The grumpy thread

[Cavcraft]

 Sorry chaps, was indeed trying to be ironic and tongue in cheek and failing miserably, serves me right for watching Will Self on question time!

Didn't mean to sound like a trolling knob muncher,

 

 

In that case I must apologise to you, Doctormop. Not for the first time I went wading in with my size 13 steel toe caps! Sorry, chief.

[Spiny Norman]

You've got to hand it to VW, they're still trading on the same OMGGERMANCARZRSORELIABLE crap that hasn't been true since about 1991.

The old Mk2 Golfs were decent cars compared to the rusty, shoddily built competition of the mid 80s, but by the time the 90s happened VW had slipped back and the rest had caught up and now, if anything a Ford is the better built car.

 

Fair play to them for managing to still be convincing so many gullible punters to part with their hard earned though.

[Doctormop]

In that case I must apologise to you, Doctormop. Not for the first time I went wading in with my size 13 steel toe caps! Sorry, chief.

 

My fault entirely Cav, re-read my mutterings and was thinking "what bellend wrote this then" and was horrified to see it was me!

[mercrocker]

I am going to nail my colours to the GOWLFS?FUKEM category.   My step daughter in a previous life bought a Mk3 when it was less than 5 years old because it was SOTHEBEST2NDHANDGIRLYBUY  but it was poo.  Less reliable than the Mk1 Fester I  had urged her to keep, uglier and a whole lot less  fun to drive.  I think it might have become one of those cars that falls off the "dont really care" fence into Mr.I.Haytem's garden of cockfluff largely on the strength of those irritating bastards at work who blather on about their residuals, build  quality, driving fun and all the other veewee lies....I have still got a T25 though!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I don't want a golf, but there must be something good about them otherwise there wouldnt be so many millions of them knocking about. Most UK-based east europeans are mad for old VW TDi's and those guys certainly dont like chucking money away.

[dollywobbler]

You've got to hand it to VW, they're still trading on the same OMGGERMANCARZRSORELIABLE crap that hasn't been true since about 1991.

The old Mk2 Golfs were decent cars compared to the rusty, shoddily built competition of the mid 80s, but by the time the 90s happened VW had slipped back and the rest had caught up and now, if anything a Ford is the better built car.

 

Fair play to them for managing to still be convincing so many gullible punters to part with their hard earned though.

 

Indeed. Consider that in 1990, my Golf would have been competing with the Mk2 Astra and Mk5 Escort, which it probably proves better than, and the then pretty new Rover 200, which it probably felt ancient compared to. The Golf has 75bhp from 1.6-litres, the Rover delivered almost 100bhp from a mere 1.4. Volkswagens probably pop less head gaskets, but Rovers probably stop when you want them too. I did find myself scouring the classifieds for a Rover R8 earlier...

[rml2345]

I'd much rather have an R8 than a Golf but I'm probably not part of Volkswagen's "Brand attribute targeted market led segment aspiration" or whatever cobblers they call flogging motors this week. Seen loads. Been in a fair few and nothing about them seems appealing enough that you'd chose it over a Focus or walking or something. 

Then again, they sold 21 million Beetles and they don't appeal to me either. 

[skattrd]

I've done 67k miles in the last 2yrs in my Bora tdi (Golf with boot) and can't fault it.

It cost me £800 and the only thing it's had are service items for this kind of mileage, suspension bushes, cambelt, discs & pads etc ... This week it's clutch time. Would I trade it for an Astra/Focus/R8/whatever ... no thx,

[RedSparrow]

I don't want a golf, but there must be something good about them otherwise there wouldnt be so many millions of them knocking about. Most UK-based east europeans are mad for old VW TDi's and those guys certainly dont like chucking money away.

 

The Poles I know in blighty all seem to like the big fast BMWs Audis and VWs.

God knows how they afford them working as waiters.

[Pillock]

My Mk3 GTI was OK, fair enough it needed an engine and gearbox but it was a pretty thrashed 20 year old car.

 

I had a Mk5 GTI hire car and that was ace. Loads of grunt, nice insides, plenty of gadgets and being a hire car, faster to 60 than a Veyron off a cliff.

 

They get bad press because there are so many of them. Nobody ever whines on a forum about the good ones. Nobody ever mentions anything about anything good.

 

"Hey, my TV is working really well. Changes channels when I want it to, good picture, decent sound. I know you didn't ask, just thought I'd tell you"

[Mr Lobster]

I know its not an actual Golf but its close enough - my Seat Toledo (04, 1.8T) has been brilliant and probably the best car I have ever owned. Bought at 34k, now on 90k. Reliable, comfy, decent economy, quick and has a big boot. I couldn't actually ask for any more tbh and have no idea how I would replace it if I had to.

[warren t claim]

Since when was a Golf a great car to drive? When?

 

I wouldn't have one given. If it was a company car, I'd thrash it to death and never clean it. If I won one I'd sell it straight away, taking advantage of those 'great residuals' by flogging it to some tedious What Car reader. 'Wow just wow what a quality car.'

 

My friends have had nothing but problems with Golfs. Not niggling little problems - ones you'd frag a snotter for. 

You are aware that the more you rant on about Golf hatred almost to the point of giving yourself an seizure the more I'm going to wind you up about it? U IZ LEN HATRED LITE

 

See also MX5.

[Bobthebeard]

Being skint and trying to live a more 'economical' life, we now have a wood burning stove in an attempt to save money on the heating bills. Have scavenged loads of wood from various woodlands/roadsides/ ditches and skips. Needed to convert all this to logs so needed a chainsaw. Won a petrol chainsaw on eBay for £71 only to find out that it is a Chinese model and still available new for £84 on Trueshopping.Co. Summat. Bugger. Saved £13 and a new chain for it will cost £14.

Ho Hum.

[jakebullet]

Getting the evils and storm off treatment 'cos I'm not thrilled at being forced to watch Mr. B. Forsyth and a load of nobodies on strictly. But on the bright side post storming the tv's off and there's no more granny clap along bollocks.

[Bobthebeard]

Getting the evils and storm off treatment 'cos I'm not thrilled at being forced to watch Mr. B. Forsyth and a load of nobodies on strictly. But on the bright side post storming the tv's off and there's no more granny clap along bollocks.

Ah, Strictly must be worth a grumpy thread all of its own!

Opium for the masses... Or summat. Hateful.

[RedSparrow]

Was someone moaning about youtube accounts?

Mine always asks for my phone number, real name etc. which I never give. Today it forced me to make a google+ page (no option to say no to this) so I grudginly accepted, then it said some shit like 'error, page too large to make new account' and it won't let me log on at all.

Piece of shit.

[Station]

I'm sure there are loads of reliable VWs, and I thought the mk4/5 (the one WtC owned) was nice; Japanese cars are better than their German equivalent in every way! (Esp 80s/90s ones).

[Mr Lobster]

I'm sure there are loads of reliable VWs, and I thought the mk4/5 (the one WtC owned) was nice; French cars are better than their German equivalent in every way! (Esp 80s/90s ones).

 

You got a word wrong there, sorted it for you   

[mattblack]

_{I have a motley collection of old Standards, that seem to have withstood storage remarkably well. We felt curious to try one this summer, to see if they drove as I remembered -esp from a younger perspective.}

 

_{I extracted a simple saloon, which took 10 mins to start (stale fuel) retained good brakes (silicone fluid),  good silencing (stainless system bulk (bought in the 80's) & no (structural) rust.}

 

_{Seems its to wait the Spring, now.}

 

Have you still got the customised 10 pick up? Got the December 1985 copy of Practical Classics in front of me with the write up about you buying it in the 'Commercial Travelling' section...

[tooSavvy]

.... some scrote has had away with my Spare Wheel.  Totally accessible [i now appreciate] under the floor of a VW Caddy.

 

VW sell a 'security bolt'...... hmm, why not give one to all buyers >> known as 'release bolt, wind down through van floor'.

 

Grrrrrrrrrrr

 

tooSavvy

[daveb47]

Just tried to jump start neighbors astra using jump leads from a car toolkit that i got for Christmas

First turn of key and there was a bang and a cloud of smoke.One clamp had broken in half and was found accross road

Looked closer & found clamps are just held by small crimp.Total crap.

[autofive]

Being skint and trying to live a more 'economical' life, we now have a wood burning stove in an attempt to save money on the heating bills. Have scavenged loads of wood from various woodlands/roadsides/ ditches and skips. Needed to convert all this to logs so needed a chainsaw. Won a petrol chainsaw on eBay for £71 only to find out that it is a Chinese model and still available new for £84 on Trueshopping.Co. Summat. Bugger. Saved £13 and a new chain for it will cost £14.

Ho Hum.

 

find your local plagga double glazing company. they will have a skip full of old wooden window frame bits and will be very pleased if you offer to remove a car full. all the wood is nice and dry and easily cut into foot lengths.

[Cavcraft]

The last one I owned (rusted to bollocks, horrible interior etc) still managed to attract fan boy clowns who'd start wittering on about engine codes and things whilst extolling the virtues of these motors. I was actually helping a mate move house and got lumped in the van next to some right boring tit who kept on and on about ace VWs were, because he'd seen me rock up in a shit Mk3 Golf. He honestly looked offended when I gave him my views on them and almost couldn't believe I'd have a Vauxhall or Ford first.

 

To be fair VWs probably aren't shit as such, they're just over-rated. I haven't found one yet that was any better than any of it's rivals and I think the reason why people don't like them (myself included) is that some owners go on and on and on about how brilliant they are, yet when you own or drive one they're just, well, a bit ordinary. That's my view anyhow.

[RedSparrow]

VW Golfs are like The Beatles of the car world. Quite good, just not as good as people hype them up to be. And there is better.

[Tetleysmooth]

 

Ah, Strictly must be worth a grumpy thread all of its own!

Opium for the masses... Or summat. Hateful.

At least it ain't on Sunday nights, like bloody Dancing on Ice is.

If the Devil and his demons made tv programmes, it would be these.

[Tetleysmooth]

 

Is she retired by any chance?  Some of the old gits where I live have fuck all else to do but nose around and complain about others.

The geezer next door to me comes out every time I work on my car.

He says the same thing every time - 'you enjoying yourself?'

Last time was acouple of months ago when I was fitting an exhaust to the Voyager. 'You enjoying yourself?'.

'No I fucking ain't'. Blood oozing out of my arms etc.

My missus wanted to hang a picture of our grandsons on the wall. She got one of those picture hanging hooks with the nail through, gave it three taps, it fell out again, so she gave up.

Next time I saw the bloke next door he went on about 'all the hammering'.

He looks like the bloke out of the Mr Muscle adverts. If he wasn't such a scrawny little twat, I'd have probably given him a dig by now.

One day.....

[Sigmund Fraud]

Spent most of my Saturday trying to change the terminally borked suspension of the 'hairdresser special' for a set of cheap, used adjustable coilovers.

 

Bloody hell, what a nightmare ! Every single bolt I had to undo was seized to buggery, despite having been wire brushed and marinated in ATF for a whole week. I spent five bloody hours and the job is still nowhere near done !

 

Japanese perfectionism, I guess... In trying to emulate the classic 1960s British roadsters, they made sure they used the most rust-prone fasteners that money could buy

[Tetleysmooth]

 

despite having been wire brushed and marinated in ATF for a whole week.

A mixture of Diesel and Parrafin will normally sort out a seized nut/bolt etc.

[Tetleysmooth]

 

DVLA.

 

I want to tax a 1957 car, last used in the mid 90's. Its still on the blue V5 -never been issued a red one.

So, I visit my Post Office (a few weeks back -as you'll soon see) who proclaim that they can't tax it, as its not showing on the system (it does appear on the DVLA website).

On their advice I send it, with insurance & MOT exemption certificate, to my local VRO. 

 

4 weeks later, nothing, so a long phone call discovers that they (Brighton) sent it to Maidstone (no reason given) who have now sent it to Swansea. I'll hear soon....

 

2 weeks later- nothing, so we get on the phone.

Eventually I'm told that Lindsey (gender indeterminant) will call me back -and 3 days later , she does.     Sadly I'm  not there,  but when I do get to call back the number,  its a fax machine.    So -back through the whole loop to be told that Lindsey will again call me back, and indeed she does, 3 days later, when  my son catches the call.

 

She explains that it needs to be taxed at a Post Office, as they can't/won't  do it until the Tax Class is changed (currently PLG) -by taxing it!                                                             On the ball, he asks her to write confirming that, which she reluctantly agrees, explaining that it will follow on after the V5.

 

One week later a red V5c (so -some progress) drops through the letter box, albeit without the Insurance Certificate or MOT exemption. Oh well..

 

A few days later a letter does indeed arrive- telling us/ me that we need to tax it at the Post Office; who will then send her the V5c she has just sent me, so she can amend the tax class to exempt...                  

 

Still with me.?

 

So, over 8 weeks after I started, I tried to tax it at the Post Office today.

 

They cant tax it.      If we try to do it 'free' the computer rejects it  as PLG.

                                 If I try to pay £77 (6 months) the computer rejects it -as the age dictates it can be a Years disc only.

                                 If I try to pay £145(12 months) the computer rejects it -as the age dictates it to be Historic ,and therefore free.

 

I gave them the DVLA letter -we spent 15 mns trying every route possible.  Nothing.  Computer says 'NO'.

 

So ,they were good enough to give me a PO headed A4 sheet detailing all they've done, to return to the fragrant Lindsey, at DVLA. 

 

Buggeration is that I probably don't want the car taxed now -as I kinda wanted it out for summer. 

 

The saga continues!

Wouldn't it be better to take all relevant paperwork - and yourself - to the local DVLA office and sort it out in person?

My local office is Sidcup, and they are very good at processing while you sit there. Been there a few times now, to change taxation class from disabled to plg.

[Cavcraft]

Get there soon though, because the shower of shit government are shutting all those local offices very shortly.