The grumpy thread

[Zelandeth]

3 minutes ago, iainrcz said:

When did bathroom sealant become a valuable commodity?

Last time I bought a couple of tubes they were about £2. Now? £fuckingmillions.

Does seem to have gone up...but Toolstation still have you covered for £3.49.

Linky

God only knows how much B&Q etc are charging...

[iainrcz]

1 hour ago, Zelandeth said:

Does seem to have gone up...but Toolstation still have you covered for £3.49.

Linky

God only knows how much B&Q etc are charging...

We have a local one, I'll pop in this week.

It does seem odd, sealant in Wickes - at least £4 a go. Decorators caulk £1 each, 12 for a tenner.

Obviously I bought one, it's good stuff for when your ideas are more grand than your skill level 😆

[Talbot]

3 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

we were told in no uncertain terms that the "burden of proof" to prove innocence laid with us. 

Absolute pure and utter horseshit.  If that sort of phrase came up in court the judge would possibly throw the entire case out.  There is absolutely no way in the world that anyone has to prove their innocence, especially in a motoring case.  Either the CPS can prove a case or they can't.  That sounds like a member of the Fuzz being a cunt.  As some of them have a habit of being.

[jakebullet]

Ma is with virgin mobile for her phone. Idiot sister rings the land line with one of her OMG! You're not dead! Can't get thru to you on mobile! over the top bullshit. Subsequent investigation reveals phone not receiving calls but can phone out fine. Reboot does nothing. Virgin forum full of other people with same issue.

So my logical mind says virgin have fucked up somewhere and will fix it in due course. 

Idiot sister keeps ringing house, with nonsense. You've dropped off the network!!!! You need to contact them now!!! Ma is in panic mode. Which means I'm expected to fix it somehow. I'm supposed to be fucking MacGyver and fix everything, toilets to light aircraft landing on the roof. Because I can't fix it due to nothing being broken here I'm getting the death stares and sighs every 5 seconds.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Feckin' lime trees and aphids = sticky mess on car daily. 

[Talbot]

16 hours ago, jakebullet said:

Ma is with virgin mobile for her phone. Idiot sister rings the land line with one of her OMG! You're not dead! Can't get thru to you on mobile! over the top bullshit. Subsequent investigation reveals phone not receiving calls but can phone out fine. Reboot does nothing. Virgin forum full of other people with same issue.

So my logical mind says virgin have fucked up somewhere and will fix it in due course. 

Idiot sister keeps ringing house, with nonsense. You've dropped off the network!!!! You need to contact them now!!! Ma is in panic mode. Which means I'm expected to fix it somehow. I'm supposed to be fucking MacGyver and fix everything, toilets to light aircraft landing on the roof. Because I can't fix it due to nothing being broken here I'm getting the death stares and sighs every 5 seconds.

However did anyone survive in pre-mobile days.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

3 minutes ago, Talbot said:

However did anyone survive in pre-mobile days.

They got on the landline, or went to stick 10p in a phone box, or - and this may come as news to some - wrote letters to each other......

[chaseracer]

17 minutes ago, Talbot said:

However did anyone survive in pre-mobile days.

Back in the days of two (or even three deliveries a day), Ma and IS would probably have written frantic postcards to each other.

[Talbot]

17 minutes ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

They got on the landline, or went to stick 10p in a phone box, or - and this may come as news to some - wrote letters to each other......

My level of sarcasm didn't come over properly.  I've stuck 5p in a phone box before now.  I am old*

*ish.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

4 minutes ago, Talbot said:

My level of sarcasm didn't come over properly.  I've stuck 5p in a phone box before now.  I am old*

*ish.

I can remember when the minimum sum to start a call box phone was 2p.

[myglaren]

1 hour ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

I can remember when the minimum sum to start a call box phone was 2p.

And even 2d if memory serves.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

46 minutes ago, myglaren said:

And even 2d if memory serves.

Was it Button A or B you had to press?

[High Jetter]

Buttons? I though you just rattled the cradle-rest and got the switchboard to do the work for you.

[myglaren]

39 minutes ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Was it Button A or B you had to press?

A to connect, B to get your money back.

[myglaren]

Just tried to post using an adjacent laptop and Chromium.

Bookmark (and many others) gone, along with all the passwords.

Chromium stopped synchronising a few months ago.

Rowlocks

[anonymous user]

53 minutes ago, myglaren said:

A to connect, B to get your money back.

I'm old enough to remember them. But do you remember party lines, where you had a phone, but a shared line with someone else, only one of you would be able to connect at any time, so if your neighbour was a gas-bag you couldn't call anyone and they couldn't call you (My grandparents had one, luckily when they changed to a three digit phone number they got their own line)

[louiepj]

My sons 2006 Polo 1.2 3 cylinder has got a misfire at idle on cylinder 3. I have misplaced my decent compression testing kit so bought a cheap one off cheapbay that doesn't work so now am working my way up in price to find one that does
I don't really want to know the answer to compression on cylinder 3 either as low readings kill these cars at this age and value. We paid £650 2 years ago.

[Rusty_Rocket]

6 minutes ago, louiepj said:

My sons 2006 Polo 1.2 3 cylinder has got a misfire at idle on cylinder 3. I have misplaced my decent compression testing kit so bought a cheap one off cheapbay that doesn't work so now am working my way up in price to find one that does
I don't really want to know the answer to compression on cylinder 3 either as low readings kill these cars at this age and value. We paid £650 2 years ago.

I'm sure you know the reason it's shuddering at idle... I assume you've swapped coil packs and plugs around?

I changed the valves on one a few months back and don't think I'd bother again; it's a surprisingly involved job for an engine the size of a microwave.

[artdjones]

43 minutes ago, Rusty_Rocket said:

I'm sure you know the reason it's shuddering at idle... I assume you've swapped coil packs and plugs around?

I changed the valves on one a few months back and don't think I'd bother again; it's a surprisingly involved job for an engine the size of a microwave.

They are great at knocking out their cats. Plus, like most 3 cylinder engines, they sound like a four with one cylinder broken.

[louiepj]

Yes i swapped coils and put new plugs in last week and we have been monitoring it and it only shows a pending code for cylinder 3 and only shows the eml for a brief moment as he is coasting up to a junction on his way back from college.
VCDS misfire counter at idle just steadily ticks up though.

[louiepj]

They are great at knocking out their cats. Plus, like most 3 cylinder engines, they sound like a four with one cylinder broken.

The cat was fine 6 months ago when I had to remove the manifold to tap a new thread in the downpipe section as I fitted a new exhaust.
And it only passed its mot a few weeks ago with no issues then on emissions.
But it is a Volkswagen etc

[Rusty_Rocket]

I do sypathise.  I've had to fix two 3-cyl VAG wonders* now and despise that little sewing machine of an engine.  They sound awful IMO and the valve burning is the tip of the iceberg; once you've had the head done it'll need a new chain and all the associated bits.  Just the parts and machining on the last one came to £400.

To add insult to injury, the repaired one is drinking a litre of oil every 500 miles.  No leaks, no smoke, just disapearing.  My guess is the owner drove it with a 'limp' for so long, it bore washed the cylinder and killed the rings.  Did I mention it's done 60k from new?

I'm afraid I'd be running it until it goes pop and weighing it in, unless the rest of the car is exemplary...

[High Jetter]

3 hours ago, anonymous user said:

I'm old enough to remember them. But do you remember party lines, where you had a phone, but a shared line with someone else, only one of you would be able to connect at any time, so if your neighbour was a gas-bag you couldn't call anyone and they couldn't call you (My grandparents had one, luckily when they changed to a three digit phone number they got their own line)

Yup, Dad's Mum was SPR (Spring Park) 777 2874. Party line with the next (semi-detached)door.

Never in though, always out at Bridge, Church, Croquet or Badminton. On bicycle or Vespa. Into her 90's. <Shudders> RIP

[GrumpiusMaximus]

8 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Yup, Dad's Mum was SPR (Spring Park) 777 2874. Party line with the next (semi-detached)door.

Never in though, always out at Bridge, Church, Croquet or Badminton. On bicycle or Vespa. Into her 90's. <Shudders> RIP

Obviously not your Grandmother (scandal notwithstanding) but I once knew a Nun like that called Sister Mary (can you think of a more generic name?).  Out and about on her scooter, habit flapping around with a crash helmet on, well into her 80s when I knew her.  Quite a character to say the least...

[louiepj]

I do sypathise.  I've had to fix two 3-cyl VAG wonders* now and despise that little sewing machine of an engine.  They sound awful IMO and the valve burning is the tip of the iceberg; once you've had the head done it'll need a new chain and all the associated bits.  Just the parts and machining on the last one came to £400.
To add insult to injury, the repaired one is drinking a litre of oil every 500 miles.  No leaks, no smoke, just disapearing.  My guess is the owner drove it with a 'limp' for so long, it bore washed the cylinder and killed the rings.  Did I mention it's done 60k from new?
I'm afraid I'd be running it until it goes pop and weighing it in, unless the rest of the car is exemplary...

Once we have confirmed the compressions I am sure we will end up running it till it dies as my son has been saving for a small 4x4 for a while.

[myglaren]

I do.  My parents didn't get a phone until 1980s when we came back from Sweden but some of our neighbours had party lines in the 50s and early 60s.

[wuvvum]

6 hours ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

Obviously not your Grandmother (scandal notwithstanding) but I once knew a Nun like that called Sister Mary (can you think of a more generic name?).  Out and about on her scooter, habit flapping around with a crash helmet on, well into her 80s when I knew her.  Quite a character to say the least...

I knew a nun like that as well when I were a lad - Sister Frances.  She must also have been into her 80s, but still roaring around on her red C90.

[dave j]

On 10/11/2021 at 1:05 PM, dave j said:

I got given notice to quit my rented garage yesterday so need to find somewhere else to keep my camper and clear out the other stuff i have in there. The joys of renting. Been renting it for 5 and a half years and it's so close to home it's ideal, I suspect the camper will be on the drive this winter as garage's don't come up very often around here 

Slightly less grumpy now, my road/estate has a Facebook group so I posted a wanted ad- going to look at a garage 7 doors up from the current one this evening. It's more expensive but beggars can't be choosers! 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

7 hours ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

Obviously not your Grandmother (scandal notwithstanding) but I once knew a Nun like that called Sister Mary (can you think of a more generic name?).  Out and about on her scooter, habit flapping around with a crash helmet on, well into her 80s when I knew her.  Quite a character to say the least...

 

39 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

I knew a nun like that as well when I were a lad - Sister Frances.  She must also have been into her 80s, but still roaring around on her red C90.

Nuns On A Run?

[DoctorRetro]

Meeting with HR in a couple of weeks to battle going back to the office full time. 

There's absolutely no benefit in me being in office all the time, most of my meetings will still be video calls, but that makes no odds to certain people.