The grumpy thread

[Metal Guru]

3 hours ago, richardmorris said:

Round here Tesla drivers are rapidly approaching Audi and BMW levels of dangerous driving.

I was in Norway a few years ago and Bergen must have the biggest Tesla dealership in the world . ( Norway’s attitude  to climate change is we’ll sell our oil and gas to the rest of the world while he make our own country the greenest country in the world).

Anyway they have about twice as many speed ( sorry SAFETY) cameras as we do and most of the roads are single carriage way with a 80 or 90 kmph limit.

So being really careful not to trigger a camera in my hired Toyota Auris hybrid (shit, a disguised Prius), driving about 5-10 below the limit and you get a Tesla  up your arse ( most common car there) . Then when you get to the shortest straight,  max acceleration and they overtake , only to slam on the brakes and continue 2 kmph slower than you were going anyway.

Tesslers!

[New POD]

9 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

In my case I've been dealing with chronic fatigue syndrome since my late teens.  Prior to getting COVID it was something that would occasionally kick me in the balls if I over-stretched myself a bit, and would result in the occasional crash.  It wasn't something requiring daily monitoring.

Now though it's serious enough that I really do need to plan out every day to at least some extent and have contingencies in place in case I run out of steam.

My wife was diagnosed with ME CFS in 2006 (god knows how long she had it prior to that).  I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  We had hoped that 100,000 suffering long covid  would generate new research in the area. Still waiting. 

[chadders]

7 hours ago, New POD said:

My wife was diagnosed with ME CFS in 2006 (god knows how long she had it prior to that).  I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  We had hoped that 100,000 suffering long covid  would generate new research in the area. Still waiting. 

This is just the first result from a Google search

About RECOVER: The National Institutes of Health Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (NIH RECOVER) Initiative is a $1.15 billion effort, including support through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, that seeks to identify how people recuperate from COVID-19, and who are at risk for developing post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC). Researchers are also working with patients, clinicians, and communities across the United States to identify strategies to prevent and treat the long-term effects of COVID – including long COVID. For more information, please visit recovercovid.org(link is external).

The second id a UK one:

 

REACT Long COVID

The REACT Long COVID (REACT-LC) study involves follow-up of over 120,000 people to understand why some people who are infected continue to have symptoms for several weeks or months – a condition called Long COVID – while others don’t. REACT-LC is uniquely placed to include a large and diverse group of people from the wider REACT programme who have had different experiences of COVID-19. REACT-LC aims to identify new approaches to diagnosing, supporting and managing Long COVID

 

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/research-and-impact/groups/react-study/studies/react-long-covid/

[EyesWeldedShut]

3 hours ago, New POD said:

My wife was diagnosed with ME CFS in 2006 (god knows how long she had it prior to that).  I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  We had hoped that 100,000 suffering long covid  would generate new research in the area. Still waiting. 

My missus caught swine flu really badly back in 2009/2010 wave and ended up with CFS plus it ate all the nerves in one ear so she was deaf, couldn't stand up and lost her Driving Licence. She's now balanced, back driving (2016) and her hearing has adjusted so that she can get by.
She still sleeps for England tho'.
When COVID hit she locked herself away on our Welsh Mountain for two years as no way she wanted that.

There's not much NHS help here either nor is there much research - we use various charities for advice/support and anybody who tells you long covid/CFS is a state of mind or swinging the lead needs to catch it for themselves. 

[fairkens]

9 hours ago, richardmorris said:

They’re all white or grey here, I’ve no idea which model is which as I’ve no intention of buying one

I saw a model S in Porsche peppermint green the other week. First time I've seen one that wasn't white or grey. I did wonder if it was a wrap

[Zelandeth]

10 hours ago, fairkens said:

I saw a model S in Porsche peppermint green the other week. First time I've seen one that wasn't white or grey. I did wonder if it was a wrap

Which is a shame, as particularly the deep blue they're available in really suits it (in my opinion).

Likewise a shame that the interiors nearly always seem to be hospital operating theatre white with either a piano black fingerprint magnet of a dash or fake carbon fibre, or the whole cabin in black on black on black.

Other options are available.

I'd probably go with darker carpets from a practicality perspective...but to me that just looks far more welcoming.  I hate that so many modern cars these days seem to be so dark and or cold looking inside.

My reason for being in this thread right now though is just a very generalised grump.  Today has simply been one of those days and can get in the sea.  Literally everything I have tried to do has fought me every step of the day, and I'm pretty sure I've got a longer to do list now than when I got up this morning.

Also I just left the garage door not fully open to use as a rain shield while I was rummaging for stuff just inside the door.  Five minutes later went to walk back into the garage and yes, you guessed it, walked straight into the door that I'd left nicely at just above forehead height.

Properly rattled my brains (assuming I have any) and hurt like hell.  I just calmly closed and locked the door then retreated inside at that point.  Writing the day off as a total loss, hopefully tomorrow will be better!

[Rustybullethole]

Upstairs neighbour. He's a cunt. For years he repeatedly blocks the drive even when my van is down there in full view that i use for work almost every day. Main arse ache is that he's on the top floor too and i cant see if he's blocked me in till i get all the way down stairs before needing to climb all the way back up to bang on his door. Ive been polite though he just parks there again and again. One morning after he didn't answer the door i decided id put his window through so i could roll his car past the gate and get myself to work. He appeared just as the steering lock was at full swing. He still parks there. I have been less polite. He still parks there. The family go to church every Sunday. Few weeks back i had to carry all my tools up from the garage as he was blocking access and not answering the door. 

I wrote a message on the gate for him.

Pics not that great can just about read it on zoom.

The Mrs thought this was a bit much and she may be right but i honestly don't know how to get through to him. The kids are the same. They think its ok to play football in the concrete stairwell booting the ball against the windows. Just been woken up by them as I have many times before. They packed it in when i opened the front door and said 'take it up the fucking park will ya' I did add 'mind the roads' as may have come across a bit blunt.

 

 

[Mike Whiskey]

Returned home from holiday yesterday to that horrible water leak damp smell. 

Valve in the water tank in the loft not quite shutting properly, and overflow not watertight means several days of drip drip drip in the loft above our bedroom.

We've been using enough water for it to not show up when we are here, but a week away was enough. I normally turn the water off when we go away, but forgot this time....

Water side is fixed now, but the ceilings a mess.   Still it wasn't all on the bed when we got home so could be worse.

 

MW

[Erebus]

On 8/11/2023 at 6:32 PM, Chas4545 said:

OK so nobody likes a snitch, but a Tesla model Y (lovely car) today overtook me on double white lines and he's on my car cam video. The  oncoming lane was clear, so to be honest I thought no harm no foul.   However..... two minutes later I am behind him in slow traffic , when  he overtakes  a car, van, and tractor with trailer (which was turning right) on a solid white, over a brow of a hill and round a bend.  Now the driver of    BP23 HSD    is probably the nicest person, but the little old lady in her small peugot that was the next oncoming vehicle missed meeting her maker too early by only seconds.

Does the team think I should snitch?

Yes definitely, before their dangerous driving kills someone.  Next time it could be your family or friends coming the other way and he might not avoid a collision

[Rustybullethole]

13 hours ago, Mike Whiskey said:

Returned home from holiday yesterday to that horrible water leak damp smell. 

Valve in the water tank in the loft not quite shutting properly, and overflow not watertight means several days of drip drip drip in the loft above our bedroom.

We've been using enough water for it to not show up when we are here, but a week away was enough. I normally turn the water off when we go away, but forgot this time....

Water side is fixed now, but the ceilings a mess.   Still it wasn't all on the bed when we got home so could be worse.

 

MW

Roof tanks are a disaster in waiting I find. Pipe burst on our communal one on the roof a few winters back council in their wisdom had reroofed at great expense to me though not under the unmaintained tank so the water (some few thousand ltrs) all sat under the new roof skin so it was like a big soggy marshmallow.

I shut it off and bailed it out then the emergency repair team turned up a week later and drilled holes in the new roof to let out the remaining water. Nice one. 

In the last four years we've only ever installed combi boilers and removed the header tanks.

Hope it drys out alright.

[sdkrc]

14 hours ago, Rustybullethole said:

 

Sorry to laugh but I enjoyed your graffiti and the putting his window through. What does he say when you ask him not to park there because you can't get to work? 

Car door entry kits are great btw. 

[Rustybullethole]

3 minutes ago, sdkrc said:

Sorry to laugh but I enjoyed your graffiti and the putting his window through. What does he say when you ask him not to park there because you can't get to work? 

Car door entry kits are great btw. 

You have to laugh else you cry.  First thing in the morning i'm never at my best! Never did smash the window as he came out just as i was about to swing. He laughs and says sorry, always blames the fact he's back late and would have to park up the road. He knows its a pain in the arse for me though clearly gives no fucks. Last few times ive just tooted till he comes down and moves it. I have the skills and tools to break in though not the time in the mornings. So the brick it shall be. Have helped the fella out loads in the past. Have come to the conclusion he's just a prick. 

[sheffcortinacentre]

God bothers think their going to be forgiven for this sort of thing as their special.

I know of one that gets away with not paying for anything he can getaway  with especially when it comes to household repairs, car repairs that sort of thing as he's so poor & doing god's work!

[Cavcraft]

On 8/12/2023 at 6:27 PM, Zelandeth said:

Which is a shame, as particularly the deep blue they're available in really suits it (in my opinion).

 

Likewise a shame that the interiors nearly always seem to be hospital operating theatre white with either a piano black fingerprint magnet of a dash or fake carbon fibre, or the whole cabin in black on black on black.

Other options are available.

 

I'd probably go with darker carpets from a practicality perspective...but to me that just looks far more welcoming.  I hate that so many modern cars these days seem to be so dark and or cold looking inside.

My reason for being in this thread right now though is just a very generalised grump.  Today has simply been one of those days and can get in the sea.  Literally everything I have tried to do has fought me every step of the day, and I'm pretty sure I've got a longer to do list now than when I got up this morning.

Also I just left the garage door not fully open to use as a rain shield while I was rummaging for stuff just inside the door.  Five minutes later went to walk back into the garage and yes, you guessed it, walked straight into the door that I'd left nicely at just above forehead height.

Properly rattled my brains (assuming I have any) and hurt like hell.  I just calmly closed and locked the door then retreated inside at that point.  Writing the day off as a total loss, hopefully tomorrow will be better!

Doom blue exterior and is that really the interior of a Tesla? It looks like a bloody 1970's formica kitchen. I'd happily own one, but not that combo, it's hideous.

[New POD]

On 11/08/2023 at 18:34, Chas4545 said:

BTW seeing an oncologist this week to see which cancer I've got.

I would let the tesla go. You've got more to worry about. Good luck with the testing by the way. 

[MikeR]

that bastard of a pint sized Bush tumble dryer I bought a few years back ...

taking ages to dry things  ... like hours to do a few towels

the heat button is reversed ,

low is high heat  , and high is low heat  ......

needs a good clean out as well ... next job on the list

 

 

[High Jetter]

Compare the leccy cost with 30mins ish in your local launderette. Bigger gas dryers dry more quicker.

[Markeh]

Drunk me managed to lose a credit card on Saturday night. Fortunately drunk me is apparently a weird combination of organised and disorganised and managed to freeze said card and order a new one, with the first I knew about it being waking up to a 'your new card is on its way, please watch out for any unidentified transactions' text from my bank the next morning.

Ah. About that part. It seems like the act of reporting it missing and requesting a new card has made the credit card and resultant statement completely disappear from my online banking. It clearly still knows I have it as if I go to switch my credit card it shows me the number and the current balance. Which is about £70 more than I remember it being. So either A. someone got tap happy with it after finding it, B. I got tap happy with it before losing it and don't remember, or C. somewhere between the two. What's the betting if any of the transactions aren't mine that by the time it shows up in the account, it'll be too late to report it?

Oh, and even better, the option to pay the card is also not present. So I'd better hope the replacement card shows up and the account appears again online before it's due next week...

[cobblers]

 

Just had a very very near miss, the worst in years. 

Chatsworth estate have put temporary traffic lights just after a left hand bend. No signage at all. Driving the T25 which is LHD so my view round left handers isn't as good, I came across queuing traffic while travelling at 45mph. I *just* managed to stop in time, with a cloud of tyre smoke, halfway diagonal across the road. No sooner than I had stopped, my attention turned to any car that followed me round the bend, and almost immediately a bloke in a Panda came round, nose of the car buried in the tarmac as he panickily swerved around me onto the wrong side of the road.

Coming back, I drove the same route in the opposite direction and there are loads of warning signs laid out, in the direction where visibility is a lot better anyway. Bloke at the back of the queue, parked just where I had stopped was looking incredibly nervously in his rear view mirror.

Over an hour later, my heart is still pumping!

[Rust Collector]

6 minutes ago, cobblers said:

 

Just had a very very near miss, the worst in years. 

Chatsworth estate have put temporary traffic lights just after a left hand bend. No signage at all. Driving the T25 which is LHD so my view round left handers isn't as good, I came across queuing traffic while travelling at 45mph. I *just* managed to stop in time, with a cloud of tyre smoke, halfway diagonal across the road. No sooner than I had stopped, my attention turned to any car that followed me round the bend, and almost immediately a bloke in a Panda came round, nose of the car buried in the tarmac as he panickily swerved around me onto the wrong side of the road.

Coming back, I drove the same route in the opposite direction and there are loads of warning signs laid out, in the direction where visibility is a lot better anyway. Bloke at the back of the queue, parked just where I had stopped was looking incredibly nervously in his rear view mirror.

Over an hour later, my heart is still pumping!

That's appalling that they haven't put any signage when it's likely there will be traffic queuing unexpectedly after a corner. If it's local is it worth going and chucking a spare warning triangle out before the bend?

[cobblers]

5 minutes ago, Rust Collector said:

That's appalling that they haven't put any signage when it's likely there will be traffic queuing unexpectedly after a corner. If it's local is it worth going and chucking a spare warning triangle out before the bend?

I called up the company as soon as I got home and let them know about it. If I wasn't due to get back to work, I'd have probably parked up and waved people to slow down.

[Talbot]

52 minutes ago, cobblers said:

Just had a very very near miss, the worst in years. 

Chatsworth estate have put temporary traffic lights just after a left hand bend. No signage at all. Driving the T25 which is LHD so my view round left handers isn't as good, I came across queuing traffic while travelling at 45mph. I *just* managed to stop in time, with a cloud of tyre smoke, halfway diagonal across the road. No sooner than I had stopped, my attention turned to any car that followed me round the bend, and almost immediately a bloke in a Panda came round, nose of the car buried in the tarmac as he panickily swerved around me onto the wrong side of the road.

Without being too much of a knobend, and slightly being devils advocate, you should always be driving at a speed where you can safely stop in the amount of road you can see is clear.  If a stationary vehicle *anywhere* on the road catches you out and you plough into it, then you are at fault.  EG, if that back car had been a broken down vehicle with hazards on, then you should be able to stop in time.  If you can't, then your speed is dangerous.

Yes, that's pretty shit of the company not to have put warnings out for the temporary traffic lights and I am sure there is a requirement for them to do so, but at the same time if your view around left-hand bends is compromised by being in an LHD vehicle, you need to adjust your speed accordingly.

[cobblers]

Just now, Talbot said:

Without being too much of a knobend, and slightly being devils advocate, you should always be driving at a speed where you can safely stop in the amount of road you can see is clear.  If a stationary vehicle *anywhere* on the road catches you out and you plough into it, then you are at fault.  EG, if that back car had been a broken down vehicle with hazards on, then you should be able to stop in time.  If you can't, then your speed is dangerous.

Yes, that's pretty shit of the company not to have put warnings out for the temporary traffic lights and I am sure there is a requirement for them to do so, but at the same time if your view around left-hand bends is compromised by being in an LHD vehicle, you need to adjust your speed accordingly.

I know what you're saying, on unfamiliar roads I would like to think I always do drive like that.

However when you know the road and drive it twice a day, and you know there's no junctions or any reason to expect someone to have come to a stop then I'm sure you'd agree that most people would push on a little faster. I was doing 45 ish and ordinarily I'd have been being pushed along by the HGVs that belt it round there.

If I'd have belted into the back of the car in front it would have been my fault for going too fast. 

[Metal Guru]

2 hours ago, Talbot said:

Without being too much of a knobend, and slightly being devils advocate, you should always be driving at a speed where you can safely stop in the amount of road you can see is clear.  If a stationary vehicle *anywhere* on the road catches you out and you plough into it, then you are at fault.  EG, if that back car had been a broken down vehicle with hazards on, then you should be able to stop in time.  If you can't, then your speed is dangerous.

Yes, that's pretty shit of the company not to have put warnings out for the temporary traffic lights and I am sure there is a requirement for them to do so, but at the same time if your view around left-hand bends is compromised by being in an LHD vehicle, you need to adjust your speed accordingly.

I know what you’re saying is right but in many roads it’s impossible to drive all the time at a speed where you can see clearly the stopping distance. You’d have to drive at 10mph and then you’re at risk of someone running into you.

Similarly roads with large humps (A68 in Northumberland springs to mind). If you slowed down to see over the top of each crest on a 60mph road , you’d soon have an accident.

You have to trust no one has been stupid enough to stop in such positions same as you have  to trust they stay on their side of the road , aren’t using their phone / aren’t drunk etc etc.

 

[EyesWeldedShut]

Which utter, utter b*stard @ JLR designed the front end of the early Freelander 2 with such skill that the oil filter cover on the 2.2 TD4  is totally inaccessible.
Then which power lifting gorilla with a multi jointed socket set cranked the filter on at 10,000 Newton Metres?
90 minutes of my life wasted performing a simple* maintenance task. Grrrrr.
(And I spotted a split in a CV boot - feckin' great)

JLR cars - the gift that just keeps on giving.

[cobblers]

22 hours ago, cobblers said:

I called up the company as soon as I got home and let them know about it. If I wasn't due to get back to work, I'd have probably parked up and waved people to slow down.

They had packed it all away last night when I went home from work.  There were a good few pairs of big long skidmarks left on the road, so it wasn't just me being caught off guard. Most cars have ABS as well so who knows how many people got tangled up in that.

Thought no more of it though, til this morning,  they had laid it out again -  just the same as before!

[Metal Guru]

1 hour ago, cobblers said:

They had packed it all away last night when I went home from work.  There were a good few pairs of big long skidmarks left on the road, so it wasn't just me being caught off guard. Most cars have ABS as well so who knows how many people got tangled up in that.

Thought no more of it though, til this morning,  they had laid it out again -  just the same as before!

Handy painting the road number on the road like that. Good idea , for people without sat navs.

[Pieman]

23 hours ago, cobblers said:

 

Just had a very very near miss, the worst in years. 

Chatsworth estate have put temporary traffic lights just after a left hand bend. No signage at all. Driving the T25 which is LHD so my view round left handers isn't as good, I came across queuing traffic while travelling at 45mph. I *just* managed to stop in time, with a cloud of tyre smoke, halfway diagonal across the road. No sooner than I had stopped, my attention turned to any car that followed me round the bend, and almost immediately a bloke in a Panda came round, nose of the car buried in the tarmac as he panickily swerved around me onto the wrong side of the road.

Coming back, I drove the same route in the opposite direction and there are loads of warning signs laid out, in the direction where visibility is a lot better anyway. Bloke at the back of the queue, parked just where I had stopped was looking incredibly nervously in his rear view mirror.

Over an hour later, my heart is still pumping!

I had the same happen a few years ago on the A461 (NSL 60) near Lichfield - rounded a bend to be confronted by temporary lights which I can only assume someone had pinched the warning sign for.  Luckily it was a Sunday morning so there was no stopped traffic, but I only just got the car stopped for the red light.  I remember I'd driven the same route the day before and they weren't there then, so to see them appear on a Sunday was quite surprising.

[artdjones]

4 hours ago, cobblers said:

They had packed it all away last night when I went home from work.  There were a good few pairs of big long skidmarks left on the road, so it wasn't just me being caught off guard. Most cars have ABS as well so who knows how many people got tangled up in that.

Thought no more of it though, til this morning,  they had laid it out again -  just the same as before!

The people in charge probably spend 20% of their time on risk assessments and safety meetings. But are too stupid to understand safety in the real world.

[Metal Guru]

2 hours ago, artdjones said:

The people in charge probably spend 20% of their time on risk assessments and safety meetings. But are too stupid to understand safety in the real world.

Risk assessment at work is all about covering your own arse.