The grumpy thread

[horriblemercedes]

On 7/21/2023 at 3:24 PM, Dave_Q said:

When you get an offer of a course you book through an online portal.

But in that portal they are listed by police force, Manchester, West Yorkshire and so on.

If you go into the listing for each police force they have dates and online/in person options but they are all slightly different prices, presumably they all have different arrangements of how much cash they are trousering from the course fees.

Top advice here from @Dave_Q

 

I went on and the others were around £90+ but Hartlepool was £73. The only thing was that their only available slot was tomorrow, which I can't do.

 

Emailed them and within ten minutes I'd got one sorted out for a convenient date in September for £73. All done.

[sierraman]

On 7/25/2023 at 12:50 AM, RoverFolkUs said:

He was clearly running behind schedule, if they achieve a certain number of deliveries (or indeed, simply "attempts") within a certain timeframe then they get a bonus. Probably explains the widespread dangerous driving/parking

I have heard that recently they insist on at least some Grand Prix experience or at least a personality trait that applies no value to human life. 

[MikeR]

Today I sat on a bench , a nice one , then I moved to another which rocked , a rocking bench to replace the rotting swing seat in our garden ... great , Took a picture of the label to do a Tinternet search and check out the pricing , nice Xmas pressie springs to mind .

get the picture ! ,

wife comes back with her pile of shopping , and I said "nice bench"  hoping to get a nod of approval to confirm my plan to buy ... Oh good we will have one of those , any in stock , can we take one now !! 

Cher Ching .......

 

[EyesWeldedShut]

Morning coffee - read the 'news' on the BBC Website including - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66165920

Then go  to transfer dosh from my current account to fruit of my wife's womb and the Halifax block it with all sort of alarming popups basically saying 'contact us or we freeze your account'.

I have just spent 30 minutes on the phone with a bloke plainly working through a scripted interview as the bank thinks "this is an unusual transaction to a new payee".
"Do you know her?" Yes                                                                   << may as well replied 'no' to this one for all the good it did
"How do you know her?" She's my step-daughter            << different surname though = fraudster 
"How long have you known her?" Twenty three years    << that cut no ice apparently
"Are you sure?" Yes                                                                               << he ignored that as I am plainly a giffer
"Did she ask you for the money?" Yes                                        << Red flag apparently in his script
"Have you sent this person money before?" Yes                 << He's getting edgy thinks I'm being groomed for my millions

"Not to this account though?"             No - look you'll see she's already a payee under her old account number
"You don't think that's unusual?"       What? People getting separated and no longer using a joint account? No.

It just went on and on and on, several questions repeated (trying to catch me out eh? Herr Flick? I tell you nothing). I told him to just cancel the transaction. Paid the cash to my wife who has forwarded it to sprog in about two minutes flat.

It's made me feel like a grumpy criminal caught with their hand in the till. I was a bit pleased that I never swore or lost my temper with the guy  

I wonder if that'll be part of the 2023 £55m fraud prevention  claim.

[EyesWeldedShut]

On 7/24/2023 at 11:21 AM, Noel Tidybeard said:

polytroling

That's what you get for winding up  parrot - they're clever birds.

[captain_70s]

30 miles into the drive to FOTU, Dolly started pressurising it's coolant. Bastard.

Also when I pulled over the crank pulley nut fell off...

Swapped to the Volvo for attempt no.2...

[SiC]

1 hour ago, captain_70s said:

Dolly started pressurising it's coolant. Bastard

Head needed the nuts tightening up after its run? Iirc @Matty needed to do that on his A40 when that showed HGF symptoms.

[Zelandeth]

Had someone stop me during walking the dog today and just openly ask me for cash to buy drugs.  Not even the slightest attempt to make me believe it was for food, a coffee, a room for the night...no, just straight out said he only had £12 to his name and needed more to get his next fix.

What a lovely area we live in.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

2 hours ago, captain_70s said:

30 miles into the drive to FOTU, Dolly started pressurising it's coolant. Bastard.

Also when I pulled over the crank pulley nut fell off...

Swapped to the Volvo for attempt no.2...

Either that car hates you, or it's agoraphobic. How many more chances does it deserve?!

[Bren]

The definition of depression.

Looking at the classifieds.

When did cars approaching 200k with lots of faults and visibly worn smooth become worth £4k?

Sadly most of the shit is being offered by traders.

 

[Stanky]

38 minutes ago, Bren said:

The definition of depression.

Looking at the classifieds.

When did cars approaching 200k with lots of faults and visibly worn smooth become worth £4k?

Sadly most of the shit is being offered by traders.

 

...Offered by traders who bought the shitboxes for 95% of the current asking price at the height of the bubble and are now stuck with the fucking things.

Look at it slightly differently - they've already paid £3.2k for the tired out of heap, rubbing their hands with glee at the thought of selling it the following day, after a quick wipe over with a wet rag, except they've overdone it - no one wanted the shitty car then, and no-one wants it now - not now they can get hold of a brand new car on PCP with a lead time in weeks not decades. they've slowly dropped the price as its sat mouldering away, but they can't drop it any more or they'll be losing money on it.

They've got the millstone round their neck already, you have the luxury of not needing to buy it from them. Sit it out, before much longer we're going to see a lot of these dealers who bought stock at vastly inflated prices go bust. They've got 20 cars on the forecourt worth* £4-20k each, except they're worth fuck all if no-one buys them. You can't eat them. You can't use them to pay your mortgage or gas bill. And you don't want to sell them for less than you paid for the thing 18 months ago.

The market will adjust, because like fuck am I buying a 15 year old ford focus diesel with 198,000 miles, no service history, that I can't drive in most cities and which smells of childrens sick and vape fumes for £4k. And I bet I'm not the only one.

Wait for 6-12 months and watch them go bust left right and centre, flooding the market with shitty fucking cars sold at auction by the liquidators for 10% of their 'asking price' to recoup some of the debts that bazzas bitchin' Autos has run up before the bank called time on it all and sent Bazza to prison for tax evasion.

From what I've read, this is afflicting the big boys too, Cazoo share price is down 99.4% over 5 years. They have a fucktonne of stock bought for top dollar which they can't shift and which the market can't absorb. Supply of this fucking tat massively exceeds demand, especially when cost of living is skyrocketing.

5 years ago when your 15 year old focus blew its head gasket because you'd not fixed the leaky radiator, you fucked it off and bought a near-identical one for £500. Now, that same car is probably worse than your own one, and costs £4k. Shady Dave's garage charging £1500 for a head gasket job (old head not skimmed, head bolts reused, refilled with tap water) suddenly looks like a less shit option. So you walk on by Bazzas Bitchin' autos...

Yeah its grim looking at what's on offer, but imagine having spent £100k of money that's not yours buying the stock and now its just sitting there, unsold, while you get increasingly threatening letters about your mortgage arrears and imminent disconnection of your gas supply.

 

EDIT - info on Cazoo taken from https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/cazoo-share-price-tanks-to-record-low-valuing-used-car-dealer-at-just-79m/276540 & Google share price search for reference.

[Matty]

3 hours ago, SiC said:

Head needed the nuts tightening up after its run? Iirc @Matty needed to do that on his A40 when that showed HGF symptoms.

No Si, I needed to skim the head and replace the gasket after failing to do that 🤣

[artdjones]

6 minutes ago, Stanky said:

...Offered by traders who bought the shitboxes for 95% of the current asking price at the height of the bubble and are now stuck with the fucking things.

Look at it slightly differently - they've already paid £3.2k for the tired out of heap, rubbing their hands with glee at the thought of selling it the following day, after a quick wipe over with a wet rag, except they've overdone it - no one wanted the shitty car then, and no-one wants it now - not now they can get hold of a brand new car on PCP with a lead time in weeks not decades. they've slowly dropped the price as its sat mouldering away, but they can't drop it any more or they'll be losing money on it.

They've got the millstone round their neck already, you have the luxury of not needing to buy it from them. Sit it out, before much longer we're going to see a lot of these dealers who bought stock at vastly inflated prices go bust. They've got 20 cars on the forecourt worth* £4-20k each, except they're worth fuck all if no-one buys them. You can't eat them. You can't use them to pay your mortgage or gas bill. And you don't want to sell them for less than you paid for the thing 18 months ago.

The market will adjust, because like fuck am I buying a 15 year old ford focus diesel with 198,000 miles, no service history, that I can't drive in most cities and which smells of childrens sick and vape fumes for £4k. And I bet I'm not the only one.

Wait for 6-12 months and watch them go bust left right and centre, flooding the market with shitty fucking cars sold at auction by the liquidators for 10% of their 'asking price' to recoup some of the debts that bazzas bitchin' Autos has run up before the bank called time on it all and sent Bazza to prison for tax evasion.

From what I've read, this is afflicting the big boys too, Cazoo share price is down 99.4% over 5 years. They have a fucktonne of stock bought for top dollar which they can't shift and which the market can't absorb. Supply of this fucking tat massively exceeds demand, especially when cost of living is skyrocketing.

5 years ago when your 15 year old focus blew its head gasket because you'd not fixed the leaky radiator, you fucked it off and bought a near-identical one for £500. Now, that same car is probably worse than your own one, and costs £4k. Shady Dave's garage charging £1500 for a head gasket job (old head not skimmed, head bolts reused, refilled with tap water) suddenly looks like a less shit option. So you walk on by Bazzas Bitchin' autos...

Yeah its grim looking at what's on offer, but imagine having spent £100k of money that's not yours buying the stock and now its just sitting there, unsold, while you get increasingly threatening letters about your mortgage arrears and imminent disconnection of your gas supply.

Same in Ireland. My old boss is still selling a few cars, in my opinion she is too ill to bother, but she's been in the habit so long she can't seem to stop. One good thing, she won't sell rubbish,  but she's got a 13 Polo 1.2, fairly low mileage, about 105k Kms, but €9950! That's what other dealers have them up for. And a 2016 Partner, around 160k Kms,£10000. And someone is buying that and getting finance for it.

[Matty]

2 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Either that car hates you, or it's agoraphobic. How many more chances does it deserve?!

Don't listen to him @captain_70s 😄. In all serious, pull it back down using a known quantity torque wrench, use that on the crank pulley nut as well and go again. Be reet

Edit

Was it a copper gasket you used. Supposedly they have a lacquer on them which melts when hot and helps create a good seal. You fit them, torque the head down and for the first start just use water not coolant. Get it warm enough for the stat to open then shut it off, let it cool then pull the head down again and add antifreeze. Then just pull the head down one more time after a few hundred mile. 

Edit edit

I blew mine accross 2 pots while going full pelt. It was going accross the other two as well. The (very) light skim was precautionary. Again, it'll be reet. The amount of graft you've put onto that dolly is an inspiration.

[SiC]

Isn't the crank pulley nut supposed to be a lock tab washer on them? 😬

[GMcD]

RANT MODE ACTIVATED.

Why is it that perfectly normal human beings turn into absolute fucking helmets with a screw loose as soon as they jump into a car. 

Neighbour 1 this morning - Stop being lazy and get out your bed 10 minutes earlier in the morning and leave your house 10 minutes earlier instead of hoofting around blind bends in your local small housing estate at 40mph in 2 tons of SUV. 

There are too many variables (traffic lights, give-ways, roundabouts) out there that will wipe out those 5 seconds you made up by driving like an absolute fucking flute. What's the fucking point? 

Neighbour 2 this evening - Don't tailgate, flash your lights and OVERTAKE me at an unmarked junction (20mph zone, kids running about and parked cars everywhere) in previously mentioned small housing estate, to then pull into your drive FIVE SECONDS LATER.  Then have the audacity to call me a "dangerously slow driver" (whatever the fuck that means, I was doing a sensible speed ) , "nosey cunt" and "fucking arsehole" when I tell you that your "driving is out of order" and "was there really any need to get to your house seconds quicker by driving like that".  

I hope her fanny collapses out her arse. The cunt. 

ABSOLUTE FUCKING MORONS.  

[Matty]

2 minutes ago, SiC said:

Isn't the crank pulley nut supposed to be a lock tab washer on them? 😬

Quite possible. My ignorance on that one.

[Matty]

3 minutes ago, GMcD said:

RANT MODE ACTIVATED.

Why is it that perfectly normal human beings turn into absolute fucking helmets with a screw loose as soon as they jump into a car. 

Neighbour 1 this morning - Stop being lazy and get out your bed 10 minutes earlier in the morning and leave your house 10 minutes earlier instead of hoofting around blind bends in your local small housing estate at 40mph in 2 tons of SUV. 

There are too many variables (traffic lights, give-ways, roundabouts) out there that will wipe out those 5 seconds you made up by driving like an absolute fucking flute. What's the fucking point? 

Neighbour 2 this evening - Don't tailgate, flash your lights and OVERTAKE me at an unmarked junction (20mph zone, kids running about and parked cars everywhere) in previously mentioned small housing estate, to then pull into your drive FIVE SECONDS LATER.  Then have the audacity to call me a "dangerously slow driver" (whatever the fuck that means, I was doing a sensible speed ) , "nosey cunt" and "fucking arsehole" when I tell you that your "driving is out of order" and "was there really any need to get to your house seconds quicker by driving like that".  

I hope her fanny collapses out her arse. The cunt. 

ABSOLUTE FUCKING MORONS.  

And that's your neighbours. Unbelievable really. I'm quite fortunate to live on a street full of dead sound people, but I also go out of my way to not be a dick.

Best rule for life, don't be a dick. Sorry @GMcDthat you've got proper cunts for neighbours lad.

[GMcD]

13 minutes ago, Matty said:

And that's your neighbours. Unbelievable really. I'm quite fortunate to live on a street full of dead sound people, but I also go out of my way to not be a dick.

Best rule for life, don't be a dick. Sorry @GMcDthat you've got proper cunts for neighbours lad.

I suppose neighbours is a slight exaggeration as they are both around the corner(s) about 10 or so doors down. But my point still stands, they just seem to morph into fucking numpties when they get in a car and don't like it when they get called out on it.  Thankfully the neighbours next door and across the street are all mostly decent folk/friends that seem to have their heads screwed on right. 

[Matty]

6 minutes ago, GMcD said:

suppose neighbours is a slight exaggeration as they are both around the corner(s) about 10 or so doors down.

Far enough away then 😄

[EyesWeldedShut]

2 minutes ago, Matty said:

Far enough away then 😄

Yeah - careful that the accelerant trail from their overnight torched car goes away from your house - say #2 to #1?
Only joking.
I just got in after having a total dick in a BMW tailgate me for 5 miles along a single lane mountain road. Blinding LED lights and he's right on my arse willing me to go faster or pull over. He's so close to me that he's almost clipping the sheep I'm driving around as he cannot see them (seriously -this is the Cym Ystwyth mountain road if you know it).
Being a decent sort of chap, I just slowed down and deflected my mirrors.  

p.s. my third nearest neighbour (about a mile away) now has a 15 reg SLK with AMG trimmings - niiiice

[Matty]

2 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Yeah - careful that the accelerant trail from their overnight torched car goes away from your house - say #2 to #1?
Only joking.
I just got in after having a total dick in a BMW tailgate me for 5 miles along a single lane mountain road. Blinding LED lights and he's right on my arse willing me to go faster or pull over. He's so close to me that he's almost clipping the sheep I'm driving around as he cannot see them (seriously -this is the Cym Ystwyth mountain road if you know it).
Being a decent sort of chap, I just slowed down and deflected my mirrors.  

p.s. my third nearest neighbour (about a mile away) now has a 15 reg SLK with AMG trimmings - niiiice

Depends how much you like what your in. Years ago when I was in works pickup with a lad like that I anchored on. He went right under the back and peeled the bonnet back.

"Sorry pal, a deer ran out" 😁

[Pieman]

One of my neighbours gets a new Bini as part of a finance deal every time a new reg comes out, just so she can tell all her clone-like yummy-mummy friends she's got the latest reg number before all of them.  Her latest one is fucking dayglo yellow.  I didn't even know you can get a Bini in dayglo bile yellow, but it's fucking HIDEOUS and I am already resenting seeing it every time I look out of the window.

I think I dislike her even more than the chavs on the other side of my house who are incapable of conducting a conversation at anything below normal volume and insert the word "fuck" into every sentence.

[EyesWeldedShut]

5 minutes ago, Matty said:

Depends how much you like what your in. Years ago when I was in works pickup with a lad like that I anchored on. He went right under the back and peeled the bonnet back.

"Sorry pal, a deer ran out" 😁

Nah - I was driving The Bini of The Child Bride. She's kill me if I did that to her itsy, bitsy motor. If it was my old Series 2a with the towball on the rear crossmember - now you'd be talking (except The Titanic could probably out brake that Land Rover)
Mind you with the itsy, bitsy tyres (low profiles), a little remap and the fact I knew the road it could have been fun but she was in the passenger seat and I have to be a well behaved, giffer barge driver transplanted from his wafty steed when chauffeuring m'lady.

[EyesWeldedShut]

6 minutes ago, Pieman said:

Her latest one is fucking dayglo yellow. 

They have had a yellow colour since day 1 - back in the noughties it started kind of pale, lemony, Robinsons Barley Water colour. Since then it has gone brighter, then orangier and now the bilious colour you are feasting* your eyes upon. In five years time it'll look tired and be worth 10% less than a more neutral colour.
But then she's not interested in that - all show and no trousers? (You know what I mean).

[EyesWeldedShut]

3 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

They have had a yellow colour since day 1 - back in the noughties it started kind of pale, lemony, Robinsons Barley Water colour. Since then it has gone brighter, then orangier and now the bilious colour you are feasting* your eyes upon. In five years time it'll look tired and be worth 10% less than a more neutral colour.
But then she's not interested in that - all show and no trousers? (You know what I mean).

Arrr fuckit - forgot to mention the real reason I was Grumpy.

Trolled over to the 'local' car auctions @ Leominster which tends (in general) to push through stuff you'd get at BCA lane C  and unwarranted. Lots of utter AutoShite fodder in other words.

Rocked up a bit late as there was actually traffic on the road courtesy of The Royal Welsh Show kicking out (my bad). Missed the car I was going to look at. Then had a dib or two on some others and ended up with a 'provisional'. They ring the vendor who is sticking to his reserve which is bottom book price and his car has the EML on. By this point I'm grumpy so just walk away. Fuck him - the car'll be there next week, and the next, and the next (or he gets that light fixed).

(And even grumpier me - all the smol stuff, and some of the big stuff, was going through at bottom book prices ++ (and then you have a roughly 10% indemnity fee to pay)? wtf? are people nuts?)

[Pieman]

29 minutes ago, Nyphur said:

Jealousy does get ugly...

I lived a few doors down to a lady who used to get a new civic type-r come registration week. It wasn't a "show off to her yummy mummy mates thing", she was moderately high up in Honda UK.

Jealousy?  It's nothing of the sort, I'd be jealous if she owned a beige Citroen BX!

[captain_70s]

13 hours ago, SiC said:

Head needed the nuts tightening up after its run? Iirc @Matty needed to do that on his A40 when that showed HGF symptoms.

It had been retorqued. I flushed the coolant the other day suspect I airlocked it and overheating blew the gasket. I drove it home and it never got hot but still pressurising.

9 hours ago, Matty said:

Don't listen to him @captain_70s 😄. In all serious, pull it back down using a known quantity torque wrench, use that on the crank pulley nut as well and go again. Be reet

Edit

Was it a copper gasket you used. Supposedly they have a lacquer on them which melts when hot and helps create a good seal. You fit them, torque the head down and for the first start just use water not coolant. Get it warm enough for the stat to open then shut it off, let it cool then pull the head down again and add antifreeze. Then just pull the head down one more time after a few hundred mile. 

Edit edit

I blew mine accross 2 pots while going full pelt. It was going accross the other two as well. The (very) light skim was precautionary. Again, it'll be reet. The amount of graft you've put onto that dolly is an inspiration.

Composite style generic no-brand gasket. They never came with copper ones to my knowledge and the decent Payen ones were out of stock everywhere.

I've had a cheap gasket blow before after not many miles so not unprecedented.

[paulplom]

12 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Had someone stop me during walking the dog today and just openly ask me for cash to buy drugs.  Not even the slightest attempt to make me believe it was for food, a coffee, a room for the night...no, just straight out said he only had £12 to his name and needed more to get his next fix.

What a lovely area we live in.

I had one homless bloke ask me for change last week. Sorry, I don't have any I replied. Join the club, I don't have any either I'm fucking skint he said. 

If I was carrying he would've had it.

[New POD]

9 hours ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Yeah - careful that the accelerant trail from their overnight torched car goes away from your house - say #2 to #1?
Only joking.
I just got in after having a total dick in a BMW tailgate me for 5 miles along a single lane mountain road. Blinding LED lights and he's right on my arse willing me to go faster or pull over. He's so close to me that he's almost clipping the sheep I'm driving around as he cannot see them (seriously -this is the Cym Ystwyth mountain road if you know it).
Being a decent sort of chap, I just slowed down and deflected my mirrors.  

p.s. my third nearest neighbour (about a mile away) now has a 15 reg SLK with AMG trimmings - niiiice

Not being funny,but he caught you up. He was therefore faster than you on the road. Why slow him down, you old fast?*

Maybe he has sixth sense and can see around bends or something.

Had you pulled over, you could have followed him, and because he's now taking all the risks of having a head on crash with a tractor with a spike at head height, you can keep up with him safely, only having to rely on his brake lights.  **

Much easier.

*Said with jest and humour in mind. 

** Seriously. If he's faster, let him be faster. Would it hurt you to let him past (assuming there's a place to make that happen)