The grumpy thread

[Ghosty]

Who has the AS recumbent bicycle?!

[somewhatfoolish]

I go over to Arran once a year to play golf. Well I just walk in a field and drink heavily really but none the Iess i've noticed the last few years the ferry is filled with fat middle ages guys stuffed into lycra cycling suits. Not pleasant to see when I'm trying to force down my first pint at 7am.

You need to be lining the stomach first with a Caly Mac thrombosis special, with extra black pudding. Then get fired into the pints.

[Parky]

I'm starting to get frustrated with the DVLA now, when i bought the 620 on the 7th April i thought it would be quicker to do to the new keeper online. Stupidly though in my hast i misread the page and entered the previous keepers details in instead of my own. I quickly did it again in my name but a few days later the last owner received a new log book showing him as being the new owner again...

I've been in touch with the DVLA and explained my cock up who have now sent me two forms to fill in, and even asked for photos of the vin plate and the last owner has also received a letter asking for his details which he's apparently binned! I really want to sell the car now as I really need the space and money back but i can't do sod all until this poxy logbook comes back in my name!

Would it be possible for the bloke to "sell" you the car again? I know it means another owner on the history but will it have a material affect on a 20 year old Rover? Just strikes me as an easier option than sending various forms and photos for the DVLA to lose

[trigger]

Yes, thats very true but it was far to easy to do that... (and i didn't think about doing that either!)

[Lankytim]

Just get him to send you the V5 (or collect it) and send it back with a letter telling them there's been an error and the owner details are incorrect. Shouldn't add any ore owners to the V5 either.

[chaseracer]

Who has the AS recumbent bicycle?!

 

I believe the 'Cradley Heath Heavy Industries Special Recumbent Model' currently resides in Shropshire with Catsinthewelder.

[castros_bro]

Yes, thats very true but it was far to easy to do that... (and i didn't think about doing that either!)

 

Get him/her to give you the doc ref number off the valid V5 then you go on DVLA website and fill in change of ownership, et voilà, all sorted.

[rainagain]

Beautiful sunny day, had lots of jobs planned. OH has dragged me shopping grrrrrr

[dave21478]

You need to be lining the stomach first with a Caly Mac thrombosis special, with extra black pudding. Then get fired into the pints.

 

The best plate of fish and chips I have ever had was on a Cal Mac ferry. Life has barely been worth living since.

[Lankytim]

Much ANNOYAGE today.

 

Went to Halfords to get a set of plugs and leads for the Volvo. Plugs on the shelf, leads are "a special order item now", sorry. Paid for the plugs and couldn't get them any cheaper with the tradecard as the card "only works with car parts". *silent scream* Thought you were able to get alternators, starters and allsorts from there? 

 

Following this I went to an aero museum with the Lanklets and met my Dad there, RAF Cosford if anyone's interested. Just the place for an AS meet as admission is FREE.

 

The car park is £3 for 3 hours and £4 for 8, only had £3 so stuck that in the machine. The sign actually said 0-3 hours, does that mean you have to pay if you aren't even there? Anyway, the £3 soon ran out as I was keeping these fu****g kids under control and me and dad only got to see about half of the museum. No worries, i'll buy something from the gift shop and get cashback for the parking machine. Bought some overpriced shite nobody really wanted for a tenner for the little ones and asked for a tenner in change as cashback, "oh sorry, I forgot to do the cashback" Well, I need that for the parking machine, so what can we do? "buy something over £2.50" *silent scream again, no worries, we were thinking of going home anyway. 

 

In all seriousness, does anyone want to do a meet at RAF Cosford? They have a dedicated area for car clubs.

[andy18s]

Cosford is great,just to stand under the Vulcan and gawp at it

Last time I was there was with the RF Owners Club but as an informal get together meant we had to park in the pay and disply

Did you know you can just about get 6 RF900s into 1 parking bay?

There was an MG owners club meet on the club carpark

Pretty sure I've put the pics up before on here

[bub2006]

I'm up for that. If its timed right I can bring the real Bub 2006

[dave21478]

Much ANNOYAGE today.

 

Went to Halfords to get a set of plugs and leads for the Volvo. Plugs on the shelf, leads are "a special order item now", sorry. Paid for the plugs and couldn't get them any cheaper with the tradecard as the card "only works with car parts". *silent scream* Thought you were able to get alternators, starters and allsorts from there? 

 

 

Halfords used to have a surprisingly large array of parts. When I worked there late 90s, early 00s, they had plugs, leads, dizzy caps, rotor arms, points, condensors, a huge range of fan belts, alternators, starters, clutches, every gasket from a thermostat to a full head set, water pumps, timing belts, ball joints, lower arms, gaiters, cv boots...loads of stuff, and a big range too. They also had universally useful stuff like manifold studs, various hoses and pipes, exhaust clamps and stuff like that.

I left not long after they bought over the Rippspeed name and started stocking more stereos, alloys, cone filters, lowering kits and stuff.

Last time I went in they were selling tents and a huge range of pink fluffy steering wheel covers.

 

Its a real shame - Understandable though....more and more models on the road means bigger range of parts taking up valuable shelf space. Less and less people fixing their own cars, and most recently internet based sellers flooding the market with cheap parts.

I am surprised they are still going, tbh.

Yeah, prices were always strong but it was often worth it for the convenience of getting your item there and then or being able to rummage through the rows of boxes to find something that you can make fit for an unusual application.

[Steve79]

Halfords used to have a surprisingly large array of parts. When I worked there late 90s, early 00s, they had plugs, leads, dizzy caps, rotor arms, points, condensors, a huge range of fan belts, alternators, starters, clutches, every gasket from a thermostat to a full head set, water pumps, timing belts, ball joints, lower arms, gaiters, cv boots...loads of stuff, and a big range too. They also had universally useful stuff like manifold studs, various hoses and pipes, exhaust clamps and stuff like that.

I left not long after they bought over the Rippspeed name and started stocking more stereos, alloys, cone filters, lowering kits and stuff.

Last time I went in they were selling tents and a huge range of pink fluffy steering wheel covers.

 

Its a real shame - Understandable though....more and more models on the road means bigger range of parts taking up valuable shelf space. Less and less people fixing their own cars, and most recently internet based sellers flooding the market with cheap parts.

I am surprised they are still going, tbh.

Yeah, prices were always strong but it was often worth it for the convenience of getting your item there and then or being able to rummage through the rows of boxes to find something that you can make fit for an unusual application.

As far as i understand, car parts on special order at Halfrauds are from Eurocarparts. Mate ordered a few bits from Bristol branch last month and when they were delivered they had ECP stickers and part codes all over them.

[somewhatfoolish]

I am surprised they are still going, tbh.

 

A business model apparently sustained by charging people to fit batteries, light bulbs and wiperblades and a two week rush in december when they flog cheap chinese bicycle shite to stupid people.

[Timewaster]

It's getting on for a decade since I sold spark plugs for a living but it was the influx of East Europeans that kept us going.

They do their own repairs and aren't fussed about spending money on their car if it needs it.

Unlike the lazy tightwad locals.

[Pillock]

A business model apparently sustained by charging people to fit batteries, light bulbs and wiperblades and a two week rush in december when they flog cheap chinese bicycle shite to stupid people.

Halfords sell a lot of decent bikes, I'd imagine that keeps them afloat all year round as their prices are pretty good.

[Lankytim]

It worked out for the best in the end as I found a set of nearly new HT leads and a coil pack on the Mondeo engine I have in my garage that I'd forgotten all about. It's all identical to the stuff on the Zetec S engine in my Volvo.

[cobblers]

Halfords sell a lot of decent bikes, I'd imagine that keeps them afloat all year round as their prices are pretty good.

From experience, they sell about ten times more shit bikes than decent bikes. People were absolutely desperate to buy the absolute shittiest bike head office could dream up, you couldn't even talk them out of it. They wanted that shit bike so much. Even when a good bike was cheaper, nope - they were absolutely 100% having the shit bike.

[Cavcraft]

Halfords also use CES for parts, I'm reliably informed.

 

Trigger: as above, ask him for V5 document number. Better still, ask him to send you a photo of the front page (cover) of the latest V5 they sent to him. Then just go on-line and do it yourself, you should have the V5 back in a few days, maximum.

[overrun]

Shitehawk gutter snakes leaving bags of dog shit everywhere.

 

 

I pulled up to use the cash machine yesterday and clocked this. I'm lucky I pulled a bit further forward!

 

What I don't understand is they have already done the dirty/hard bit, by picking it up, so why do they then sling it on the floor or hang it in bushes etc?

I assume they only picked it up in the first place, because they were being watched.

 

The filthy scratters.

[dave21478]

Bizzarely, a colony of ants seems to have taken up residence in the Escort. Driving along today I saw one on the dash....no big deal, flicked it out the window. Then another....then another.....they just kept coming. I stopped and there were dozens of the fuckers running around in the gap bewteen the windscreen and the back of the dashboard.

 

I was at work so grabbed a can of Raid and empted it down the gap. A smarter man than me would have waited till he got home before doing this as I am pretty sure I have given myself cancer driving it home.

[Parky]

A blob of Jam on the dash would have worked equally as well, and once you had scraped the ants off it, you would have had a delicious sweet treat to look forward to as a reward for your ant trapping

[jakebullet]

Got arsebook messaged by a lass I know, what do I think to blurry picture of an astra estate for £400?
 
Stuck the reg in mot history, and first two entries are:

• Test date15 June 2007
• Expiry date14 June 2008
• Test ResultPass
• Odometer reading50,226 miles
• MOT test number9036 0656 7172

• Test date15 May 2006
• Expiry date31 May 2007
• Test ResultPass
• Odometer reading390,140 miles
• MOT test number1706 7593 6127
   

She's bought it despite the haircut as she thought "new turbo ecu tyres etc" was a plus point.

[dave21478]

340K is a hell of a haircut....its not just a typo somewhere?

[Negative Creep]

That's one hell of a mileage correction. Still, at £400 if it drives ok it's not the end of the world

[alcyonecorporation]

PLUS: Received money to have 305 estate star in a short film. 

NEG: They fired smoke into the car with an oil-powered smoke machine which drizzled its guts over the passenger seat, carpet and centre console. And melted them. 

Chances of finding another brown 305 SII estate interior: SLIM. 
 

[Kiltox]

As far as i understand, car parts on special order at Halfrauds are from Eurocarparts. Mate ordered a few bits from Bristol branch last month and when they were delivered they had ECP stickers and part codes all over them.

Yep, this is definitely the case. Cheaper direct from ECP.

 

The Cheltenham ECP is stupidly close to halfords too yet I bet people still order parts there.

[Supernaut]

Talking of ECP and Halfords being close together...

 

There are two branches of Halfords in Aberdeen. Kittybrewster and Torry. I used to work at the Kittybrewster one from 2009-2011 in Bikehut.

In 2012, long after I left, a branch of ECP opened up in Aberdeen (finally!). They seemed to poach pretty much the entire staff from Halfords Kittybrewster (just a few streets from the ECP) and they even tried to offer me a van driving job as I was on record as having previously worked at that branch of Halfords. I politely declined, as I had a cushy number with the Scottish Government department of Agriculture at that point.

 

Anyway, I still go into ECP to this day and recognise at least 50% of the staff there. The branch manager from Halfords became the area manager for ECP, the assistant manager from Halfords is now the branch manager at ECP, etc. etc.

[Keymaster]

Just finished doing this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then found this :

 

 

Twatsticks.