The grumpy thread

[Mrcento]

Car i mentioned on here a month or so back that i couldn't get to ended up getting priced even more appealingly right at the point i came down with the fucking flu, and missed any chance of getting it.

 

Well, as expected.... a trader bought it, it's now in a more accessible place, but of course, the price has gone up......

 

By the best part of 2 grand. All i can see he's done to it is washed it and taken better pics. FFS.

 

Tempted to make a cheeky offer on the basis of knowing what he got it for so having a pretty good idea what his bottom line will be on it factoring in collection and making a few £ profit into the bargain.

[New POD]

Car i mentioned on here a month or so back that i couldn't get to ended up getting priced even more appealingly right at the point i came down with the fucking flu, and missed any chance of getting it.

 

Well, as expected.... a trader bought it, it's now in a more accessible place, but of course, the price has gone up......

 

By the best part of 2 grand. All i can see he's done to it is washed it and taken better pics. FFS.

 

Tempted to make a cheeky offer on the basis of knowing what he got it for so having a pretty good idea what his bottom line will be on it factoring in collection and making a few £ profit into the bargain.

I once saw a mk3 xr3i badvertised at 650. My budget for a warm hatch at the time was 650 plus an old polo breadvan estate.

I rang up the same morning the paper came out and arranged to view on my way home from work. By the time I got there it had be sold for 600 quid to Five star of Formby. I popped in on my way home and they had it on the forecourt for 1100 quid. I offered them 650 plus the polo. They declined.

To this day it's the best Escort I've sat in.

I bought a different one for less that was erm a bit fucked and sold the polo for 300 quid so that cost me 300 quid to change cars.

It didn't stay on their forecourt long.

BASTARDS.

[Mrcento]

I once saw a mk3 xr3i badvertised at 650. My budget for a warm hatch at the time was 650 plus an old polo breadvan estate.

I rang up the same morning the paper came out and arranged to view on my way home from work. By the time I got there it had be sold for 600 quid to Five star of Formby. I popped in on my way home and they had it on the forecourt for 1100 quid. I offered them 650 plus the polo. They declined.

To this day it's the best Escort I've sat in.

I bought a different one for less that was erm a bit fucked and sold the polo for 300 quid so that cost me 300 quid to change cars.

It didn't stay on their forecourt long.

BASTARDS.

 

I honestly don't begrudge traders buying cars and trying to turn a profit, but adding near 2 grand on top of a car he got for 3 grand a week ago (probably even wangled a few £ off that) is just taking the piss, particularly when all he's done is picked it up and took a karcher to it. just stings even more because of missing it at original price due to being bed ridden with flu so even "if" i can get him to drop the price a lot (unlikely), i'll still be paying more....but at least some of the hassle taken out of collection where it is, so it's not all bad news i guess and don't really have an issue with paying a bit more for that convenience,

 

But knowing traders, he'll claim it owes him 4k and i'll miss out on it again.

[Jazoli]

Take 20% off that 2 grand for vat, so potential profit is down to 1600, take prep costs, rent, insurances, advertising costs and any other business cost off the rest, less any discount for haggling and it suddenly doesn't seem so ridiculous, it will also have to be warranted for 90 days minimum so there has to be an allowance for potential after sale costs.

 

Trader in trying to make a living shock horror

[chadders]

Looked at as a % of his cost it does look high but his rent etc.will still be the same whether he bought it for 3k or 10k and added 2k on.

 

Unless it's a particularly rare model just wait until another one crops up or it's been stuck on his forecourt for ages.

[Coprolalia]

I saw a minty Saab 900i for sale in rural Devon for £250 on gumtree a couple of years ago. It was 11pm so I decided to call them in the morning. Call at 8am and they said a trader had bought it at 11.30pm.

Bollocks.

[Mrcento]

Take 20% off that 2 grand for vat, so potential profit is down to 1600, take prep costs, rent, insurances, advertising costs and any other business cost off the rest, less any discount for haggling and it suddenly doesn't seem so ridiculous, it will also have to be warranted for 90 days minimum so there has to be an allowance for potential after sale costs.

 

Trader in trying to make a living shock horror

 

I've no issue with that, but i don't think we're talking a bona fide businessman here, more "Gumtree on the side" trader. I doubt VAT or after sales are an issue, the guy had bought it, drove it back, pressure washed it and re advertised.

 

No law against it, Just stings more personally because if i hadn't been ill, i'd likely have cut out the middle man and saved a packet.

 

Now i'm in the ridiculous situation of having a few days to get a car before the Disco dies its MOT rot death and just having to take whatever i can get to tide me over until i can get what i actually want, even when what i actually want is there, just now too expensive and morally i can't justify paying extra when i know what i could have got it for. I've been looking for 6 months and it's the only one that ever came up in the right spec/condition and budget.

[Tamworthbay]

Take 20% off that 2 grand for his tax evasion accountant, so potential profit is down to 1600, take prep costs, £1 of turtle wax and a fiver to an illegal immigrant, rent on bombsite where actual owner died years ago and no one knows who owns the land but he keeps it cleanish so no one asks, insurances, advertising costs - 2 minutes on Facebook and any other business cost such as bacon sandwiches off the rest, less any discount for haggling and it suddenly doesn't seem so ridiculous that he has a five bedroom house and a brand new Audi., it will also have to be warranted for 90 days minimum but the policy has more holes than a tramps pants so he won’t be paying out on that so there has to be an allowance for potential after sale costs.

Trader in taking the piss shocker

FTFY

 

(I am sure there are decent second hand car sales places out there but my version is much closer to all the ones I seem to encounter).

[Jazoli]

I like your edit! But if it was easy we'd all be doing it, I'd love a five bedroomed house and a new Audi but you have to take some big risks at times, anyone can sell cars for a living and there's no entry qualifications required but a lot of folk just like to complain about the guys trying to make a living (thats not aimed at anyone on this thread btw) my experience of traders is about 50/50 bad/good but I've bought 90% of the 50 odd cars I've had privately.

 

In my business the product we sell has a mark up of around 700% if you look at the actual cost of the product offered versus the selling price, but the owner has had to invest 20 million to be able to make those margins, I don't hear any moans about rip off prices from our customers who will happily pay them

[sierraman]

One of the last working collieries has packed in near us a week or two ago. Only employed about 20 people but it’s sad that another chapter has gone. Not strangely enough that there’s no coal left, there’s at least another 8 years left, the company itself has gone bust.

[louiepj]

Money lights are on in a friend's daughters corsa 1.3cdti.

Codes for Dpf regen failed and p2282-51 intake air leak.

We are going to limp it to garage on Monday.

[Noel Tidybeard]

try driving at 45 in 4th for min 15 mins- thats what vw say and it worked on a 405

[Cavcraft]

Those 1.3CDTi engines scare me.

[sierraman]

I wouldn’t let one scare you, you could escape one on foot. Best engine to have in the Astras fitted with the 1.3 is the low blow 1.7. Forget the 1.3 and the 1.9.

[The_Equalizer]

I like your edit! But if it was easy we'd all be doing it, I'd love a five bedroomed house and a new Audi but you have to take some big risks at times, anyone can sell cars for a living and there's no entry qualifications required but a lot of folk just like to complain about the guys trying to make a living (thats not aimed at anyone on this thread btw) my experience of traders is about 50/50 bad/good but I've bought 90% of the 50 odd cars I've had privately.

 

In my business the product we sell has a mark up of around 700% if you look at the actual cost of the product offered versus the selling price, but the owner has had to invest 20 million to be able to make those margins, I don't hear any moans about rip off prices from our customers who will happily pay them

Fair comment. I had a go at selling classics as a very limited sideline and I made money, but it was a shed load more work than people would think. It gave me an excuse to buy cars I was interested in. Very tempted to have another go as the memories of quite what a pain it could be have suitably faded.

[Rusty_Rocket]

I wouldn’t let one scare you, you could escape one on foot. Best engine to have in the Astras fitted with the 1.3 is the low blow 1.7. Forget the 1.3 and the 1.9.

 

I agree.  But the Low Blow was the GM engine, dead and buried thankfully by 1999/2000.  What I think you mean is the (much developed over the years) Isuzu 1.7, which is always the best option compared to those Fiat engines...

[louiepj]

We had a good look under bonnet for any loose or split hoses etc and when revving the engine up there was a small amount of exhaust gas escaping from the shaft where the actuator arm goes into the turbo housing! (Blowing onto clamp bolt in second pic).

And if there is a eml fault showing you cannot perform dpf regeneration.

It was at this point we gave up and turned to the Internet for all the horrors involved in repairing a cdti.

 

[sierraman]

I agree. But the Low Blow was the GM engine, dead and buried thankfully by 1999/2000. What I think you mean is the (much developed over the years) Isuzu 1.7, which is always the best option compared to those Fiat engines...

Yeah I’m on about the CDTi, not the old Astra F type 17D 17DT. They’re a bit coarse but on the whole they’re not too bad. Seen them with failure of the oil pump bolts and turbo but other than that they don’t seem to bad. They did a lower power one as fitted to all the best base spec Life models. The 1.9 is quick but can be a LOT of trouble, having said that I saw one for sale local recently, plenty of test, recent belt fitted up at £500. At that money WHEN it goes wrong you’ll still see most of that back especially if the M32 box hasn’t cooked it’s bearings. Finding a useable used one of those is an increasingly difficult job.

[Timewaster]

got the spark plugs out , one of them was not a Fat Mans Agony , the rest not so good , so cleaned and re gapped to 1mm

 

Qué?

[MikeR]

 

plug gap was a bit wide

[MarvinsMom]

for the last year or so we have been lucky enough to hear a Tawny Owl calling on a night.

 

sometimes he was calling directly down our chimney!

 

the poor little sod got knocked on the road near Cat Nab on Thursday night. this makes me very sad.    

[artdjones]

We had a good look under bonnet for any loose or split hoses etc and when revving the engine up there was a small amount of exhaust gas escaping from the shaft where the actuator arm goes into the turbo housing! (Blowing onto clamp bolt in second pic).

And if there is a eml fault showing you cannot perform dpf regeneration.

It was at this point we gave up and turned to the Internet for all the horrors involved in repairing a cdti.

 

I just replaced the exhaust air temperature sensor on my Doblo 1.3.I ran around with the EML on for about three weeks,then replaced the sensor.When I went to put the light out I found the code I'd had had been replaced by two codes that showed that the dpf was choked.One code said that it was choked to the first level,which is about 70%,the other that it was choked to the second level,i.e.almost completely.Also,the dpf warning light was on and the ECU had cut the turbo so that the car wouldn't go more than 50mph.

So obviously, regeneration hadn't been taking place all the time the EML had been on.

I drove the car for about 15 miles and reread the codes.The code for the highest level of blocking was now intermittent,so it looked like some regeneration had taken place.I drove another few miles,and the dpf warning went out,so I read the codes again and saw that the first level blockage code was now intermittent rather than permanent.I cleared the codes and the car has driven perfectly since.

 

TL;DR,If you cure the inlet fault,clear the code,then take a long drive at out of town speeds,then clear the codes again,your car may be ok.

[omegod]

I just replaced the exhaust air temperature sensor on my Doblo 1.3.I ran around with the EML on for about three weeks,then replaced the sensor.When I went to put the light out I found the code I'd had had been replaced by two codes that showed that the dpf was choked.One code said that it was choked to the first level,which is about 70%,the other that it was choked to the second level,i.e.almost completely.Also,the dpf warning light was on and the ECU had cut the turbo so that the car wouldn't go more than 50mph.

So obviously, regeneration hadn't been taking place all the time the EML had been on.

I drove the car for about 15 miles and reread the codes.The code for the highest level of blocking was now intermittent,so it looked like some regeneration had taken place.I drove another few miles,and the dpf warning went out,so I read the codes again and saw that the first level blockage code was now intermittent rather than permanent.I cleared the codes and the car has driven perfectly since.

 

TL;DR,If you cure the inlet fault,clear the code,then take a long drive at out of town speeds,then clear the codes again,your car may be ok.

 

 

And that sums up why diesel cars are a load of bollocks, like solving a fucking conundrum every time you want to go the shops 

[dozeydustman]

I just replaced the exhaust air temperature sensor on my Doblo 1.3.I ran around with the EML on for about three weeks,then replaced the sensor.When I went to put the light out I found the code I'd had had been replaced by two codes that showed that the dpf was choked.One code said that it was choked to the first level,which is about 70%,the other that it was choked to the second level,i.e.almost completely.Also,the dpf warning light was on and the ECU had cut the turbo so that the car wouldn't go more than 50mph.

So obviously, regeneration hadn't been taking place all the time the EML had been on.

I drove the car for about 15 miles and reread the codes.The code for the highest level of blocking was now intermittent,so it looked like some regeneration had taken place.I drove another few miles,and the dpf warning went out,so I read the codes again and saw that the first level blockage code was now intermittent rather than permanent.I cleared the codes and the car has driven perfectly since.

 

TL;DR,If you cure the inlet fault,clear the code,then take a long drive at out of town speeds,then clear the codes again,your car may be ok.

 

I do silly low mileage in the Saab now, mainly driving 2 miles to work and 2 miles home. Once a week I give it a bloody good run after work, hour and a half down the A27/M27 with a good session between 2000 & 3000 RPM which for me is 70 in 5th instead of 6th. Clears a load of crap out or forces a regen. Don't use Sainsbury's diesel either, all that comes out the back of the Saab is soot if I fill up on this.

 

Since we've been using sainsbury's fuel for the lorries at work, the newer ones have been regenerating a lot more often and older ones are a lot smokier than when we used any station that took our fleet fuel cards.

[Roobarb]

Sunday, the bloody oven gave up. After a scour of the net, problem identified and part ordered on Amazon.

 

Turns out I thought I had ordered it but hadn’t. So now won’t be here until some time next week. Wife went out of town (San Diego) so Roobarb jnr and I didn’t mind too much (an excuse for a week of junk food).

 

Delivery pizza, cheesy poofs and milk by sunset. Every cloud and all that (while the cats away at least).

 

Then Monday the hot water heater died. Roobarb jnr didn’t mind until he had to wash in a bowl of kettle boiled water - then repeat all week.

I couldn’t be in for a repair person due to work and single parenting for the week.

 

Today the central heating went off sometime during the night. Only have the gas fire in the living room working right now... can’t even do the open oven door trick or heat up in the shower.

 

This is the weather forecast as of Friday morning

 

Hoping the heating engineer can make it here before the 8” of snow arrives...

[Cavcraft]

for the last year or so we have been lucky enough to hear a Tawny Owl calling on a night.

 

sometimes he was calling directly down our chimney!

 

the poor little sod got knocked on the road near Cat Nab on Thursday night. this makes me very sad.    

 

That is sad. 

 

We tried to rescue an injured fox at work, didn't happen so assumed the worst. The day the fox rescue place came back for the trap I tried to cheer myself up thinking of the one I used to see on a bridleway on the way home. Drove back that way for the first time in ages and it was dead at the side of the motorway 

[Roobarb]

Dang. That’s a shame.

Wildlife get such a tough time because of us human

[Zelandeth]

1st world problems for me today.

 

I finally decided that I'd been tempting fate with some bloody awful password management practices over the years for too long. Admittedly I don't use online banking so have probably dodged a bullet there.

 

However it was a bloody mess...far too many places sharing passwords, and a lot of them being variations on ancient ones which were just different enough to ensure I couldn't ever remember them. At least most are pretty decent in length... probably the reason that last time I had anything hacked it was a Hotmail account in 1998. That said though, my poor practices I knew meant that one website with shoddy practices storing a password as plain or easily decrypted text getting hacked could have spelled a world of pain for me.

 

So have been setting up a proper password manager and resetting passwords for absolutely everything...I have logon details for how many forking places?!?

 

You'd have thought after the first couple of dozen I'd have got quicker at spotting where the settings control to reset the password hides, apparently not.

 

On the plus side, after an entire evening I think everything I actively use has been sorted. The fact that there are no accounts sharing credentials should improve my odds of continuing my run of what sounds to be unusually good luck in this department.

 

While my password management has been rubbish for years, at least I have a good backup system in place. Never ceases to surprise me how many people don't with how digital our lives are these days. I've already had to retrieve one friend's pictures for the first three years of their kid's life following their laptop taking a swim in the kitchen sink...on which existed the only copy of all those photos, videos of their first walking events etc. Thankfully the hard drive survived so it was a simple matter...as they weren't happy when I pointed out how cheap professional data recovery isn't, and that even with a four digit pricetag there's no guarantee...

 

At least once I get this password nonsense done it's done and future passes to change the passwords will be far less of a pain as the list will be in front of me. Plus any of the dreaded emails from a company saying "our records may have been breached..." will only mean changing one password not a mad scramble to try to remember everywhere that particular one was used.

 

What I hadn't realised was that there's software out there nowadays which takes a lot of the hassle out of it...had I realised that sooner I might have done this job sooner.

 

Oh...other grump, the clutch master cylinder in the van appears to have ceased to work at all now. So I'll need to figure out how to move a two and a half tonne vehicle safely on our (not level) driveway tomorrow before I can really do any Invacar stuff out of the garage.

 

...Need to get a new cylinder ordered. This is determined to be an expensive week...and it's only 0201 on Sunday!

[Cavcraft]

First world problems?

 

Found a pub we hadn't been to before, went in last night and some of the lager was £12 a pint. TWELVE QUID. 

[beko1987]

Was that for a yard of it?