The grumpy thread

[MrDuke]

Surely the A$ way is a late-90s CD player with one of those wired-in remote 'stalks' that attach behind the steering wheel? Extra points if you score the original plastic case for keeping the fascia in.

[bub2006]

My daughters' old science teacher was convicted of making and possessing child pornography yesterday, as well as having "inappropriate" online relationships with underage girls. All very shocking...

That would instill a sense of fear in me too if I'm honest.

[sporty-shite]

Got a parking ticket in the ZX today. Well pissed off with myself. I parked up to a concrete bollard which is blocking a road near Uni. I've parked there before with no problems, but today I got booked because I was "more than 50cm from the kerb". This was because I was level with the middle of the road, but obviously not blocking any access or through traffic.

[wuvvum]

As for the underage girls thing, I'm 24 now and, maybe some people are different but I can honestly say I have no interest in anyone younger than about 20. They're just too young and immature. Same age or older, or maybe three or four years younger but no more than that.

I was at a restaurant last weekend with my girlfriend, and people kept staring at us and calling me a pervert, just because I'm 36 and she's 20.

 

It totally ruined our 10th anniversary celebration.

 

 

 

 

 

This is a joke, by the way.  I don't have a girlfriend.

[captain_70s]

Had a couple of incidences of male teachers shagging girls in my year at school while I was there, it happens all the time by the sound of it.

 

As for the underage girls thing, I'm 24 now and, maybe some people are different but I can honestly say I have no interest in anyone younger than about 20. They're just too young and immature. Same age or older, or maybe three or four years younger but no more than that.

My 60 year old co-worker said that when she attended school the teachers not trying to touch you up occasional indicated you were one of the ugly girls.

 

I also can't stand teenagers, I am also 24. Having said that I don't ask for ID on nights out either. I probably should...

[chaseracer]

Got a parking ticket in the ZX today. Well pissed off with myself. I parked up to a concrete bollard which is blocking a road near Uni. I've parked there before with no problems, but today I got booked because I was "more than 50cm from the kerb". This was because I was level with the middle of the road, but obviously not blocking any access or through traffic.

 

Was there clear signage indicating this requirement?

[Louise2cv]

50cms is quite a lot isn't it? ...nearly 2 school rulers? That is quite far away from the kerb.

 

No offence but I'm not sure everything needs clear signage. Such as, please don't park in the middle of the road

 

Where/how do people turn around in that road?

[Slappy]

Moved out my on street parking space this morning, get about 50 metres down the road and see another car trying to emerge into my direction. Now there isn't enough space for me to slide by, so I gave him a flash to let him know that I'm reversing back into the 1st available space so he can get past. Common courtesy and all that.

 

He slows and his window comes down. "Oh" thinks I, "he's going to be neighbourly and say thanks".

 

"You can't park there" says the rapidly named cockwarbler. "I know", says I,"I was trying to get out and had to reverse so you could get out...".

 

Un-faith in humanity restored!

[Urko]

+1. I feel like an old man saying this but fug me, if you have any sort of eye deficiency then you're knackered. The Sony head unit I've got has something like point 6 writing and buttons that my thumb can press four of at once.

 

Keep thinking about putting the Philips tape player I have kicking about in, four presets that you can hit with your fist. I just listen to the radio anyway and seem to have graduated from Radio 2 to Radio 4.

+2 Borrowed my stepdad's Signum last summer when all of my wrecks were broken - I can't remember exactly but it something like - press big button, rotate through a load of overly sensitive menu choices on screen, press another button for "enter" just to change bands between FM and AM to switch between R4 and R5.

 

I would like to be considered for a 90s Stereo award for the Grundig that's fitted in my MG - it has what must be one of the earliest eveah DAB setups - it has a massive separate box for the DAB, the display only shows station names (even on DAB) and part of the front flips off and fits in a wee plaggy case for carrying around. 

[garbaldy]

That was in a 205. You can't get the end case off in a samba/104/LNA.

It used to take me 30 mins to remove the samba engine so not sure where it got such a bad reputation.

It was a rally car and was regularly stripped so all bolts came out with out a problem but even a road car with extras like battery tray shouldn't add to much hassle.

[scaryoldcortina]

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad clutch to do once you've removed the engine from the car! Stuck and snapped bolts getting the damn thing out are the nightmare parts.

 

I once had to do clutches on a samba convertable and a MG midget in the same week, Samba was the easier of the two.

[xtriple]

Some of you may recall me asking about newish Merc A class gearboxes a while ago. My friend Heather (82 and lovely) has a 61 or 62 reg diesel auto version that is very low mileage as she bought it new and hardly uses it.

 

She had been told by 'Pete' her tame mechanic (and the same chap she told me to go and see re storage that I declared was a right dodgy bastard and tried to have me over, but I think it was classed as me trader bashing again?) that the gearbox was absolutely fucked, she shouldn't drive it, definitely NEVER take it on a motorway or at any speed as it was dangerous and he would source her a new car....

 

I (along with a few other of her friends) tried to talk her out of this and tried desperately to get her to take it to a dealership, even saying I'd take the thing and pay the bill and she could pay me later!

 

Anyway, 'Pete' sold her on the idea of an ex motab car- Toyota Auris hybrid that he could source for her, take her old (worthless) car in p/x and do the whole deal for ten K. She gave him 5K as a deposit....

 

Finally, after much nagging by others, she took it to the Merc specialists in Newton Abott who plugged it into the machine (still STAR?), tested the living fuck out of it, took it for an extended test drive and returned it to her with the advice that there was sweet fuck all wrong with it! All in perfect working order with no faults showing or recorded.... For all this, they charged her .... nothing!

 

So, she has tried to cancel the deal with Pete as she no longer believes him, and guess what, she is having serious trouble getting her cash back from him! The group where he was supposed to be buying the Auris has never heard of him and has no record of a deposit (in cash mind you!) being paid for any car in her, or Pete's name!

 

She has rung me and several others who told her he was a dodgy bent bastard (she's been using him for years and he has looked after her Merc all the time and boy, has it ever needed some work doing to it in its 11000 miles!) to apologise for doubting us.

 

She's bloody lovely and I so hope she gets her cash back.... but I have fears. However, Heather does know some very useful people so it will be resolved... one way or another.

[dome]

BT Openreach. Again. Fucked off beyond words at their ineptitude

[sporty-shite]

50cms is quite a lot isn't it? ...nearly 2 school rulers? That is quite far away from the kerb.

 

No offence but I'm not sure everything needs clear signage. Such as, please don't park in the middle of the road

 

Where/how do people turn around in that road?

 

This particular road has been blocked across its width with a concrete barrier, to avoid it being used as a rat run. I parked the car up to the barrier, beside a car that was parked at the kerb, thus being "more than 50 cm". I fully admit it was an "unconventional" parking position, but as I said, no-one was blocked in, and I had parked there before without problem. 

 

I'm not trying to wriggle out of it, I'm just a bit grumpy that I'm going to be £35 down. 

 

Shit happens, I suppose.

[Louise2cv]

Yeah it was the suggestion of looking for signage that prompted my reply really.

 

Appreciate why you're irritated though.

[The Moog]

Watched the MCM playing with an electric car.  Woke up this morning with half a plan to see how viable it would be. Buy a cheap structurally sound car and convert it.

 

Then I used google to look at the costs involved.... flipping heck. its like £3k at least.  Wont be doing that then plus skillz arent up to job

[AlabamaShrimp]

Well finally got a letter officially offering me a job (even though I was told over 3 weeks ago I had it) letter has come with yet more forms and now says provisional offer of a job

 

Need to pass the references bit (which I might not), they want a copy of my driving license and to take a sodding medical

 

Edit: cheeky bastards! Going through the paperwork they want me to have a dbs check and they want me to pay £44 for it! I gave them a copy of one from November already...

[cort1977]

This particular road has been blocked across its width with a concrete barrier, to avoid it being used as a rat run. I parked the car up to the barrier, beside a car that was parked at the kerb, thus being "more than 50 cm". I fully admit it was an "unconventional" parking position, but as I said, no-one was blocked in, and I had parked there before without problem. 

 

I'm not trying to wriggle out of it, I'm just a bit grumpy that I'm going to be £35 down. 

 

Shit happens, I suppose.

Why not try to get out of it?   Where's the harm?   If no one was blocked in and you have done it before without incident then at the very least an apologetic letter saying that there wasn't a sign, no nuns or kittens died and you won't do it again has to be worth a try surely?  

[The Moog]

Watch out for dbs. My brother lost his job because it took 13 weeks to process it. Apparently met police have massive backlog. Firm said we can't wait after 9 weeks pulled the job offer.

[sporty-shite]

Why not try to get out of it? Where's the harm? If no one was blocked in and you have done it before without incident then at the very least an apologetic letter saying that there wasn't a sign, no nuns or kittens died and you won't do it again has to be worth a try surely?

Fair point. Think I'll give that a go.

[Slartibartfast]

Watched the MCM playing with an electric car.  Woke up this morning with half a plan to see how viable it would be. Buy a cheap structurally sound car and convert it.

 

Then I used google to look at the costs involved.... flipping heck. its like £3k at least.  Wont be doing that then plus skillz arent up to job

 

I can't remember what got me started down this particular rabbit hole, but I was intrigued to see that you can buy a kit to fully convert an MR2 to EV. I imagine that would be a fun project, and a fun car to drive once done. Problems are: kit's expensive, yo. Doesn't come with battery pack either. Plus the seller is in the US so heinous import charges would apply too.

 

I was surprised to find that EV batteries are in essence very simple - just a ton of 18650 batteries spot welded together with small fuses to prevent them catching fire. Of course simple doesn't automatically mean cheap.

 

Edit: this guy has made a ton of videos about EV conversion, batteries and the like. I think he may be the founder of the company that makes the MR2 conversion kit I mentioned (EV West). He's EXTREMELY TEDIOUS to watch and manages to simultaneously go into too much detail and not enough detail in all his videos. https://www.youtube.com/user/jehugarcia

[dollywobbler]

Watched the MCM playing with an electric car.  Woke up this morning with half a plan to see how viable it would be. Buy a cheap structurally sound car and convert it.

 

Then I used google to look at the costs involved.... flipping heck. its like £3k at least.  Wont be doing that then plus skillz arent up to job

 

Sadly, that's my conclusion too. Why spend £3000-5000 shoddily converting a car when you can buy an i-Miev or LEAF for £5000-8000? I've still got the internal dilemma of i-Miev, Ami or fix 2CV.

[vulgalour]

Got a refund rather than replacement on my keyboard that didn't last six months.  Disappointing.  so far the £6 Polaroid keyboard of awkwardness from Asda has proven more reliable than the £35 ergonomic lovely comfy keyboard from Microsoft which had three keys fail and letters rub off.

 

I'm going to stubbornly keep the horrible cheap keyboard and divert funds into the cars.  I suppose that makes it a grin, but I'm still grumpy about it.

[richardmorris]

Mot tester passed the merc but broke the end piece of my seatbelt butler. Didn't mention this to the garage when they brought it back though.

Same tester broke the door catch surround on my 2cv last year( I had a spare so no biggy) and pinched world meeting wristbands from the light stalk.

[AlabamaShrimp]

Watch out for dbs. My brother lost his job because it took 13 weeks to process it. Apparently met police have massive backlog. Firm said we can't wait after 9 weeks pulled the job offer.

Tbh I don't think they would be allowed to do that and besides they have a photocopy of one not 3 months old.

 

My main grump was they expect me to pay for it. I suppose it could be a way of weeding out the wankers but annoying as the tinpot place I've just left paid for it no problem

[andrew e]

Testers ramp sounds like it's tight to the wall.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Been making a cake, 5 mins after i chucked it in the oven I realised i hadnt put the vanilla essence in the mix. Thats not gonna be bland at all

[stephen01]

people parking up and leaving their lights on, come the fuck on yer blinding me.

[mercrocker]

Been making a cake, 5 mins after i chucked it in the oven I realised i hadnt put the vanilla essence in the mix. Thats not gonna be bland at all

 

Have some ice cream with it.

[twosmoke300]

Vanilla ! Decadence !

Cake development should have stopped at the Victoria sandwich . Nothing has beaten it yet 😄