The grumpy thread

[MikeR]

caught yet another mouse .....

must be in the high teens now ..

they must breed like rabbits .

[wuvvum]

8 hours ago, AnthonyG said:

I know this may seem sacrilege, but with the price of scrap running as high as it is now, it is worth thinking about weighing some of them in?  

As an example, you’ve been trying to sell that diesel Mondeo for about £500 for more than a year - it might be worth nearly £400 from one of those car take back places. Vans too must be close to that, if not more. 

Just a thought, hope things start looking up for you soon. 

I actually sold the Mondeo (finally) about a month back!  The ones I'm actively trying to flog at the moment are the Trafic and the 164 - the Trafic is worth relatively little as scrap as it doesn't have a cat (which seems to be where most of the money is) and I couldn't bring myself to scrap the Volvo however much they offered me.  The Škoda can go once FOTU is done with - I will offer that on here but car take back might be the way to go with that if nobody buys it - I'm not going to risk the general public with a car like that.

I'm also trying to get rid of about a dozen pushbikes - you'd think with the nice weather and the school holidays coming up they'd be selling like hot cakes, but nope, nary a sniff.

[somewhatfoolish]

8 hours ago, New POD said:

There's an ecu repairer on here.. can't remember his user name..

@cobblers is that man.

[New POD]

8 hours ago, colc said:

As are all "new" car adverts.............as long as it connects to your Faceache ridden phone, and it plugs into the mains, nothing else seems to matter...................

God forbid that you could get real information. Selling a dream life STYLE 

[barefoot]

Me & Bobby Magee...

'Bobby flagged a diesel down...'

'He played every song that driver knew...'

What? On an electric with a huge amplifier? Bring his own generator?

Or did they make the journey in the fucking cab?

 

[meggersdog]

Trying to contact HMRC. Yesterday on hold for 26 minutes until I gave up. The office with all the windows and doors shut as there was noise outside was flipping roasting. Today everything open and in a slight breeze 55 minutes on hold "all our advisers are currently busy " Gave up and came home.

Just been on the website for a live webchat. Been on there an hour now "all our advisers are currently busy" 

Are there only two advisers in the whole country ?

 

[High Jetter]

1 minute ago, meggersdog said:

Trying to contact HMRC. Yesterday on hold for 26 minutes until I gave up. The office with all the windows and doors shut as there was noise outside was flipping roasting. Today everything open and in a slight breeze 55 minutes on hold "all our advisors are currently busy " Gave up and came home.

Just been on the website for a live webchat. Been on there an hour now "all our advisors are currently busy" 

Are there only two advisors in the whole country ?

 

I've found ringing just after 8am to be very successful, but that was pre-covid. Worth a try though.

[meggersdog]

2 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

I've found ringing just after 8am to be very successful, but that was pre-covid. Worth a try though.

Yesterday it was 4.45 and today 3.30 so yeah might give 8 am a go, thanks.

[Dyslexic Viking]

It has been up to 32 degrees today in the shade and since I am Norwegian we are almost the human version of polar bears or penguins so it feels like I am going to die. And my cat is furry and black so she walks around meowing and is clearly uncomfortable and trying desperately to cool down something I have to help her with regularly.

[Remspoor]

1 hour ago, meggersdog said:

Trying to contact HMRC. Yesterday on hold for 26 minutes until I gave up. The office with all the windows and doors shut as there was noise outside was flipping roasting. Today everything open and in a slight breeze 55 minutes on hold "all our advisers are currently busy " Gave up and came home.

Just been on the website for a live webchat. Been on there an hour now "all our advisers are currently busy" 

Are there only two advisers in the whole country ?

 

well that  is The United Pingdom for you.

[Timewaster]

12 hours ago, colc said:

As are all "new" car adverts.............as long as it connects to your Faceache ridden phone, and it plugs into the mains, nothing else seems to matter...................

Ah,  ASA rules say they can't convey speed, they can't suggest sex appeal, they cant demonstrate speed...

That's why the adverts are so shite.

[Fumbler]

We've got Marlboro to thank for starting this ad trend off in the first place. "No, we're not just selling you a cigarette, we're selling you a glorious rural farming lifestyle!"

[High Jetter]

Be fair though, the Yanks would swallow anything.

[somewhatfoolish]

1 hour ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

It has been up to 32 degrees today in the shade and since I am Norwegian we are almost the human version of polar bears or penguins so it feels like I am going to die. And my cat is furry and black so she walks around meowing and is clearly uncomfortable and trying desperately to cool down something I have to help her with regularly.

Not a lot to be done if you don't have air conditioning; as long as they have shade and water they should be OK, you could experiment with giving them a dampened towel to lie on or freeze a bottle of water and wrap that in a damp cloth and they can use it as a cold equivalent of a hot water bottle.

[Dyslexic Viking]

9 minutes ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Not a lot to be done if you don't have air conditioning; as long as they have shade and water they should be OK, you could experiment with giving them a dampened towel to lie on or freeze a bottle of water and wrap that in a damp cloth and they can use it as a cold equivalent of a hot water bottle.

Yes I have tried a bit and what I have found that works to keep the cat cool is to regularly rub my hands full of cold water into her fur. She loves it. I have tried a wet towel but she does not like it.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

1 hour ago, Timewaster said:

Ah,  ASA rules say they can't convey speed, they can't suggest sex appeal, they cant demonstrate speed...

That's why the adverts are so shite.

 

40 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

We've got Marlboro to thank for starting this ad trend off in the first place. "No, we're not just selling you a cigarette, we're selling you a glorious rural farming lifestyle!"

 

37 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Be fair though, the Yanks would swallow anything.

..including Hugh Grant, once....

[brownnova]

Have begun looking for a new family car to replace the wife’s C5. Decided to look for something a bit newer and with a list of requirements which we wanted. Yesterday I spotted a perfect car, which Mra_b liked, it ticked all the essentials and a few desirables too, but it was a 58 plate, same as the current car, albeit low mileage, and FSH… we dithered. Today we decided no we should go and look - it looks perfect for our needs. So I went to ring them up… only to discover the ad had been taken down during the afternoon… which means we must have narrowly missed out. Now very annoyed at myself. Now every other car advert just looks a poor relation to that one that got away… bugger. 

[Spiny Norman]

17 minutes ago, brownnova said:

So I went to ring them up… only to discover the ad had been taken down during the afternoon… which means we must have narrowly missed out.

Back in the days before the internet I saw a Renault 30TX at a local garage and in the time it took me to drive home, phone my insurance broker to see if insuring it would bankrupt me and drive back to the garage they'd sold it. 

 

[Wack]

Slight shudder on the steering that's been there since I got the car , looks like a tyre might be the problem though I hadn't noticed that before 

What do we think, put it on the back or a new tyre , it's a 4x4 so it won't be one will it 

I'm thinking it's fucked 

 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

20 minutes ago, Wack said:

.... I'm thinking it's fucked 

Is that a dent in the tyre sidewall or just a shadow?

[myglaren]

14 hours ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

It has been up to 32 degrees today in the shade and since I am Norwegian we are almost the human version of polar bears or penguins so it feels like I am going to die. And my cat is furry and black so she walks around meowing and is clearly uncomfortable and trying desperately to cool down something I have to help her with regularly.

Hard to see, the display is hopeless.  Had this a couple of weeks ago - 44.7˚C!

The probe for this was beside an alcohol thermometer in the garden that I suspected was being very optimistic but not so, they both read the same to within a degree.

In February it registered 33˚, I was painting the fence at the time.  4˚ the following day and snowing.

It is in a very sheltered part of the garden and direct sunlight.  Was 46˚ last Sunday but can't find that photo.

 

It gets so hot that the patio door expands and can't be opened.  Almost locked myself out a few days ago.

[Talbot]

45 minutes ago, Wack said:

Slight shudder on the steering that's been there since I got the car , looks like a tyre might be the problem though I hadn't noticed that before 

What do we think, put it on the back or a new tyre , it's a 4x4 so it won't be one will it 

I'm thinking it's fucked 

 

That looks like it's been rammed up a kerb very fucking hard indeed.  I'd shove it on the rear and see if it vibrates.  If it does, sack it off.

[Jazoli]

17 minutes ago, myglaren said:

Hard to see, the display is hopeless.  Had this a couple of weeks ago - 44.7˚C!

The probe for this was beside an alcohol thermometer in the garden that I suspected was being very optimistic but not so, they both read the same to within a degree.

In February it registered 33˚, I was painting the fence at the time.  4˚ the following day and snowing.

It is in a very sheltered part of the garden and direct sunlight.  Was 46˚ last Sunday but can't find that photo.

 

It gets so hot that the patio door expands and can't be opened.  Almost locked myself out a few days ago.

Temperature needs to be taken in the shade, not in direct sunlight, its pointless otherwise and utterly meaningless, my mother used to bang on about how hot it was at her place in Alicante and that they regularly saw 50 degrees plus, I moved her thermometer when I went over there and now the hottest its been was 41 which is about right.

[Dyslexic Viking]

1 hour ago, myglaren said:

Hard to see, the display is hopeless.  Had this a couple of weeks ago - 44.7˚C!

The probe for this was beside an alcohol thermometer in the garden that I suspected was being very optimistic but not so, they both read the same to within a degree.

In February it registered 33˚, I was painting the fence at the time.  4˚ the following day and snowing.

It is in a very sheltered part of the garden and direct sunlight.  Was 46˚ last Sunday but can't find that photo.

 

It gets so hot that the patio door expands and can't be opened.  Almost locked myself out a few days ago.

In the sun it was over 40 here yesterday. But do not look forward to the summers to come as it will probably only get warmer. So will probably have to consider buying air conditioning in the near future.  It's crazy to think that half a year ago in January / February I had minus 22 here at the coldest.

[Talbot]

Echo the comment about about direct sunlight.  The reading means nothing, as it then depends on the solar gain of the sensor head, which will massively vary between designs.  Temperature should always be taken out of direct sunlight, ideally in a shaded spot with reasonable airflow.

If you want to go for ultimate measurement geek points, a stevenson screen is what you need.  They're pretty cheap too, so if anyone is doing this sort of thing for a weather station or similar, it would be well worth it so that the reading can be relied upon.

[stephen01]

Purchased a expensive BBQ the other day, only to find that it's missing 50 screws/ bolts. No issue i thought I'll just buy some, NOPE. not a chance. 

the BBQ is for the americian market, Kitchen Aid, and the screws some are UNC, some are god knows what. the guy at west brom fasteners, who have been in business for many years, couldn't pin down what the one was, the size is 5/32-32 x 5/32 with no thread description etc. I think it's a BSW thread, but the other is a UNC thread. why would they mix them like that? 

I could have taken this back, but i had the very last one that was for sale across all the stock. and i very much like the look & quality of it, so i shall have to put google to good use and order a range of screws and see what works! 



 

[Wack]

1 hour ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Is that a dent in the tyre sidewall or just a shadow?

Dent , I've not been up any kerbs hard that I can remember  , might try a dent repair guy 🤣

[mitsisigma01]

12 minutes ago, stephen01 said:

could have taken this back

Fire off a shitty email to head office, might get you a full refund or a discount to cover the bits you need to source. If you don't ask you don't get 🤞

[goosey]

On 7/22/2021 at 7:44 AM, colc said:

As are all "new" car adverts.............as long as it connects to your Faceache ridden phone, and it plugs into the mains, nothing else seems to matter...................

The ultra cool hipster ticking all the boxes warbling on about how much he loves his electric 500 really makes this one stand out 

[stephen01]

43 minutes ago, mitsisigma01 said:

Fire off a shitty email to head office, might get you a full refund or a discount to cover the bits you need to source. If you don't ask you don't get 🤞

Kitchen aid dont actually sell this in the UK direct, so Kitchen aid were as much use as a chocolate fire guard. I've emailed a customer service for the place that supplied it, noting back as of yet.  I shall give it the weekend and then chase again.