particularly happy with the home either - not least the 13 bed sores the doctors found on her when she was admitted into hospital.

 

I lost my other Nan around 14 years ago. She had a heart condition that meant she was frequently ill and we knew one day she would get ill but not recover. I always remember her saying that "She didn't want to get really old" - she was in her early 80s. Back when I was 18, I couldn't understand that. Now however I completely can and feel the same about myself.

 

Unfortunately there is a very strong chance that by the end of this year I may not have any grandparents left. Just as hard a thought is that by the time we manage to have children (or even if we ever can), none of my grandparents will ever get a chance to meet them.

[sierraman]

I’ve got sympathy for you, my mum passed away last July from a form of dementia. In a wierd way when they rang up and said she had passed away peacefully I felt a huge sense of relief, by that point she was asleep 90% of the time, the person who I knew had gone already. At that point she was in a home which was a 520 mile round trip, on a few occasions I’d done it twice a week.

 

Anyway live life for today, that’s the moral I take from it all.

[New POD]

Just Got an email (is that appropriate) sent yesterday afternoon by my Dad to let me know that my Grandads Brothers wife (or great auntie Annie to me) had died in a Nursing home in Fleetwood yesterday. Aged 97.

I was planning to visit. She'd only been there 9 months.

Before that she was living with one of hic cousins in Ludlow, for 5 years. I'd been planning to.visit. since she moved from Reading, where we visited 7 years ago for her 90th party which was on a boat on the Thames.

[chaseracer]

And my lovely boss's mum has passed away today...

 

Sad news of the Supreme Leader; give Rog a fraternal manhug of solidarity when you see him next.

 

And GWS yerself m8.

[purplebargeken]

So sorry to hear Si. My friend and neighbour was hit with a double whammy of Parkinson's shortly after his retirement. He went on to develop Parkinson's associated dementia a few years later. He died in December in his early 80's so he had been suffering since aged 65. His death was so sad but the person that I knew hadn't been 'there' for several years and his existing in such a saddening condition was heartbreaking and I feel that his death was indeed a genuine release.

 

Man hugs to you mate.

[Lacquer Peel]

What a fucking nightmare getting the Passat road legal for a year has been.

 

I paid a garage with good online ratings near work to fit new track rod ends and do the tracking, I was happy that it was just £120.

 

The MOT tester at the retest showed me the track rod ends and it's fucked already, the track rod ends are loose in the thread, so much that they're ready to pop out and the lock nuts not done up like the original MOT failing ones fitted by a previous owner. What the fuck?

[dozeydustman]

Sorry for your news SiC

[SierraMikeHotel]

 

 

I paid a garage with good online ratings near work to fit new track rod ends and do the tracking

Yeah, that's why I chose the shit body shop that still have my Merc, and the shit plumber who failed to fix either of the problems we had him out for

 

Without a word of mouth recommendation there's just no way to know. Online reviews are too easily gamed.

[Rocket88]

What a fucking nightmare getting the Passat road legal for a year has been.

 

I paid a garage with good online ratings near work to fit new track rod ends and do the tracking, I was happy that it was just £120.

 

The MOT tester at the retest showed me the track rod ends and it's fucked already, the track rod ends are loose in the thread, so much that they're ready to pop out and the lock nuts not done up like the original MOT failing ones fitted by a previous owner. What the fuck?

 

Wonder how many of those "Trust pilot [or whatever]" ratings are genuine.....or just the staff going online and bigging the place up.........

[Lacquer Peel]

Aye they're far too easy to falsify.

I need to calm down for a bit before I phone the garage and ask them what they can do to make it right.

[artdjones]

What a fucking nightmare getting the Passat road legal for a year has been.

 

I paid a garage with good online ratings near work to fit new track rod ends and do the tracking, I was happy that it was just £120.

 

The MOT tester at the retest showed me the track rod ends and it's fucked already, the track rod ends are loose in the thread, so much that they're ready to pop out and the lock nuts not done up like the original MOT failing ones fitted by a previous owner. What the fuck?

A.A lot of pattern VW parts are heinous Chinese junk.

B.There could be a problem with the inner joint.Of course they could be useless rubbish too.I'd say it's unlikely that two different garages would leave the nuts loose.

[Rocket88]

TPS are good for VW parts...not cheap, but at least you get "the real thing"

[Lacquer Peel]

My theory is the garage I used copied the mistake of the person who fitted the last track rod ends.

The new track rod ends were around £20, when Lemforder ones are around £25 each.

[alcyonecorporation]

Lemförder or TPS. 

And they pay. 

[twosmoke300]

Some of those passat ones are rubber mounted . Most of the aftermarket ones are not . Also IIRC the locknut screws the opposite way to "normal" TRE's .

This is assuming its a passat of the pissing water in  the cabin and ridiculous 12 balljoint front end era

[Lacquer Peel]

Some of those passat ones are rubber mounted . Most of the aftermarket ones are not . Also IIRC the locknut screws the opposite way to "normal" TRE's .

This is assuming its a passat of the pissing water in the cabin and ridiculous 12 balljoint front end era

I wonder if the locknut screw in reverse is what keeps confusing people fitting TREe to this car.

 

It's a 1999 12 balljoint water leak version.

 

I phoned the garage proprietor, he seemed shocked and wanted to phone the MOT garage, he hasn't got back to me yet.

 

I should have DIY'd it.

[320touring]

Nah shouldn't have DIY'd it.

 

If ever there were a garage job it's Passat front ends.

[twosmoke300]

Oh yeh cheers !!

[scaryoldcortina]

Could always be worn tapers in the hub from the first slack joint, damn things go oval then won't hold another tre. Locknut won't save you either because a ton and a half of car yanking on it at corners will pop the nut up the thread if the taper isn't tight.

[Lacquer Peel]

The play isn't at the hub though, it's in the track rod end to inner track rod thread. Chinesium TREs?

[scaryoldcortina]

Oh, inner ends of the outer tre, gotcha. I bet there's no thread left in the track rod because it's been rusting internally for over 25 years.

[Lacquer Peel]

Could they seem okay when fitted but rattle loose once it's been driven if that's the case?

[HillmanImp]

Off work ill but the chuffin cleaner is round so I've made myself scarce by going to the pub.

 

Don't see the point of having a cleaner in our house anyhow as they must spend 90% of their time moving all the sodding pointless clutter, 5% cleaning and 5% sniffing my pants (probably).

[HillmanImp]

Off work ill but the chuffin cleaner is round so I've made myself scarce by going to the pub.

Don't see the point of having a cleaner in our house anyhow as they must spend 90% of their time moving all the sodding pointless clutter, 5% cleaning and 5% sniffing my pants (probably).

FFS, I've just got back after making myself scarce for 2 hours and they've not even been.

[treehugger]

Off work ill but the chuffin cleaner is round so I've made myself scarce by going to the pub.

 

Don't see the point of having a cleaner in our house anyhow as they must spend 90% of their time moving all the sodding pointless clutter, 5% cleaning and 5% sniffing my pants (probably).

Sniffing your pants sounds like a whole other thread....

[scaryoldcortina]

Could they seem okay when fitted but rattle loose once it's been driven if that's the case?

Yes, that's what I suspect is happening. I think the thread is just poor enough to seem tight when fitted but rip through when driven leading to the locknut being slack. Do it back up, paint the whole joint and locknut (tippex is good for this) then examine again after a test drive.

[Joloke]

Being in the wrong place at the wrong time and being blamed for damage you clearly didnt cause

[Lacquer Peel]

Yes, that's what I suspect is happening. I think the thread is just poor enough to seem tight when fitted but rip through when driven leading to the locknut being slack. Do it back up, paint the whole joint and locknut (tippex is good for this) then examine again after a test drive.

I would have done that but didn't fancy driving it, there genuinely doesn't seem to be much holding the track rod ends in place. It's been recovered to the garage that fitted them.