The grumpy thread

[Dobloseven]

3 hours ago, Pieman said:

Also...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-62713425

"He had just received fabulous GCSE results, got into college, and had hoped to study computer science at a top university." - so why was he fucking stupid enough to take drugs then?  If that had been me, my parents would probably have told the press I was a moron and that I deserved it.

Think you're being a bit harsh there. A young life has been needlessly lost. His parents are left with nothing but memories and might have beens.They're never going to see him get A levels, go to university or anything else at all. They're probably torturing themselves, should they have let him go, should they have instilled more caution in him.... Young (and not so young) people have always done stupid things and probably always will. The vast majority of times, no one gets hurt and their lives go on, hopefully a bit wiser. I'm sure there were plenty of others who needed first aid or a hospital visit. Not condoning drug taking at all, my many children

[Dobloseven]

Sorry, not quite finished, was saying my many, now grown up children hopefully were never involved with drug taking, but if they were, I'm eternally thankful they've lived to tell the tale. 

 

[cobblers]

Drugs themselves aren't really particularly dangerous, in most cases.  The risks/side effects of most drugs are very well understood, and on paper it is quite simple to calculate a safe dose.

What makes them dangerous is the fact that they're sold by criminals, so the strength and contents are completely unpredictable, unregulated and untraceable. People are going to take drugs whether they are legal or not.

[Mally]

29 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Some classics would live to fight another day if it weren't for banger racing. 

But the less there are, the more the existing ones are worth.

[Dobloseven]

When my nephew was doing his Chemistry Phd, he was involved with going to festivals and having a mobile laboratory where samples of drugs could be tested to see if they were "safe" or not. 

[RoverFolkUs]

Ordered plugs and HT leads for the focus Friday afternoon... They arrived soon enough courtesy of ECP

I didn't actually need leads but since they haven't been touched for ages I thought I'd better get some just in case they get mutilated on the way out

Sure enough, cylinder 2 was very firmly stuck. Que lots of wiggling and penetrating fluid it finally came free but the corrosion along the inner part of the lead was clearly the cause of that. 

Thought I'd better fit the new ones as the pencil part seems a bit bent and doesn't seem to clip down properly any more

But it then occurred to me after lots of faffing around that the pencils are about an inch longer on the new ones than what came off! So that's why I couldn't get all the cables to sit nicely...

Suppliers were obviously closed by the time I went to reorder the right ones so I've got to wait until tomorrow now

Fortunately it's not misfiring but I would have been a bit stuffed if not

My fault for ordering cheap parts but you'd at least expect them to somewhat resemble the original ones.

Well, I didn't specifically order the cheap parts. I asked for ignition leads and didn't specify.. so fair enough. But they usually dont just send the cheapest crap ones and know to send decent ones which is why I'm annoyed 

TLDR; pattern parts are a pile of wank. 

[Dobloseven]

12 minutes ago, RoverFolkUs said:

Ordered plugs and HT leads for the focus Friday afternoon... They arrived soon enough courtesy of ECP

I didn't actually need leads but since they haven't been touched for ages I thought I'd better get some just in case they get mutilated on the way out

Sure enough, cylinder 2 was very firmly stuck. Que lots of wiggling and penetrating fluid it finally came free but the corrosion along the inner part of the lead was clearly the cause of that. 

Thought I'd better fit the new ones as the pencil part seems a bit bent and doesn't seem to clip down properly any more

But it then occurred to me after lots of faffing around that the pencils are about an inch longer on the new ones than what came off! So that's why I couldn't get all the cables to sit nicely...

Suppliers were obviously closed by the time I went to reorder the right ones so I've got to wait until tomorrow now

Fortunately it's not misfiring but I would have been a bit stuffed if not

My fault for ordering cheap parts but you'd at least expect them to somewhat resemble the original ones.

Well, I didn't specifically order the cheap parts. I asked for ignition leads and didn't specify.. so fair enough. But they usually dont just send the cheapest crap ones and know to send decent ones which is why I'm annoyed 

TLDR; pattern parts are a pile of wank.

Had mixed results with ECP. Had a Fiat waterpump from them, with no O ring and casting so rough, I had to file it to get it to fit. Did outlive the original though. A cheap Lion battery supplied for a Renault Master seemed unfeasibly light when I went to collect it. Turned out it was much too small. Took it back, hadn't got the correct Lion one, so gave me a Bosch for the same money. Ordered enough bits for last years Meriva project to get free delivery. Parts were ok, but delivered by the most miserable sod on Gods earth! 

[twosmoke300]

27 minutes ago, RoverFolkUs said:

Ordered plugs and HT leads for the focus Friday afternoon... They arrived soon enough courtesy of ECP

I didn't actually need leads but since they haven't been touched for ages I thought I'd better get some just in case they get mutilated on the way out

Sure enough, cylinder 2 was very firmly stuck. Que lots of wiggling and penetrating fluid it finally came free but the corrosion along the inner part of the lead was clearly the cause of that. 

Thought I'd better fit the new ones as the pencil part seems a bit bent and doesn't seem to clip down properly any more

But it then occurred to me after lots of faffing around that the pencils are about an inch longer on the new ones than what came off! So that's why I couldn't get all the cables to sit nicely...

Suppliers were obviously closed by the time I went to reorder the right ones so I've got to wait until tomorrow now

Fortunately it's not misfiring but I would have been a bit stuffed if not

My fault for ordering cheap parts but you'd at least expect them to somewhat resemble the original ones.

Well, I didn't specifically order the cheap parts. I asked for ignition leads and didn't specify.. so fair enough. But they usually dont just send the cheapest crap ones and know to send decent ones which is why I'm annoyed 

TLDR; pattern parts are a pile of wank. 

ECP . Say no more 

[myglaren]

4 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Eventually found it.  Yep...into a normal round junction box - live on the centre pin and neutral on the outer sheath.

Sorry no photos, it's at full arm's length away under a floorboard (or rather, was, it's now in the e-waste box).  So the previous owners here must have had it actually feeding something, it's not just a wire that's contacting something because of a fault.

Really sick of finding crap like this.  How the hell this place hasn't burned to the ground I've no idea.

Bearing in mind I discovered that when they had the bathrooms renovated they just buried previously used live wires (not even taped over) under the insulation.  That I discovered about a week after we moved in.

This would make a good video for Artisan Electrics or Big Clive.

Whoever is responsible should be tickled with the live end of that coax.

[MikeR]

just changed the oi on the C1 ...... easy

but this cats piss oil ( 5w30 ) is almost impossible to see on the dip stick !!  ( even with my glasses on )

[wuvvum]

Citybug dipsticks are shite.  The dipstick tube is so convoluted that you have no idea if what's on the stick is from the sump or oil that the stick has scraped off the side of the tube on its way up.

[Lankytim]

3 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

Citybug dipsticks are shite.  The dipstick tube is so convoluted that you have no idea if what's on the stick is from the sump or oil that the stick has scraped off the side of the tube on its way up.

I’m sure you remember the Lagunas dipstick. It’s next to useless!  I changed the oil yesterday and I’m not sure if the oil level is correct or not. It could me next to empty or filled up to the rocker cover for all I know. 

[MikeR]

2.5 ltr came out , and 2.5 ltr went in , so that will do for now !!

 

[sierraman]

Enthusiasts are as bad, they’ll decree how it’s terrible an old car is raced but the they haven’t a workable plan themselves to actually buy it and restore it. You can see why someone sells to a racer when they’ll turn up with actual cash and fuck off with it whereas the usual enthusiast type will spend a month of Sunday’s dithering, the quibbling over minor issues then assemble some half arsed plan to A frame it from Dundee. Obviously there’s a few bad eggs stealing cars to race but likewise the sport itself doesn’t regulate this, they could but it’s obviously so corrupt that blind eyes are turned.

[jakebullet]

Truly at a loss to work out what goes on in cunt next door's head. He's walking the dog, other hand has a half drunk bottle of cider in it, and he keeps shouting in his best Apu accent "My turban is dirty" for reasons unknown and laughing at his own wit*

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, Lankytim said:

I’m sure you remember the Lagunas dipstick. It’s next to useless!  I changed the oil yesterday and I’m not sure if the oil level is correct or not. It could me next to empty or filled up to the rocker cover for all I know. 

The one on the Cavalier is like this.  It scrapes so firmly against the tube on both sides that it's basically impossible to tell what's actually from the sump versus the tube.  Especially when you've just put nice clean oil in!

[wuvvum]

2 hours ago, Lankytim said:

I’m sure you remember the Lagunas dipstick. It’s next to useless!  I changed the oil yesterday and I’m not sure if the oil level is correct or not. It could me next to empty or filled up to the rocker cover for all I know. 

Those Renault plastic dipsticks are about the worst I've ever encountered.  They warp so much that you have no idea whether it's the correct length anymore or not, so even if you can get a reading there's no telling whether that reading is taken from the correct level. 

[Noel Tidybeard]

how about the dipstick on a honda r18 lump- IT'S FECKING ORANGE! how the actual feck are you suposed to see orangey oil on an orange plastic stick?!?🙃

[Datsuncog]

Fuxsake Home Bargains, it's still AUGUST.

Four entire aisles of this tat, and the biggest tragedy was that there were already eejits cramming their trolleys with stuff like it's their last chance to buy.

It's four whole months away.

It's not quite autumn yet. The leaves aren't even turning brown round here.

#letseasonsbeseasons

[DavieW]

And here's me thinking LED bulbs were energy efficient 😮

[Metal Guru]

5 minutes ago, DavieW said:

And here's me thinking LED bulbs were energy efficient 😮

I think energy ratings have been regraded.  Just got a new freezer , they are all rated F or G now, whereas before you could get A and A+ freezers. Probably the same with light bulbs . LEDs may have been A or B before and tungsten filaments G, but now they’ve gone , LEDs are rated lower. Bit like NCAP, a car rated 5 stars 10 years ago, is now a 3 star. Doesn’t mean it’s suddenly a death trap, just there are safer cars available now.

[Datsuncog]

Yup, because the older low-rated stuff had largely been phased out, suddenly newer stuff on the shelves was all being rated as A+ and A++ and A+++ and it was kinda losing its meaning.

The whole system seems to have been overhauled last year or thereabouts.

LED bulbs still use massively less energy than old-style incandescent bulbs.

[Metal Guru]

2 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Yup, because the older low-rated stuff had largely been phased out, suddenly newer stuff on the shelves was all being rated as A+ and A++ and A+++ and it was kinda losing its meaning.

The whole system seems to have been overhauled last year or thereabouts.

LED bulbs still use massively less energy than old-style incandescent bulbs.

The need to do the same for GCSEs.

[artdjones]

4 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

The need to do the same for GCSEs.

Giving half the students a grade A is evidence that things in the world of education are continuously improving. The teachers are obviously better than ever, and all the students are above average.

[Rustybullethole]

Arse

 

[cobblers]

3 hours ago, artdjones said:

all the students are above average.

🤔

[Rust Collector]

18 hours ago, sierraman said:

Enthusiasts are as bad, they’ll decree how it’s terrible an old car is raced but the they haven’t a workable plan themselves to actually buy it and restore it. You can see why someone sells to a racer when they’ll turn up with actual cash and fuck off with it whereas the usual enthusiast type will spend a month of Sunday’s dithering, the quibbling over minor issues then assemble some half arsed plan to A frame it from Dundee. Obviously there’s a few bad eggs stealing cars to race but likewise the sport itself doesn’t regulate this, they could but it’s obviously so corrupt that blind eyes are turned.

I think you hit the nail on the head in that the cars that are bought to race are most likely available to anyone who has both the money to buy them and means to collect them. If enthusiasts aren't buying these cars to save them from the circuit, then surely either they don't want to buy the car/take the project on, can't afford to buy the car, or can't sort the logistics. Or any combination of the above.

I can't remember if I mentioned this in my fleet thread or elsewhere, but one of the cars I picked up was a freebie. It had been advertised to the relevant model forum as a free car for parts or brave repair for a couple of months, and to be honest I was surprised it was still there when I enquired. I needed some parts for my other car and so I thought I'd break this one for the bits I needed and sell anything I didn't need to the owners group and hopefully make my petrol money back plus some money for beers/car parts.

I posted on the owners group that I now had it for breaking and to get in touch if people needed bits to keep their cars/projects moving, and all I got was a load of 'too clean to break!', 'don't scrap it!', 'nobody will  buy parts from it on this group' blah blah blah. Turns out it had been seen by the group already, noted for being an unusual example, and then all interested parties did the sum total of fuck all after that... anyone could have had it for free if they had of just bothered to come collect it/grind it along the floor and destroy it with an A-frame and the most hideously inappropriate tow car they could find.

The reality is everyone knew it was worthless despite being an early model, and they just wanted to tell me what to do with my own time and money instead of putting theirs into the ring. I saw it, I wanted it, I arranged a date to pick it up, I turned up with a trailer and collected it. They could have done exactly the same, they had the opportunity and didn't, so it's tough shit really.

After getting a couple of serious* enquiries for parts (can I have one bonnet hinge please mate/I need the plastic insert for the door handle, not the whole handle) I was reminded that breaking cars/dealing with people absolutely sucks and that I wasn't going to waste my time visiting the car and removing parts for a couple of quid a go. For my own enjoyment I got it running instead and drove it round the farm.

Between the hassle of breaking it and my back being put up by the owners group, I suspect that it will stay intact now but remain in my ownership and live behind the stables for the foreseeable - it'll make a nice toy for my boy once he's old enough to drive around a field. That's probably more than most of the people who felt the need to tell me what I should/shouldn't do probably would have done with it.

I'd apologise for this turning into a grumbling ramble, but this is probably the right thread for it to be fair 😅

[myglaren]

16 hours ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

how about the dipstick on a honda r18 lump- IT'S FECKING ORANGE! how the actual feck are you suposed to see orangey oil on an orange plastic stick?!?🙃

Maybe that is what I have in my Civic.  Just checked and can't tell if there is oil in there or not.

First time I topped it up, when the low oil warning came on, I filled it to the little plip that I presumed was the max mark.

Ooops

Also need water pump pliers to remove the oil filler cap.  Stupid thing.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

9 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

The need to do the same for GCSEs.

They did.  They're on a scale of 1-9 now and have been for a couple of years...

[Rust Collector]

8 minutes ago, myglaren said:

Also need water pump pliers to remove the oil filler cap.  Stupid thing.

I don't know what it is with Hondas but they seem to like having their oil filler caps seize on. When I serviced the Insight I had to reach for the water pump pliers too.