The grumpy thread

[Sir Chocolate Teapot]

I have spent the last 16 years living in italy explaining to the italians that no, it is not always raining in england and that i used to ride bikes all year round in england and you can't do that in italy !, bloody freezing in winter and the rain drops are massive in italy.

I 've been back in england for 8 days now in mid summer and it had only rained every bloody day !

[myglaren]

I'm afraid you have come back at the wrong time, summer has been and gone.

[andy18s]

Really need to drag the Tenere out of the barn

Not sure if I want to be kicking it over in these temps though

 

[juular]

 

[Angrydicky]

Been there, done that! Who needs a regulator anyway?

[wuvvum]

1 hour ago, andy18s said:

Really need to drag the Tenere out of the barn

Not sure if I want to be kicking it over in these temps though

 

45°?  'Kinell!

[PhilA]

On 7/29/2021 at 2:29 AM, dave j said:

I am so glad I have decent neighbours! Directly opposite has just retired from the Rac, he has helped me out loads of times! I regularly ask next door to give me a hand lifting or shifting stuff, including helping me lift the body of the Beetle on and off the chassis! 

This is one of my neighbors, Dennis. He's our local neighborhood hippie. Ex boat cook. Wanders around with his dog and always has something nice to say.

The world needs more neighbors like him. Even if he does have to blow into a box on his dashboard to get his car to start...

[New POD]

10 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

45°?  'Kinell!

We've got a team of people doing a demo this week and next to the DoD in the desert near Salt Lake City. 

So far the temp has been averaging 118 F with peaks to 125 at mid day.  Which is 50. 

So far they have suffered 3 blowouts on 3 hired cab crew pick up trucks. 

The  test vehicle has some radio controlled switches for Estops and they keep overheating.

Bits specified by our bit of the team, have not overheated because I said "assume that under bonnet temps get to 250 C and assume that in cab temps get to 100 C" (although our side are over budget) 

The other side knew better. Apparently. Not. 

[PhilA]

29 minutes ago, New POD said:

We've got a team of people doing a demo this week and next to the DoD in the desert near Salt Lake City. 

So far the temp has been averaging 118 F with peaks to 125 at mid day.  Which is 50. 

So far they have suffered 3 blowouts on 3 hired cab crew pick up trucks. 

The  test vehicle has some radio controlled switches for Estops and they keep overheating.

Bits specified by our bit of the team, have not overheated because I said "assume that under bonnet temps get to 250 C and assume that in cab temps get to 100 C" (although our side are over budget) 

The other side knew better. Apparently. Not. 

Yup, we've been averaging 95 in the shade here, but from a people-working perspective that's as bad as 115 because of the humidity. 

The hottest I've seen the interior of my car is about 75C in the sun; if I park the car outside, don't run it for a day and get in at 2pm the temperature gauge comes off cold and sits just above the lowest scale marker (100F).

No, you are not wrong to specify heat hardened equipment. This country has some harsh climate environments. It's hardly like doing a test drive in Norfolk.

 

Phil

[louiepj]

Wasted my whole morning looking at a Citroen C4 picasso with a hand brake fault and warning for rear sidelight bulb (which was working)
As far as I can tell its a communication or wiring issue between modules, as diagnostics tell me everything is there and working. And just for a laugh the car now insists a front sidelight bulb is out (it's working).
Citroen why just why.........

[beko1987]

1 hour ago, New POD said:

We've got a team of people doing a demo this week and next to the DoD in the desert near Salt Lake City. 

So far the temp has been averaging 118 F with peaks to 125 at mid day.  Which is 50. 

So far they have suffered 3 blowouts on 3 hired cab crew pick up trucks. 

The  test vehicle has some radio controlled switches for Estops and they keep overheating.

Bits specified by our bit of the team, have not overheated because I said "assume that under bonnet temps get to 250 C and assume that in cab temps get to 100 C" (although our side are over budget) 

The other side knew better. Apparently. Not. 

And let me guess, you now have a smug face on for all the people who told you to not be bloody stupid and stop wasting money but grudgingly signed it all off.. 

If not you should have

[New POD]

11 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

And let me guess, you now have a smug face on for all the people who told you to not be bloody stupid and stop wasting money but grudgingly signed it all off.. 

If not you should have

I must not be smug. 

[Bren]

Still cannot get the SD1  to start after trying to retime it.

I have just paid nearly £200 to have the calipers refurbed. When they come back I will fit them and fuck it off because it's sucking the life out of me.

[Zelandeth]

Some of you may remember me having internet issues because Vodafone fouled up our broadband order.  We did eventually get it straightened out (at no small cost), but one thing which existed for about 48 hours was a mobile broadband account for a hotspot device they sent out.  This managed about 1.8Mb/s and was deemed as much use as a chocolate teapot and was promptly stuffed back in the box and them phoned up to cancel that service and arrange it to be picked back up.

As of this month, we're still paying for it!  To the tune of £40 a month.  Today marks the seventh attempt to resolve this.

I first picked up the phone to start this attempt just before 1500 this afternoon.

It is now 2023.  I am still at it.

Edit: Call finished 20:48. 

Is it fixed?  I'll believe it is when the next bill is right and the refund is in my bank!  Really not sure that was worth the effort!

[meggersdog]

XLN phone and broadband for small business. What a terrible company. Their broadband was forever dropping off, the laptop would find nextdoors wifi but other devises would not. This would end up with me shutting everything down and rebooting. It has been a right pain so we contacted BTBusiness to get fibre optic as their was none supplied to the business. XLN refused to release the phone line then start phoning my mobile. I leave my mobile in the office while moting so it doesn't get answered. Then a very pushy salesman gets through mobile to mobile just as I'm locking up. Promises loads if I go with their fibre. Doesn't listen to the fact we don't have fibre but a month later I still haven't recieved a new router which was promised within three days. So they haven't fulfilled the contract. I have now got fibre from BTB and the phoneline should be released on the 3rd August. XLN lying rip-off merchants that they are are constantly phoning leaving automated messages threatening to cut us off and charging £299 early contract release fee.

Left a real shitty google review but will probably get swallowed up amongst all the other shitty reviews. I have complained to Ofcom about mis-selling and the constant phonecalls making me ill. Just gone back to google and asked XLN a question. Will you stop harassing me it is making me ill. Dunno if it will work but made me feel better.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Was hoping to get out there and fit that replacement CX ignition barrel and do some electrical tests, but it's feckin' raining now 

[vulgalour]

If I never have to deal with installing a wiring loom ever again, it will be too soon.  I am filing rewiring cars alongside working on engines.  What a hateful experience.

[wuvvum]

On the way to FOTU this morning, I passed a Nissan Leaf going the other way with the number plate O C02 GUY.

What a c*nt.

[myglaren]

Nicked that, ta.

[Minimad5]

Why are some trade folk unable to just say 'Nah mate not interested'

I'm painfully slow making progress in the garden, so thought I would ask bricklayers next door for a quote, just to shift things kn a wee bit (they're banging up an extension for the neighbour)

"Yes mate we'll come round in a bit and have a look" 

Happy days they finish what they are doing and pop round, I show them the plan (build a brick wall using those brand new bricks, that brand new bulk bag of sand & all that new concrete) explaining any idea etc they may have to chip in and tell me if I've fucked up the ground work or anything, nope nothing said. "So yeah that's it really, how much do ya reckon?"

The old sucking through teeth noise - "We'll come back next week and measure up" , then explain how much they're looking forward to the pub.

Do tell me if I'm wrong here, but a skilled craftsman should be able to throw some ball-park figures about ?

If I asked my local garage how much to carry out a service I get 'Depending on oil and filters anywhere from £60 to £120' 

If I asked the bloke I use for machine shop work how much to machine down this piece of material I get a window, albeit wide window of values.

Why can't folk who ain't interested in a job just be honest and say they ain't interested/ not worth time etc 🤷‍♂️. Yeah it's been over a week, seen them on a wee few occasions and they avoid eye contact 😅.

 

[cort1977]

Saab 900 springs can fuck right off.

I'm fairly handy with the old spring compressors, changed out plenty of mcpherson struts over the years.

Saab is a wishbone design which offers good handling and so on but the springs go up in to a turret restricting where you can attach a compressor. Also they are bastard strong things.

After a lot of swearing it's off to the garage tomorrow. Worst thing is I cut the old one out with the grinder. Twat.

[artdjones]

That's what the Saab spring compressors look like.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Just now, artdjones said:

That's what the Saab spring compressors look like.

Any resemblance to mediæval instruments of torture is purely coincidental.

[artdjones]

There have been fatalities using normal compressors.

[cort1977]

2 hours ago, artdjones said:

That's what the Saab spring compressors look like.

Yes. Have you got one?  Seem a bit thin on the ground.

 

1 hour ago, artdjones said:

There have been fatalities using normal compressors.

Yeah, I wasn't getting a warm fuzzy feeling using normal ones so it can go to my local garage that specialises in land rovers, they should be used to large awkward springs.

[artdjones]

4 hours ago, cort1977 said:

Yes. Have you got one?  Seem a bit thin on the ground.

 

Yeah, I wasn't getting a warm fuzzy feeling using normal ones so it can go to my local garage that specialises in land rovers, they should be used to large awkward springs.

No, I haven't got one, and I'm going to need to take off some 96 springs at some point. I've bought a pair of heavy duty compressors that have a screwed lock to stop them slipping.

Hoping for the best🤕

[MikeR]

Just dropped the mrs off at HER caravan , stock up with food , drink etc for the week  , put 20 notes of go juice to do the deed  in the focus and it porked most of it due to the weight and speed we did ...... Her C1 will be picking her up !!  , That uses a tenners worth for both ways ....   

[richardmorris]

I have spent many hours this weekend looking for a new car. Autocar and cazoo websites are quick and easy, go to a main dealer site - I’ve done Citroen ( the worst), fiat, Renault, Peugeot and mazda and they are absolutely woeful. Hard to navigate and find the info you want,  and useless in getting actual costs. I don’t want the monthly pcp payments, just what the cars cost now.

 

[artdjones]

2 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

, just what the cars cost now

They prefer PCP, although that may change if there's a severe recession affecting used values.

[richardmorris]

Just now, artdjones said:They prefer PCP, although that may change if there's a severe recession affecting used values.

I know - they make more money that way and it works for lots of people. I’m just someone who saves up and buys what I can afford with cash.  More fool me!