The grumpy thread

[Zelandeth]

Just attempted to get the fuel line reattached to the car on the Renault.  I got about 90 seconds into the job before being absolutely besieged by sodding ants.  So much for getting that done today.

They really do make doing anything which involves sitting or laying on the ground and utter misery here.  Never got cold enough this last winter for them to bugger off fully at any point either.

I just need to find someone who's willing to take on the list of essential jobs that car needs done and get it transported to them.  It's never going to get sorted where it sits just now.

[myglaren]

Squirt them with white vinegar and washing up liquid.

[Sunny Jim]

Wanted to get on with changing the radiator on the hearse this afternoon.

Someone more knowledgeable and experienced than me would have thought to check if new bushes would be necessary. Another lesson learnt and another delay while I wait for some to arrive.

[grogee]

  On 12/04/2025 at 15:35, Sunny Jim said:

Wanted to get on with changing the radiator on the hearse this afternoon.

Someone more knowledgeable and experienced than me would have thought to check if new bushes would be necessary. Another lesson learnt and another delay while I wait for some to arrive.

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Do they actually do much? Could you cut some equivalent out of rubber sheet? 

[Zelandeth]

  On 12/04/2025 at 15:01, myglaren said:

Squirt them with white vinegar and washing up liquid.

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The problem is that basically the entire garden (and most of the town) is essentially one giant ant hill.  

It would be quicker to list areas outside where they don't come from than where they do.  They're just one of those things which is basically just omnipresent around here and have been as long as I've been coming here - though at least you usually got a couple of months without them being an active nuisance over the winter!

[barefoot]

I solved a similar problem with a totally infested back garden by pouring a tbsp full of petrol down all of the holes and lighting them up. The lawn smoked gently for much of the afternoon, but I've not seen an ant here in 30years.

[Sunny Jim]

  On 12/04/2025 at 15:52, grogee said:

Do they actually do much? Could you cut some equivalent out of rubber sheet? 

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They're actually fairly chunky and should be top and bottom to locate the rad, there are no other fixings to hold it in place. Three were AWOL and there was only remnants of the fourth which can only have contributed to the old rad's demise. After spending nearly half what I paid for the car on the new radiator I figured I might as well do the job properly. £20 and a few more days wait for these to turn up.

[BorniteIdentity]

  On 11/04/2025 at 20:46, wuvvum said:

Not been sleeping properly since the accident on Tuesday.  A combination of anger at myself, residual stress over the accident itself, worry about the implications on my insurance renewal and consequently the future of the fleet, and my brain coming up with scenarios as to how the accident could have been way worse than it was.  It's a vicious circle as the more tired I get the more anxious I get and therefore the less sleep I get.  Hopefully it'll fade with time but it's been a very long time since something affected me this badly and I'm not really sure how to deal with it.

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How are you today, bud?

I've only had one spectacular accident but both the ex-wife and I would have been dead in anything old.  She'd never driven the (old) Haughley Bends, got it horribly wrong and we bounced from nearside to offside to nearside crash barrier like a pinball.  I would say it took me a good few months to be both comfortable as a passenger in a car again, and she's still quite nervous at night 21 years later.  As someone else said, this is a natural reaction to trauma and it WILL pass.

It is impossible to tell what it will do to your insurance because A) it's a mystery anyway and 2) with a trade policy it's even more complicated.  Try not to catastrophise all of the outcomes.  If they start taking an interest in how much trading actually happens, then you cross that bridge when you get to it.  In the meantime, let them do what you pay them handsomely to do and try to relax (easier said than done, I know)

As for being angry at yourself? We all make mistakes.  Feel free to re-read the time I spent an entire Bank Holiday buying a MK1 Freelander to scrap it 2 months and £1200 later!  

You're good.  Keep truckin'

 

[wuvvum]

Thanks Daniel.

The funny thing is I've actually been OK with driving.  It's definitely knocked my confidence a bit, and I'm possibly now over-cautious when it comes to junctions, especially the one the accident happened at, but so far I haven't had any real issues getting back in a car - which is good as I'm due to drive down to my parents' in Somerset for Easter.  I think if the accident had been worse (i.e. if there had been injuries etc.) it might have been a different story.  

My brain has still been going a mile a minute today but I've tried to keep myself busy to give myself something else to think about - so I've actually been reasonably productive today.  I got a bit more sleep last night too (although still not really enough) as I didn't have to get up for work this morning.

Your second paragraph is absolutely spot on and is what I have been trying hard to do, but it is indeed easier said than done!  I'm hoping spending a few days with my folks will take my mind off things for long enough that I have time to wind down a bit.

[Marina door handles]

Mail ordering things has definitely bitten me on the arse this week. Living out in the sticks I am maybe a bit over reliant on Amazon, Ebay and anyone else offering home delivery..

This week I ordered a brake reservoir cap to butcher into a brake bleed tool for the 827 what arrived in the post was this.

Yay a mystery slave cylinder for something possibly MG/Rover....

Next cock up was an alternator for my old Subaru. What arrived looked like an alternator, smelt like an alternator and was actually slightly easier to fit than the old one and both the electrical fittings fitted.  Being vaguely sensible I decided to carry out an alternator test after fitting...... Engine off 12.8 volts across the battery terminals.

Fire the engine and drum roll............

12.35 volts..... hang on the old one I had condemned was producing a miserable 12.4!

I then checked the connections on the back of the fuse box, the earth strap to the engine etc and cleaned all the connections I could find.   Re tested it, same result, re fit the old one.... Still getting slightly more at 12.4. Just need to contact the seller and see if I can return this dudd.....

 

[EyesWeldedShut]

  On 13/04/2025 at 19:56, Marina door handles said:

12.35 volts..... hang on the old one I had condemned was producing a miserable 12.4!

I then checked the connections on the back of the fuse box, the earth strap to the engine etc and cleaned all the connections I could find.   Re tested it, same result, re fit the old one.... Still getting slightly more at 12.4. Just need to contact the seller and see if I can return this dudd.....

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That sounds familiar.... out in the sticks here too.
About two years ago my 940 blew the alternator, after arsing around (penny pinching) I ordered in a 'recon' from some place in the East Midlands. It arrived promptly* and, after fitting it - effin' thing was not alternating fuckall.
Ebay seller got all shitty on it so I sic'd AmEx on them and got a refund direct. eBay's 'buyers protection' was only for 30 days so - if they take a bloody fortnight to (drop)ship the bloody thing and you then take a week to fit it and a week to complain? Out of time, sorry, goodbye. Thanks eBay.

I'm now a bit more particular on the eBay stuff and double check for 'free'* returns and any time limit.

*I have to pay the return postage which is £12.50 on £230 quids worth of stuff currently packed up and awaiting the Postie tomorrow.

 

[Supernaut]

Hotmail and its overly sensitive junk email filters.

I applied for a job in late March at the Scottish Government. It looked interesting and involved being put through a post-grad course as well.

I specifically marked the email address that updates were sent from as NOT JUNK, as the application acknowledgement ended up in my junk box.

 

I admit I should check my junk box more often, though.

Guess what I found in there just now?

Several more emails, a couple of them inviting me to do an online assessment. Then another a few days later saying I was rejected due to not completing the online assessment in time.

It's my fault for not checking sooner, I accept that. However, they could have at least sent a text reminder to the phone number provided in the application as the deadline approached, or something. I've seen that fairly often with other organisations.

 

 

Meanwhile, I still get actual junk mail directly into my inbox.

[richardmorris]

Maestro burnt out in North Wales...

Burnt out car left at Greenfield Valley after arson attack | The Leader

 

[Markeh]

  On 14/04/2025 at 09:07, Supernaut said:

Hotmail and its overly sensitive junk email filters.

I applied for a job in late March at the Scottish Government. It looked interesting and involved being put through a post-grad course as well.

I specifically marked the email address that updates were sent from as NOT JUNK, as the application acknowledgement ended up in my junk box.

 

I admit I should check my junk box more often, though.

Guess what I found in there just now?

Several more emails, a couple of them inviting me to do an online assessment. Then another a few days later saying I was rejected due to not completing the online assessment in time.

It's my fault for not checking sooner, I accept that. However, they could have at least sent a text reminder to the phone number provided in the application as the deadline approached, or something. I've seen that fairly often with other organisations.

 

 

Meanwhile, I still get actual junk mail directly into my inbox.

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I once had to hurriedly set up a misspelt version of my email address after I realised a typo had been made on some copies of my CV.

Three days after I set it up I received an invite to an interview. Didn't get the job anyway!

[comfortablynumb]

MK1 son is fixing his mates MOT fails on her Discovery 300tdi.

Rusted through fueltank cradle, replaced.

Steering ball joint replaced.

Pair of new headlights because the beam pattern is wrong.

Ok, she's picked up 200 ones by mistake, we'll get them swapped for 300 ones.

Except apparently they're NLA.

On a 1995 car

Really?? 🤦

 

 

[artdjones]

  On 13/04/2025 at 19:56, Marina door handles said:

Mail ordering things has definitely bitten me on the arse this week. Living out in the sticks I am maybe a bit over reliant on Amazon, Ebay and anyone else offering home delivery..

This week I ordered a brake reservoir cap to butcher into a brake bleed tool for the 827 what arrived in the post was this.

Yay a mystery slave cylinder for something possibly MG/Rover....

Next cock up was an alternator for my old Subaru. What arrived looked like an alternator, smelt like an alternator and was actually slightly easier to fit than the old one and both the electrical fittings fitted.  Being vaguely sensible I decided to carry out an alternator test after fitting...... Engine off 12.8 volts across the battery terminals.

Fire the engine and drum roll............

12.35 volts..... hang on the old one I had condemned was producing a miserable 12.4!

I then checked the connections on the back of the fuse box, the earth strap to the engine etc and cleaned all the connections I could find.   Re tested it, same result, re fit the old one.... Still getting slightly more at 12.4. Just need to contact the seller and see if I can return this dudd.....

 

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I'd still try putting a jump lead between the battery - and the block and check the voltage again.. Earth leads can fail internally.

[Marina door handles]

  On 14/04/2025 at 12:20, artdjones said:

I'd still try putting a jump lead between the battery - and the block and check the voltage again.. Earth leads can fail internally.

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Good advice but I did try that at the time and it made no difference. 

[Markeh]

Absolutely disgraceful marketing.

That's Marshall Nissan Lincoln added to my "never do business with" list. Language like that just to try and sell me a new car? Fuck right off...

[Marina door handles]

  On 14/04/2025 at 11:25, comfortablynumb said:

MK1 son is fixing his mates MOT fails on her Discovery 300tdi.

Rusted through fueltank cradle, replaced.

Steering ball joint replaced.

Pair of new headlights because the beam pattern is wrong.

Ok, she's picked up 200 ones by mistake, we'll get them swapped for 300 ones.

Except apparently they're NLA.

On a 1995 car

Really?? 🤦

 

 

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I hate to break this to you but and I struggle to believe this myself but apparently 1995 was slightly more than 10 years ago? Some things do go out of production even in Land Rover world! 

[comfortablynumb]

I'd agree with you @Marina door handles, but the headlights we've been supplied with are for the prefacelift disco 1, so that's even older. 

And I can still buy lights for a 1948 series 1, or an original range rover classic, so why should it be so difficult for a later model?

The aftermarket spares supply is better for land rover than many other vehicles 

[richardmorris]

  On 14/04/2025 at 19:06, comfortablynumb said:

I'd agree with you @Marina door handles, but the headlights we've been supplied with are for the prefacelift disco 1, so that's even older. 

And I can still buy lights for a 1948 series 1, or an original range rover classic, so why should it be so difficult for a later model?

The aftermarket spares supply is better for land rover than many other vehicles 

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Mot people must be on a mission at the moment. 2cver in the FB group who had a car fail with poor reflectors last year, and bought new ones for a pass, has had the same car fail again with the same issue. In over 30years I’ve never had a 2cv fail with lights.

[Marina door handles]

  On 14/04/2025 at 19:06, comfortablynumb said:

I'd agree with you @Marina door handles, but the headlights we've been supplied with are for the prefacelift disco 1, so that's even older. 

And I can still buy lights for a 1948 series 1, or an original range rover classic, so why should it be so difficult for a later model?

The aftermarket spares supply is better for land rover than many other vehicles 

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I get were you're coming from but maybe the face lift model had a much shorter production run and there fore less spare back up? One of the reasons I like the Land Rover brand is the amazing spares back up for most of the models.

I hate brands that clearly couldn't give a toss about their older models as far as parts supply goes....

 

 

[High Jetter]

Headlight for my van have been NLA for years. It's an '08.

[artdjones]

  On 14/04/2025 at 19:06, comfortablynumb said:

I'd agree with you @Marina door handles, but the headlights we've been supplied with are for the prefacelift disco 1, so that's even older. 

And I can still buy lights for a 1948 series 1, or an original range rover classic, so why should it be so difficult for a later model?

The aftermarket spares supply is better for land rover than many other vehicles 

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A series 1 or a Classic have standard round lights that were used on literally dozens of models, so will always stay available.

[Lord Sterling]

  On 09/04/2025 at 16:53, Zelandeth said:

The M25 can get in the fscking sea.

102 miles done on it today, and that's 102 too many.

What an utterly hateful piece of road.  That sodding grooved concrete surface on a bunch of it is just the icing on the cake and makes an already unpleasant experience bloody torturous.

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Yes. 💯 %. Unfortunately I have to use the M25 to get to Dover and did it in the Vauxhall. It really wasn't pleasant in a car that has tired suspension and slightly undersized tyres plus tired pipes etc...

Those grooves are almost as bad as the cobbled roads on some of the Belgian city roads. 

Hopefully towards the end of the week I'll be getting some new correctly-sized tyres which will help the ride better.

[High Jetter]

  On 14/04/2025 at 21:24, artdjones said:

A series 1 or a Classic have standard round lights that were used on literally dozens of models, so will always stay available.

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SBU 7002 or 7004, perhaps

[comfortablynumb]

  On 14/04/2025 at 21:24, artdjones said:

A series 1 or a Classic have standard round lights that were used on literally dozens of models, so will always stay available.

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Not the earliest lights-behind-the -grille didn't , and they're still available 🤷

[richardmorris]

  On 14/04/2025 at 09:18, richardmorris said:

Maestro burnt out in North Wales...

Burnt out car left at Greenfield Valley after arson attack | The Leader

 

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It looked mint.

 

Vintage car stolen and burnt out in Flintshire incident | The Leader

Its owner, Pat Bradley, has spent the last couple of years working on the car.

He said: "I'm just absolutely gutted and sad that a piece of car heritage and history has been lost like that for no reason at all.

"All the hard work doing the car up as well to put it back on the road, just for it to be burnt out."

Mr Bradley said the car was stolen from The Strand area of Holywell prior to it being found burnt out. 

[Tenmil Socket]

  On 15/04/2025 at 07:41, richardmorris said:

It looked mint.

 

Vintage car stolen and burnt out in Flintshire incident | The Leader

Its owner, Pat Bradley, has spent the last couple of years working on the car.

He said: "I'm just absolutely gutted and sad that a piece of car heritage and history has been lost like that for no reason at all.

"All the hard work doing the car up as well to put it back on the road, just for it to be burnt out."

Mr Bradley said the car was stolen from The Strand area of Holywell prior to it being found burnt out. 

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Absolute scrotes… 

[hennabm]

I watched B&C restoring classics last night and they took a very reasonable Minor van and stuck a bloody washing machine motor - Nissan - in it.

It was an Austin variety van  so quite rare and they have now fucked it up with electrics.

It cost them £18k to buy and the a further £40+k to alter it.

To top it all some silly bugger bought it for £40+ k.