The grumpy thread

[Mr A Lawrence]

I only go down Cheshire oaks to visit maccie d's.

 

There's a pedestrian crossing right at the entrance which people just wonder across at even when the lights are green then give you abuse when you beep at them.

 

Agree about the parking though, gonna get worse too as there's been planning granted for an expansion programme.

[Mr A Lawrence]

Just been told, at half eleven at night, that I have to go to Leeds next week. Last time I was there I got robbed, and the flu. I hate Leeds. My Mum and Dad hate Leeds. The bloke who's going with me hates Leeds, and he's Italian and likes everyone. We all fucking hate Leeds. I can't understand what people are saying, nor they me. Fair enough, I talk like Jim McDonald (so I do), but people in UAE and South America get my drift.

 

Oh yeah, and I thought the plane was going to crash the last time. We came in to land aboard some piston engine shitbox and the plane went sideways. Scared the crap out of me. The pilot came back around, FASTER, and got us down. Hard. One of my old schoolfriends is a British Airways pilot, and says Leeds-Bradford can be a right bastard for crosswinds, but not to worry. That's alright for you old lad, you fly a brand new Boeing.

 

But at least it's not Manchester. Another story.

I'm from Leeds and this made me laugh tha nos..

[chaseracer]

Anywhere describing itself as a Discount Designer Outlet acts as a massive galactic magnet for cretins.

 

They're building one of these brain-death gravity wells less than a mile from Chaseracer Towers.

 

http://millgreenoutletvillage.co.uk

 

Disappointingly, the district council thinks it's marvellous because the business rates will - apparently - compensate for the loss of income from Rugeley power station which closed recently, financial assistance for which our glorious local leaders allegedly failed to apply for within the necessary timeframe.

 

Those of us who point out that 1) the road network is already creaking and 2) the development will kill what's left of the town centre stone dead (with obvious implications for - YES! - business rates) are dismissed as fools...

[oldcars]

Reliant brakes need fixed, Shuma wont start. Not got bike sorted yet means bus to work 

[burraston2006]

Driving home last night and some Cunty McCuntface decided it would be fun to throw a recycling bin off of a bridge:

 

 

 

Police called but as usual with a taxed/moted and insured car they were not interested.

Trying to post piccy but computer says no at the moment.

[steveo3002]

^shouldve said you was 2% over the speed limit while mumbling racist comments ,they'd have been out in a flash

[burraston2006]

 

 

Here we go! Glass everywhere inside the car, luckily we weren't hurt. Bastard insurance are making me pay £80 excess. The glass company have said I'm a priority ( I'm a carer and need the car for work) and said 2 weeks to get it repaired.WTF! I hated to think how long if I wasn't a priority!

[steveo3002]

+ a new pair of pants?

[burraston2006]

Luckily I was wearing by brown trousers!

[Skizzer]

Jeez, that's really bloody nasty.  "The little darlings were just having a bit of fun though, you know."

 

My grump: it's deadline day for filing and paying my VAT return, and the HMRC website has been down all morning.  Won't stop the bastards fining me upwards of £500 if I'm a day late, with no process for appealing.  

 

It's fucking hard work trying to run a business around the machinery of government.

[purplebargeken]

More fucking insurance weirdness.

 

There is a red 1992 Pug 309GL on ebay at the moment. It is close geographically.

 

Needs a couple of odds and sods doing, nothing major. Has a pretty reasonable MOT history too. 70,000 miles.

 

FJ (who insure my '96 Golf) said that they can't do it on the classic policy as they don't regard it as a classic car. Nor could anyone do a lovely Rover 114 GSi for a sensible price.

 

The Golf is however perfectly acceptable to have on classic insurance. Why??

 

I actually now just give up. Had enough of it. 

[Captain Furious]

Classic insurance is a fickle business

 

I couldn't get a bimmer E38 on a classic policy with FJ but could get a Granada of similar age - hence, I now have a Granada and not a magnificent V8 7 Series...My mate had similar problems with Lancaster when changing from an old shape VW Beetle to a Mk1 Golf cabriolet, they couldn't transfer the beetle policy because the Golf would be a different kind of classic policy...Of course this meant paying some preposterous cancellation\admin fee which was more than his original premium.  (So Lancaster Insurance are now off the list of companies that I'd touch with a shitty stick)

 

Another friend couldn't get a 1995 106 diesel insured with FJ because they didn't consider it a classic (inclined to agree with them there)

 

Contrary to popular belief, a car just meeting the age criteria doesn't automatically mean they'll grant a classic policy.

[Eddie Honda]

I wonder where the age only criterion starts? 30 for anything goes?

[purplebargeken]

Fair point but surely a 114 GSi should cost less than a mahoosive engined 75. Shouldn't it.

[dean36014]

Same with my zx, 24 years old and not considered a classic, nor was a 405 I looked at. A Citroen xm or a roffle Colt, no problem sir, step this way. It does seem very fickle as to what they define a classic as.

[Eddie Honda]

11h 30m since starting my shift then this:

 

1h 30m away from base. ARSE.

 

and there's more...

 

 

Airbag bollocksed too. GAAAH!

[dean36014]

Looks like a 15 for you then! I'm waiting for the one of the bags to go on my trailer, its a 2006 demount and fully refurbed by original manufacturer. It came back with an ABS fault the workshop had to replace virtually everything to fix, and two new airbags on one side and two old and perishing looking ones on the other side. Can't work out why they didn't replace all 4 bearing in mind its blown up and down alot being used for demounts!

First night back after a week off so god knows what damage will have been done to again in my absence. Last time I came back to a severely scraped bumper corner, and mangled side guards. Its annoying as asmuch as I hate the truck I look after it and managed 160k since last september without a scratch and the agency driver made a right mess of it.

[Asimo]

Driving home last night and some Cunty McCuntface decided it would be fun to throw a recycling bin off of a bridge:

 

 

 

Police called but as usual with a taxed/moted and insured car they were not interested.

Trying to post piccy but computer says no at the moment.

 

That fuzz isn't interested is appalling.

To throw something that big off a bridge at traffic could well result in death.

At the very least fuzz should consider this criminal damage, maybe aggravated assault.

Big angry letter to the chief constable, complaints commissioner, police authority and to that elected fuzz manager / sheriff if you have one in the area.

[M'coli]

Re classic insurance: a 15-year-old, Golf Gti is a classic according to FJ, as is:
a 15-year-old Beetle
a 15-year-old Celica
15-year-old Mr2
10-year-old Jag (new if you're a club member)
10-year-old Fiat 500  

15-year-old Audi TT,

15-year-old Rover 75,

15-year-old MGF

15-year-old Vauxhall cabriolet.

Not a classic:
Rover 114.
Peugeot 106 (understandable, but I know someone who's had one of these on a classic policy in the past).
Fiat Cinquecento.
Ford Puma.

The 106 I can understand, but a Fiat 500 being classic but a Cinq isn't? Similarily a Puma? The mind boggles. I told them it was snobbery. I've also been told by a Triumph-owning friend that my 1994 Pug 205 was more of a classic than a Rover Metro, just because.

[Captain Furious]

You would think there would be some qualifying criteria other than just a guy going "classic...not classic"

 

But it does seem as though that is the case.

 

Classic policies also seem to be more likely to shaft you with huge admin/cancellation fees if you don't let them run the full term or try to change cars mid policy, so not always ideal if you change cars a lot.

 

At the risk of sounding like a FJ salesman, I only ever bother with them for my classic policy needs, as said above a friend of mine had no end of grief with Lancaster, Flux have never provided me with a decent quote in my entire life, and FJ quote online which not all classic providers do.  Plus they have reasonable mileage quotas and the policy 'add-ons' are nice too.  eg for £10 extra I can use it for commuting, another £10 and I get to keep the wreck if its a write-off without having to buy it back off them, no hassle agreed valuation etc etc.  You just choose whichever options you want to add after getting the base quote and its a fixed price.

[dugong]

Time to make the main forum unvisible to the human eye to try and stop trolling? Or would we lose potential newcomers?

At the risk of sounding really unhelpful (and this is not meant to cause further distress) it would perhaps it would be best to just lose the troll.

 

I notice the troll has been on their best behaviour recently.

 

You would think there would be some qualifying criteria other than just a guy going "classic...not classic"

 

But it does seem as though that is the case.

 

Classic policies also seem to be more likely to shaft you with huge admin/cancellation fees if you don't let them run the full term or try to change cars mid policy, so not always ideal if you change cars a lot.

 

At the risk of sounding like a FJ salesman, I only ever bother with them for my classic policy needs, as said above a friend of mine had no end of grief with Lancaster, Flux have never provided me with a decent quote in my entire life, and FJ quote online which not all classic providers do.  Plus they have reasonable mileage quotas and the policy 'add-ons' are nice too.  eg for £10 extra I can use it for commuting, another £10 and I get to keep the wreck if its a write-off without having to buy it back off them, no hassle agreed valuation etc etc.  You just choose whichever options you want to add after getting the base quote and its a fixed price.

It's upsetting a lot of people if the forum / social media chatter is anything to go by. I can't see why people would resent being told they're chancing fraudsters at all.

 

I have a feeling my broker (not listed so far) is keeping me sweet because of what I do.

[Cavcraft]

It's probably because you coud open a Rover 100 with a slice of bacon and start it with a withered glare, so they are/were stolen more.

[Eddie Honda]

Rover 100

because miniMETRO.

[dugong]

It's probably because you coud open a Rover 100 with a slice of bacon and start it with a withered glare, so they are/were stolen more.

Then there's the question of model legacies. A 2000 Mini gets classic status even though - technically - it's only 16 years old.

Blah blah true icon genius of Issigonis gibber gibber not Autobianchi Priumula bibble bobble subscription service.

 

. because miniMETRO.

[Eddie Honda]

Looks like a 15 for you then!

And the rest! Airbag getting changed right now, but I do have a brand new "Torque" Chinese special on the rim.

 

Last time I had a bag go pop I was empty 275km away so the LorryShite solution* was to disconnect the air and just ratchet strap the middle axle...

[gordonbennet]

11h 30m since starting my shift then this:

IMG_20160905_120421.jpg

 

1h 30m away from base. ARSE.

 

and there's more...

 

IMG_20160905_120427.jpg

 

Airbag bollocksed too. GAAAH!

 Sod i, did the tyre wires rip that airbag apart so it didn't go alone?

 

Is that a Semperit on the first axle, haven't seen a Semp lorry tyre for bloody years.

Did see a motor shod on Double Happiness tyres a while ago, er yeah.

[cort16]

Downward spiral.

 

Hirst didn't think there was much content on the main board so didn't bother posting much on it.

 

He left as quietly as possible and I think he succeeded- it's taken this long for people to notice.

And yeah, there was a lot more going on behind the scenes than what transpired here.

 

Having been on a self inflicted exile of this board over the last few weeks I've been trawling all lonely through  various other car forums. I can confidently say there's not much to complain about here.

The board is fast paced, interesting and on the whole populated by nice sensible people contrary to a lot of the boards out their, which are slow and or self interested. 

 

I spend way too much time on here, something i want to reel in a bit. While I had a couple of weeks off I fixed 2 of my broken cars and dragged the really broken one a bit closer to being roadworthy again. I want to do more of this.

[dugong]

Having been on a self inflicted exile of this board over the last few weeks I've been trawling all lonely through  various other car forums. I can confidently say there's not much to complain about here.

The board is fast paced, interesting and on the whole populated by nice sensible people contrary to a lot of the boards out their, which are slow and or self interested. 

 

I spend way too much time on here, something i want to reel in a bit. While I had a couple of weeks off I fixed 2 of my broken cars and dragged the really broken one a bit closer to being roadworthy again. I want to do more of this.

Poor flounce. Far too productive

 

I've found binning Facebook an effective way of working harder - though I might have to go back to sell some wheels.

[dean36014]

Chinese truck tyres, didn't know they did them! I get Banvulcs fitted if mine go bang or wear out. The joys of working for a truck hire company reknown for running old nails. 

[saucedoctor]

Chinese truck tyres, didn't know they did them!

 

Sadly, Chinese truck tyres are the reason that Michelin is closing its operation in Ballymena