The grumpy thread

[mitsisigma01]

18 minutes ago, Springer said:

Just stick to the routine of waking your neighbours up every time their dog wakes you.  I guess it won't take them long to get the message

Get one of those multi frequency doorbells and set it to match the annoying bastards one and to play fair just ring it everytime the Shitzu screams then at 4a.m every morning just for the fun of it???

[somewhatfoolish]

8 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Probably the same person responsible for the one on the 90s Corsa 1.5TD.  Right down the back of the sodding engine, no access from underneath because there's a subframe in the way...removing the coolant expansion tank and having very long arms was what I recall being necessary.

Oooh, the oil filter access on the isuzu dizzler is a utter ballache, as is the starter motor; alternator isn't much better despite being visible to the naked eye. Super little rattler though, they go on for moon miles.

[Zelandeth]

4 minutes ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Oooh, the oil filter access on the isuzu dizzler is a utter ballache, as is the starter motor; alternator isn't much better despite being visible to the naked eye. Super little rattler though, they go for moon miles.

She was a cracking little car.  Once I increased the idle speed by 50rpm so it wasn't at the *precise* resonant frequency of the bar the entire dash was attached to.  Oh, and wedged the carefully measured bit of cardboard under the bonnet to stop it rattling.

Slow as dirt for the first ten minutes until she warmed up - but went like a bloody rocket after that - even though it was very much from the 80s school of turbo lag.  It really hacked off the Saxo/Corsa crowd at college as it left their big exhaust and lowered suspension equipped ones for dead!

She had 140K on the clock when I picked her up for £200 and drove like a brand new car once I'd given her a service and greased the gear linkage.  Max speed was dictated by the point you hit the rev limiter in 5th rather than available power.

Yes, that is the original battery!

(This was when I first got the car before any cleaning had happened...the interior looked very different a week later, sadly I don't have a photo of it because of a computer crash corrupting a lot of files from around this date in 2007).

The external temperature display was the one thing that I never managed to get working despite no small amount of effort.

She was a cracking little car and one I'd definitely consider buying again if I needed a local runabout.

Sold to a friend when my second Saab came along who got another year and a half out of it before front end rust finally killed it. 

I actually rate this over the petrol models...the extra weight up front makes them feel far more solid I reckon...obviously only my personal opinion though!

[OwdChina]

Bloody Honda engine, usually as reliable as daytime turns to night time.............except this one. Last 3 months or so it's been a pain in the arse. Use the thing every day and it's fine, leave it for a couple or three weeks and there's no spark. Strip it out, test everything and can't find owt wrong. Put it back together and it works fine. Then it doesn't get used for a couple of weeks or so.......... aaaand there's no spark !..............What the FUCK.

Intermittent faults drive me round the friggin bend..........work you bastard...........or else.

  

 

[wuvvum]

Had an exchange of texts with my mum last night which was basically "Oh, did I tell you so and so has died?".  Seems a number of old family friends have passed on in the last few months, people I've known for 30 years or more - none of them Covid-related, but some unexpected nonetheless.  One lady, a few years younger than my mum so mid-60s but still very active (as in running half marathons etc) fell down the stairs in the middle of the night, hit her head and never woke up.  It's depressing to think how fragile life is.

[Chas4545]

 

Barking dogs, or neighbours stereos, or any other selfish behaviour that gets to the driving you mad stage :-

Perhaps explain the deep effect the behaviour is having on your mental state  very very calmly, weirdly calmly, so calmly that the offender starts to wonder where your head is at, look them briefly straight in the eyes.  When it carries on, call police  non urgent line and very very calmly explain what you are going to do in 10 minutes. The rozzers are used to people screaming, they are more concerned when people are very matter of fact and calm.

Blues and twos arrive and advice is given. Remain very very calm. Bad behaviour goes away.

Or buy silicone ear plugs , the only ones that really work to silence your world.

On a completely un related subject, many years ago, someone I know (ahem)  had a neighbour that finished his shift and then started diy removing walls and chimneys at midnight. neighbour ignored requests to quieten  down, council not interested, rozzers not interested. So a call was made about the calm murderous intent that had been wrought on said innocent victim, and minutes later blues and twos, advice given,  and noise never happened again, at least at night.

I feel for your suffering.

[Sir Chocolate Teapot]

This is the pic i put in my local online free adds type thing for set of old Suzuki sj leaf springs.

1st message recieved.  " have you got the interior carpet? ".

I have yet to reply, maybe ask him if he wants to come round and clean it for me.

[Zelandeth]

5 hours ago, Sir Chocolate Teapot said:

This is the pic i put in my local online free adds type thing for set of old Suzuki sj leaf springs.

1st message recieved.  " have you got the interior carpet? ".

I have yet to reply, maybe ask him if he wants to come round and clean it for me.

That's more relevant than any responses I've had to *anything* I've tried to get rid of through Freecycle!

[SiC]

Balls

Full write up tomorrow

[Stinkwheel]

Arsehats, that is all. Actually no it isn’t.
What makes me grumpy today is ordering from amazon with a guaranteed/specified delivery date only to find that they have used a third party courier (hermes) and on the supposed delivery day Hermes say they haven’t even received it yet.

Fine, except amazon customer service are still telling me it will definitely be delivered today. If it is, I’ll eat my hat (and anyone else’s for that matter)

And it’s workshop equipment, so AS relevant.

[chaseracer]

1 hour ago, Stinkwheel said:

And it’s workshop equipment, so AS relevant.

And it's Herpes, so definitely grump-relevant too.

[beko1987]

20 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

That's more relevant than any responses I've had to *anything* I've tried to get rid of through Freecycle!

I'm sure one of the reasons I've scored some banging freebies is I make the effort to be as coherent and grammatically correct as I can be with asking for stuff! 

 

[Minivan]

On 5/11/2020 at 8:54 PM, Kiltox said:

If you have a house with a wanky name instead of a number PUT A FUCKING SIGN UP so people can find it 

And as I get older bigger numbers would be useful, or numbers at the boundary not on the house.

[leanycan]

This happened earlier on. Shat myself when this happened on the motorway at 70 mph. Successfully removed and will be added to the list of jobs to fix during the week. More miffed at the fact I’m going to have to replace what was a perfectly good tire. Probably up there as one of the most frightening things I’ve ever experienced 

[DeeJay]

16 hours ago, leanycan said:

This happened earlier on. Shat myself when this happened on the motorway at 70 mph. Successfully removed and will be added to the list of jobs to fix during the week. More miffed at the fact I’m going to have to replace what was a perfectly good tire. 

And drivers seat cover.

[leanycan]

20 minutes ago, DeeJay said:

And drivers seat cover.

A lot of poo happened... ?

[DeeJay]

Add an air freshener to the list.

[Dippy]

Got a sore wrist after spending an hour each side removing the old front discs on the Volovo 940, annoyed at what should have been an easy job turned into a shite afternoon and a sore wrist.

At least its done now so brakes will be good to get me to 250,000 miles if everything else lasts.

[w00dy]

One of the glow plugs has snapped off flush with the block on my Golf, no idea how I'm going to get it out. And even if I could the replacement plugs appear to be lost in the post.  Really in a bad mood now.

[anonymous user]

On 5/11/2020 at 8:54 PM, Kiltox said:

If you have a house with a wanky name instead of a number PUT A FUCKING SIGN UP so people can find it 

I have a nameplate on the front of the house and by the front door. If giving directions I always tell people it's the building immediately behind the pub. Hardly anyone ever gets it right. Usual excuse is "I didn't think it would be that one" Ok it doesn't look much like a house. Best one was someone who rang me telling me they were at the door, they weren't, unfortunately they were knocking the door of the small chapel in the cemetery up the road from me.

[myglaren]

21 hours ago, leanycan said:

This happened earlier on. Shat myself when this happened on the motorway at 70 mph. Successfully removed and will be added to the list of jobs to fix during the week. More miffed at the fact I’m going to have to replace what was a perfectly good tire. Probably up there as one of the most frightening things I’ve ever experienced 

Mine went with a huge bang and a huge shower of black flakes in the mirror.

Didn't replace it for a while and managed to suck up loads of water and shite that ruined the MAF

[iainrcz]

Turns out I can remove standard suspension and fit aftermarket coilovers without issue, but can't for the life of me fit new anti rollbar drop links.

No matter what I do the little shits rattle.

[myglaren]

19 hours ago, iainrcz said:

Turns out I can remove standard suspension and fit aftermarket coilovers without issue, but can't for the life of me fit new anti rollbar drop links.

No matter what I do the little shits rattle.

Allegedly LEMFÖRDER drop links outlast other makes with the possible exception of TRW.  Cheaper ones are often done after three moths.

[Tamworthbay]

24 minutes ago, myglaren said:

Allegedly LEMFÖRDER drop links outlast other makes with the possible exception of TRW.  Cheaper ones are often done after three moths.

Never had a problem with them when I have used them, as you say others are knackered in no time.

[Wack]

Arse

Our tumble dryer packed up , I looked online couldn't find anything that matched the symptoms it had for an easy fix so rang bosch as I was getting moaned at , £99 plus parts for a one off fix or £15.50 a month for 12 months cover , warranty and new for old replacement, so I took the £15.50

guy has just been out , took him 15 minutes of trial and error then he pulled some fluff out of a microswitch connection and fucking arse it burst into life

[iainrcz]

5 hours ago, myglaren said:

Allegedly LEMFÖRDER drop links outlast other makes with the possible exception of TRW.  Cheaper ones are often done after three moths.

Seems like I've sorted it. I stripped both down to their component parts and discovered a galled thread right at the bottom of the threaded rod on one of them, exactly where the lower locking nut sits. I gave it a tickle with a small file then gave them both a good toot of WD40 to flush off any more crap, then refitted them.

So far no noises. So I've come to the conclusion it was preventing that link from being fully tightened up and allowing it to move.

[beko1987]

1 hour ago, Wack said:

Arse

Our tumble dryer packed up , I looked online couldn't find anything that matched the symptoms it had for an easy fix so rang bosch as I was getting moaned at , £99 plus parts for a one off fix or £15.50 a month for 12 months cover , warranty and new for old replacement, so I took the £15.50

guy has just been out , took him 15 minutes of trial and error then he pulled some fluff out of a microswitch connection and fucking arse it burst into life

Just short the motor connectors out in 6 months then wire it back correctly and pick up the phone, may as well get your moneys worth... 

 

 

*I neither condone nor encourage this behaviour

[SRi05]

Just took my two weeks holiday in July off the works rota since it's finally been kiboshed, coupled with a few summer gigs being cancelled in the past week I officially have nothing to look forward to now. Hope a nice car comes up for sale on here soon ?

 

[Wack]

59 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

Just short the motor connectors out in 6 months then wire it back correctly and pick up the phone, may as well get your moneys worth... 

 

 

*I neither condone nor encourage this behaviour

I'd probably burn the house down if I did that 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Just had landscaper round to give a price for a decking area at the side of the house. Ballpark figure of £2000 subject to him checking materials price etc.

Mrs has just said “ That’s ok there’s about that in cash in your secret stash!” Wish I’d bought that  Carlton 2 weeks ago now, no chance of having any spare cash whilst I’m not working or doing a minimum wage delivery job, but can’t suggest using savings as Mrs and kids paying everything at the moment.

I did say I’d do the decking, she laughed as she’s seen my diy efforts in the past - the materials are probably half of that figure anyway.