The grumpy thread

[outlaw118]

Has anyone seen the latest series of Wheeler Dealers?Had the misfortune to watch it last night when "cockernee wankah" drags a Citroen Ds over from La Francais and gets his lanky streak of piss mate to bugger about with it, then punts it on for a "profit".Except it's not a profit really.Ok, on the basis of parts alone, it is, but theres the labour/time aspect of it. Matey spent ages on it, replacing the pump and regulator on the suspension, changed the headlights to UK spec, and swapped the interior!! By his own admission it was a lengthy job, and he's supposed to know what he's doing, in a massive workshop with boxes of Snap-On's finest toys to play with!!I suspect if I tried the same trick it would lead to bankruptcy, divorce and/or murder.

[VWPowered]

but what fun you'd have too

[Negative Creep]

A few of the things that annoy me on the road-Foglights, or even worse, foglights with sidelights. Anyone who comes towards me with the latter gets a good blast of full beam-People who are parked up on the other side of the road with their dipped beam on-Truckers who overtake at 56.000000000001mph thus causing a massive hold up behind them- Renault Scenics- People who sit on the brakes at the lights, especially at night- Those who think the nsl is 40

[55bloke]

Right with you on most of those Mr Creep! Interesting avatar.

[Negative Creep]

It is my other interest beyond ignoring how much money I'm actually wasting on cars

[55bloke]

Mine too- I'd even say old 'planes do it for me even more than old cars.

[Albert Ross]

Scenario. Freezing fog yeasterday at 7:30am. How many cars on the road? Not that many, but how many of those using the correct lights? About 35%!I travelled 13 miles to help a friend out, on a mix of urban and rural routes. Mostly grey/silver/mid blue cars with no lights or sidelights on. I was even overtaken on a narrow country lane, with about 50 feet visibility, by a turd in a Beemer, I was prepared to charge him 50 quid to tow him out of the hedge. The icing on the cake? A Police Traffic car with NO lights on. I felt like pulling it over and giving the driver a lecture on road safety! I was in my 38 year old Landy, with all lights "blazing" ( Lucas sealed beams, so blazing is somewhat of an exaggeration.......glowing is more accurate)

[55bloke]

Know what you mean- I was down the M1 to Northants and back yesterday, and road manners and light usage frankly bloody scary!

[outlaw118]

I got a cold on Xmas eve, and the remnants are still hanging around.But doesn't it get on your tits that if you have the audacity to cough or sneeze in public, some smartarse has to regale you with tales of their Auntie Mabel whove had this cold for weeks, and can't shift it; or my brother's mate whose sneezed so much his penis fell off, or granny coughed and her head exploded.Or the smug bastards who say"Oh, I never get colds".Why is that? Because you never leave the house 'coz you've got no life/friends/idea.That is all.

[Pillock]

Can I whinge? It's not car-related though.Sunday opening hours.WHY? Why must I, being entirely agnostic, treat Sunday as anything other than another day of the week. I get the idea that it gives people the chance to have a break, but it's not like shops couldn't get staff to work the extra hours - not the same staff, just employ more and juggle the hours. Just because a shop is open doesn't mean you HAVE to go there, you can still have a 'day of rest' if I wish but why must I plan my shopping trips around stupid legislation? I need to pick something up from Pets at Home - but I was only free today after 4.30pm so I can't. Had it been Friday today it would have been fine, they're open till 7. Why the mad rush in Currys at 3.55pm to get the TV through the checkouts?And if their argument is 'employees want the time off', why don't call centres / petrol stations / the police knock off at 4pm on a sunday? Why just places you might want to actually use?rubbish.[/rant]

[Twiggy]

A few of the things that annoy me on the road-Foglights, or even worse, foglights with sidelights. Anyone who comes towards me with the latter gets a good blast of full beam-People who are parked up on the other side of the road with their dipped beam on-Truckers who overtake at 56.000000000001mph thus causing a massive hold up behind them- Renault Scenics- People who sit on the brakes at the lights, especially at night- Those who think the nsl is 40

You forgot about the dimbos who put their high intensity rear lights on at the slightest excuse and then forget about them for the next 5,000 miles.......

[The Blue Lumiere!]

Can I whinge? It's not car-related though.Sunday opening hours.WHY? Why must I, being entirely agnostic, treat Sunday as anything other than another day of the week. I get the idea that it gives people the chance to have a break, but it's not like shops couldn't get staff to work the extra hours - not the same staff, just employ more and juggle the hours. Just because a shop is open doesn't mean you HAVE to go there, you can still have a 'day of rest' if I wish but why must I plan my shopping trips around stupid legislation? I need to pick something up from Pets at Home - but I was only free today after 4.30pm so I can't. Had it been Friday today it would have been fine, they're open till 7. Why the mad rush in Currys at 3.55pm to get the TV through the checkouts?And if their argument is 'employees want the time off', why don't call centres / petrol stations / the police knock off at 4pm on a sunday? Why just places you might want to actually use?rubbish.[/rant]

Feeling you brother. Up in the Western Isles and highlands, the Free Presbytarian Kirk or WTF they call themselves. The "wee frees", as they're known have a slogan: 'Keep The Sabbath Special'. I made up my own slogan, as a witty retort: 'Fuck off back to the seventeenth century ya shower of fuckin' knob jockeys'. Bit wordy, maybe. Needs PR work.Their ministers get paid, I'm guessing, to work on Sundays. I'd love one of them to take a coronary and go: "Phone an ambulance!" and have his enraged flock kick him to death for being a heretic then the ambulance to come and the crew on time and 3/4 plus overtime mopping them up.And for lightning to knock the fuckin' steeple down, right into the minister's Audi.

[AXrescuer]

I'm not particularly religious but I have to say that I preferred Sundays when it was just a day of rest. Where I live, there never seems to be a time where it's anything but manic.

[The Blue Lumiere!]

But hey, that's capitalism. The church was invented to make capitalism work better. It'd be ironic if it wasn't, you know, diseased and hideous.

[Mr Lobster]

Rants -Front fog lights. Very very common, sick of seeing people driving around at night with them on. Its not big and its not clever and you look like a twat.The surprisingly large number of cars driving around at night with a failed headlight bulb. Just fix it FFS!Middle lane hogs. Nothing more can be said about these brain donors.

[RedSparrow]

Rants -Front fog lights. Very very common, sick of seeing people driving around at night with them on. Its not big and its not clever and you look like a twat.

Yes!Seems to be a favourite with boy racers in Saxos. Funnily enough I saw one this evening with really bright lights set into the shit bodykit front bumper and only sidelight brightness from the main headlights. Crappy DIY wiring i suspect. Twat. Where are the police when you need 'em? I'm off to watch Police Interceptors on FIVER.

[Guest]

Do you know what really bursts my piles about front fog lamps, it's that there's a failsafe in most modern cars that automatically cancels them when you switch the lights off.You have deliberately make the effort to turn them on again the next time.You wouldn't wilfully drive with the back ones on SO WHY THE FRONTS!!!The dash warning light convention doesn't help either, green for front fogs amber for rear.Almost as bad is those pricks who think it's a great crack to swap out their sidelamp bulbs for non regulation colours. Normally the usual chav chariot suspectz i.e. modded Corsas, Pug 106 etc but tonights offender with blue ones was a Chrysler Fucking Voyager. In the same category as those pointless washer jets with LEDs in them.Grr!

[Volksy]

Crappy DIY wiring i suspect.

With most cars, definatly Peugeot and Citroen, you can run the front fogs/driving lights with just the sidelights.When I had a Volvo 480 Turbo I used to give them a blast of ALL the lights on the front which totaled 8 in all! Two side lights, two headlights, two high intensity driving lamps, and two fog lights in the bumper!

[M'coli]

With most cars, definatly Peugeot and Citroen, you can run the front fogs/driving lights with just the sidelights.

That's the idea. Fog/snow/mist etc will shine your dip lights back towards the light source (i.e. at you) in the way that reflective clothing will, whereas low-mounted lights won't have the same effect on the driver as the lightsource is further away.

[wuvvum]

 

With most cars, definatly Peugeot and Citroen, you can run the front fogs/driving lights with just the sidelights.

That's the idea. Fog/snow/mist etc will shine your dip lights back towards the light source (i.e. at you) in the way that reflective clothing will, whereas low-mounted lights won't have the same effect on the driver as the lightsource is further away.

I had a late (1975) Rover P6 (2200SC auto in brown, great car, best freebie I've ever had) with factory front fogs, and you could only use those with sidelights - the switch was set up such that you couldn't switch the fogs and the headlights on at the same time. Conversely, on the 9000 the front fogs only come on with main beam, but I suspect that's a wiring gremlin rather than a design feature. On the Renner Five the rear foglight used to be extinguished when main beams were switched on - rather odd one that.

[Richard]

Quite a lot of cars put the rear fog light out with the main beam.

[Volksy]

I suspect that some cars are fitted with front fog lamps, and some with what was called IIRC 'High Intensity Driving lamps'. As I mentioned in the earlier post The Volvo 480 came with all of them, but I think that if they only come on with Main beam - Like a set on the Volvo, they're designed to boost your main beam range rather than combat fog. May be wrong though...One thing that i dont understand, is all these truckers who drive about with the illuminated curtains (normally depicting a confederate flag or reclining woman) at the back of the cab.. As I can make out what it is whilst travelling in the opposite direction on a motorway (essencially six lanes away) the reflection in the screen must be quite a distraction!

[RedSparrow]

I stand corrected, said the man in the orthopedic shoes!

[Richard]

Have we had HiD headlights yet?

[Father Ted]

Have we had HiD headlights yet?

Oh dont get me started on those. The brain dead section of Blackpool seem to think its grest retrofitting these to old Bimmers and Mercs, only they dont have the self lvling function. I took to riding with those maniac yellow glasses at night to avoid being blinded by them around Mereside.

[Pillock]

I'm not particularly religious but I have to say that I preferred Sundays when it was just a day of rest. Where I live, there never seems to be a time where it's anything but manic.

Granted it's nice to have a day off, but I can't stand folk telling me I HAVE to have a day off. Sometimes I want to have a day of rest on a Thursday, and I manage that without all the shops being shut.

[Guest]

Have to add this to the grumpy old man thread.I've been informed that sometime in March I have to spend yet another weekend with my extended family, the excuse being that it is some kind of anniversary for my grandparents. In Butlins Skegness, fantastic! My favourite place in the whole world. Bear in mind that for the last 4 years or so I've had to go there probably once a year for some kind of feeble reason, birthdays etc. Apparently I can't not go as it would offend my grandparents deeply, it's all been paid for etc. which is incredibly frustrating as they're about the only family members I don't want to offend, the rest I'm past caring.What gets me is that they don't seem to understand the idea that I don't enjoy being there and that I leave my weekends free for relaxing and car tinkering. Yes, I would much rather be smashing a wire brush into an old car than seeing my extended family. Or into my face, I'm not bothered. I don't particularly get on with them, at best I'm disinterested and at worst I find some of them deeply irritating. What makes it worse is that Butlins is filled with people exactly like them, it's essentially a dumping ground for the most cretinous members of society. I'm not just saying that for effect - it truly is. Blokes with no shirts on when they probably should do, sink estate wives puffing on rollups, shrieking little shitbag kids everywhere, it's an utter nightmare. The place itself is absolutely dismal too, expensive and dirty with little of interest to those over the age of 5 - considering only one of the party of about 20 is in that category, I have absolutely no idea why we go there. In view of that, I make my own entertainment.Previous Butlins activities have included:- Convincingly feigning illness so I could sit inside alone and watch TV- Repeatedly reading a single copy of Practical Classics to the point where I was enjoying the Bilt-Hamber ad as if it was an exciting feature- Arranging to buy a beige Galant to offset the misery- Wandering around the staff car parks to look at old Polish-plated BMWs- Being dragged along to the one club there and failing to have a good time- Walking to Ingoldmells in the freezing cold so I could spend the morning playing a Sega Rally cabinet with a knackered 2nd gear- Having a covert look at Keith Harris' tatty old Merc EstateHowever, this time I'll probably take the Galant so I can just hop in that and drive around aimlessly all day. Not happy though.

[Volksy]

Ugh.. family holidays... *shudders*

[AXrescuer]

I'm not particularly religious but I have to say that I preferred Sundays when it was just a day of rest. Where I live, there never seems to be a time where it's anything but manic.

Granted it's nice to have a day off, but I can't stand folk telling me I HAVE to have a day off. Sometimes I want to have a day of rest on a Thursday, and I manage that without all the shops being shut.

I dare you to do that where I live!

[whitevanman]

Hirst dude.............I feel for you, I put my foot down right at the begining, " I dont do ...Xmas, family gigs, Birthdays, aniverseries, wedding any of it.................if you cant accept that say now as I wont change my mind" Its worked a treat an all