The grumpy thread

[dollywobbler]

I have man flu. There, that's a proper feeble grump.

[twosmoke300]

Would you like a lemsip and a cuddle ?

[twosmoke300]

 

 

Or some of these perhaps?

[skattrd]

If you're looking for sympathy you'll find it in dictionary... Somewhere between shit and syphilis.

[dollywobbler]

Would you like a lemsip and a cuddle ?

 

My sister-in-law made me a Lemsip last night. I actually asked her if she'd put the powder in as it just tasted like hot water to me...

 

I would like a cuddle, but Mrs DW is doing a jigsaw and keeping her distance instead. Leaving me free to peruse Ebay...

[beko1987]

I had to man up and work through my cold, since sneezing all my sinal fluid out though ive been fine!

[purplebargeken]

I get one cold a year, always at fecking christmas. 100% guaranteed. 

[EssDeeWon]

I get one cold a year, always at fecking christmas. 100% guaranteed. 

 

Same here, every year. I am always dog rough in that bit between christmas and new year.

[twosmoke300]

 

 

Memememememememe

[AlabamaShrimp]

There's a part for that at http://www.eurocarparts.com/battery-terminal cheap to.

Ta will get some anyway then it doesn't matter what I get for any of the Fiestas.

 

Might get an alternator too as it sounded a bit noisy and I'm sure when it was tested a few months ago at college they said it was a bit weak

[mk1_4dr]

The fanbelt snapped on the 940. That I can't be grumpy about, I've not put a new one on in 3year/20-oddK and I've had it off and on plenty of times, no the belt snapping was just one of those automotive inevitabilities.

 

However... and I know this has been covered a 1000times but it made me grumpy nevertheless... Halfords.

 

Since when did they stop stocking car parts? Not a single fanbelt in the building, no plugs, no filters, nada. Screen wash, wiper blades, polish and oil (but no filters...!)
The chap on the counter was most apologetic, but that doesn't help me get any electric back into my car though does it? 

I know they have to diversify with bikes and camping gear to keep afloat but it seems perverse to have disregarded the core of their business model like that... I was desperate and would've handed over £15 for a belt but instead I had to walk out empty handed at half past 6 on a Tuesday evening not knowing if I was going to have to blag a night on a sofa and walk to work tomorrow.

Luckily Google and 4G conspired to save the day  pointing me in the direction of a little motor factors up the road, open till 8 had the exact part on the shelf and for a penny under a fiver.

 

Granted I should've had a spare in the car (and I will be buying one tomorrow for the boot) but it still irked me somewhat. 

 

[MarvinsMom]

is it possible to get away with a pair of tights on the alternator fan belt thing like in the old days?

 

not that it will help either yourself or me, as i live in my jeans practically full time.....

[fordperv]

If my alternator belt went I'd cut the elastic off the top of my boxers to get me emergency motoring again

[mk1_4dr]

I wasn't quite undressing-myself-in-the-street desperate. It threw the belt just before 6 so I knew I had time to hot-step home, grab a car and go to Halfords.
It was more that I had (stupidly) presumed that Halfords was a sure thing in my hour of need. I should've maybe stuck this sordid tale in the grin thread as their ineptitude has introduced me to a smashing old motorfactors operating out of a converted terrace house that appears at first glance to be cheap. Need oil and filter for the old bus so I'll pop in and investigate.

[MarvinsMom]

i try to use a proper motor factors in scarborough as much as i can.

 

this firm cannot do enough, no matter what silly, small little bit of crap i may need, they will call round their suppliers and their local contacts in an attempt to fine one of what ever it is that i'm looking for.

 

and very often they do find what i'm looking for too!

[jakebullet]

At Christmas a friend of mine bought her 11 year old an iphone that she really couldn't afford 'cos child so wanted it. Sent me a photo today, child has smashed it. But not too bad 'cos it lasted 8 months.

 

Good job it's not my child, or they would be introduced to the rugged retro delights of a nokia 3310.

[mercrocker]

Sell child, buy own I-phone.

[Bobthebeard]

Would providing a Nokia 3310 not count as child abuse nowadays?

[fred]

Would providing a Nokia 3310 not count as child abuse nowadays?

This will be remembered and you will go into a very cheap nasty care home - and child will never visit

[Noel Tidybeard]

My sister-in-law made me a Lemsip last night. I actually asked her if she'd put the powder in as it just tasted like hot water to me...

 

I would like a cuddle, but Mrs DW is doing a jigsaw and keeping her distance instead. Leaving me free to peruse Ebay...

that'll teach her to be sparse with the sympathy

[Noel Tidybeard]

At Christmas a friend of mine bought her 11 year old an iphone that she really couldn't afford 'cos child so wanted it. Sent me a photo today, child has smashed it. But not too bad 'cos it lasted 8 months.

 

Good job it's not my child, or they would be introduced to the rugged retro delights of a FAT FUCKIN LIP

FIFY

[dave21478]

The decline of Halfords is sad but inevitable. Since so few people do their own maintenance these days the actual demand for parts must be relatively low and they cant afford to devote retail shelf space to stuff that moves slowly and has low margins, instead giving it over to pink seatbelt pads, air fresheners, cheap camping equipment and stereos which apparently works for them. If you want parts they can order them from a local factors and usually have it within the hour (assuming the factors is open - not many work as long hours as Halfords do).

The high costs of their retail park locations means that the choice would have been to do this or go bust. Given the rise of various internet sellers, ebay shops, ECP and the like, I am surprised Halfords still manage to chugg along - literally everything they sell can be bought a lot cheaper online. I know they are part of a bigger retail group, but if I had money to invest in company shares, it sure as fuck wouldnt be Halfords.

 

I worked there for five or six years in my youth, just as they bought over the Ripspeed name and bastardised it from a fairly respected tuning company to peddler of Fox alloys and Peco back boxes. That was the start of the decline, with reduced ranges of all parts, getting rid of the under-counter racking full of manifold studs, brake fittings and the like, reducing the range of paints and increasing the range of stereos.

[fordperv]

I wasn't quite undressing-myself-in-the-street desperate. It threw the belt just before 6 so I knew I had time to hot-step home, grab a car and go to Halfords.

It was more that I had (stupidly) presumed that Halfords was a sure thing in my hour of need. I should've maybe stuck this sordid tale in the grin thread as their ineptitude has introduced me to a smashing old motorfactors operating out of a converted terrace house that appears at first glance to be cheap. Need oil and filter for the old bus so I'll pop in and investigate.

I love old motorfactors, the one I use is open till 7 and is great, they are usually within a few quid of eBay prices, but I don't mind paying a bit more as they know me and have always tried their best to get me the obscure stuff I need.

[Inspector Morose]

Well that's just great. Not ten minutes after posting the final pics onto my trip to Gaydon thread the hard drive on the computer fails terminally. Checked through and it's the drive alright. Guess where all my pics and films are?

 

Maybe the gods are telling me to go solid state with an external backup.

[mercrocker]

Maybe the gods are telling me to go find an old Olympus Trip 35

 

 

Seriously, I feel your pain FPB and its the reason I no longer even try with digitalickery. The ones you posted on here are safe here though? Can you still save them back from your posting?

[Inspector Morose]

Hopefully I can get into the old drive and recover the photos on there - about 100 gigs worth. Films and whatnot? Meh, not that bothered really. It's just a major pain in the arse though as I was going to do something other than fixing computers on my last day off for over a month!

 

Must get an external storage system and back up to there. And another hard drive to run the operating system. And an enclosure so I can get the stuff off the old drive etc etc etc.

[Alan_Green]

Assuming you haven't dropped it and caused mechanical damage take the hard drive out. Slot it in a "hard drive reader", Run a free program called "Recuva".  You should get everything back. 

[gm]

I went mountain biking yesterday - not much of a grump, I fact I really enjoyed myself - the grump is that I leaned the bike against the honda while I opened the boot and the wind caught the bike and scraped the handlebars right along the side of the car

 

further grumpiness occurred when I stopped at the bank machine for some cash and the damn thing crashed on me, stealing my card. Now I have to wait for a week for a new one to be issued

[purplebargeken]

I only go into Halfords to perv at one particularly gorgeous lady sales asst. No other reason required. 

[dollywobbler]

If my alternator belt went I'd cut the elastic off the top of my boxers to get me emergency motoring again

 

When my BX Mk1 seized its alternator, I simply cut the belt off and drove home. Sorted. I love simple cars.