The grumpy thread

[Tamworthbay]

Am I right in thinking that a private person can drive one of these on a standard licence as long as it's not for paid use? It would make one hell of a camper van.........

[Aston Martin]

Buy for a grand and bang on ebay?

[Alexg]

A bag of sand for that Coach!? Bloody hell!

[dollywobbler]

Am I right in thinking that a private person can drive one of these on a standard licence as long as it's not for paid use? It would make one hell of a camper van.........

 

If 30 years old, which that one isn't yet. You could convert it into a camper though...

[beko1987]

 

Well this is fun. Accelerator cable just snapped on the m40, and whilst the new one is in the boot, I cant really fit it on the hard shoulder...

 

Waiting for the free bank account AA

[dollywobbler]

IMAG0446.jpg

 

Well this is fun. Accelerator cable just snapped on the m40, and whilst the new one is in the boot, I cant really fit it on the hard shoulder...

 

Waiting for the free bank account AA

 

Wedge something under the throttle to jam it open a bit? Would at least get you off the motorway.

[Timewaster]

Car Insurance £270 per year pre non fault accident (hit by driver who drove off, despite cctv and plate Police couldn't trace him and he wasn't on the MID)

 

Car insurance £340 post accident. Grumble grumble but c'est la vie

 

Today's renewal £699. Despite a clean year and no changes, the cost has more than doubled. I R CONFOOZED

 

Money supermarket search finds me a policy for £327, and loads under £400. Do the insurers not think we shop around? Now got to go through the bollocks of changing insurer unless Mrs P calls our current one and gets that price right down....

 

I have never paid £699. Even as a 17 year old I never paid anything near that number. Maybe my area has suddenly become a hotbed of criminal activity??

Insurance companies are like nappies.

 

They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason.

[beko1987]

Wedge something under the throttle to jam it open a bit? Would at least get you off the motorway.

I did spend 10 minutes having a feel, but it snapped here

 

 

so cant bodge it, and I dont fancy my first time of throttle holding open being on the m40 in rush hour!

 

Did think of judt driving 9 miles on the hard shoulder on tickover, but it sounded painful.

[mercrocker]

I bodged my RWD Ascona throttle to get it home* (broke at the carb end).  It got home OK but jammed fully open about 700 miles later after I had forgotten all about it.....

[cms206]

Yes on both counts. Deeply, deeply worrying thoughts have entered my head.

Does this help?

[MarvinsMom]

not really.......

 

bastard.

[beko1987]

I bodged my RWD Ascona throttle to get it home* (broke at the carb end). It got home OK but jammed fully open about 700 miles later after I had forgotten all about it.....

If it had broken at the engine end that would be ok, as that end has a screw in end, so bodging could be done.

 

AA bloke (or whatever subby it is) just phoned, he will be 10 minutes, local chap, sounded ok, hopefully this will be painless!

[cort1977]

Is there no market for converting that coach to a motor home?   I mean obviously there isn't but is it due to the size or licence restrictions or what?   In North America or Australia I think that would be worth something for conversion.

[Parky]

I have been in this situation a couple of times and rang the current insurer to tell them how cheap I could get it. Each time they either matched the price or came so close I didn't bother changing. Why can't they just give a competitive quote in the first place?

Mrs P called them earlier apparently they have had a lot of claims this year so have had to put premiums up. What utter bollocks. Surely every insurer would do that?

 

No changes to usage, mileage, address, mods, etc. Nothing at all. Yet twice the price.....

 

I think Allianz have decided to pull out of the market and are winding operations down. Cutting the perks while pretending it's an improvement and doubling the premiums to keep customers away.

 

Did a meerkat and the same cover from Allianz is £500. Still high but £200 less than my renewal. Would they match that? No Mrs P, that's only available to new customers.

 

Will you reduce it at all? No we won't. Oh you want to cancel, ok then. No attempt to retain the business at all.

FFS.

 

Not that I give a stuff about Allianz, it's just all the bollocks of "prove you have no claims within 71 minutes or else" Mullarkey I have to put up with now...

[Inspector Morose]

You'd need a class 2 LGV if it was converted as its mass is over 7.5 tonnes.

I could leave 10 seats in, convert the rest into a motorhome around them and drive it on my PCV. Theoretically.

 

And no, those pics don't help one bit. Fuck, that's been looked after. Nice original, non messed about with front too. I wonder how crunchy it is?

[HH-R]

Mrs P called them earlier apparently they have had a lot of claims this year so have had to put premiums up. What utter bollocks. Surely every insurer would do that?

 

No changes to usage, mileage, address, mods, etc. Nothing at all. Yet twice the price.....

 

I think Allianz have decided to pull out of the market and are winding operations down. Cutting the perks while pretending it's an improvement and doubling the premiums to keep customers away.

 

Did a meerkat and the same cover from Allianz is £500. Still high but £200 less than my renewal. Would they match that? No Mrs P, that's only available to new customers.

 

Will you reduce it at all? No we won't. Oh you want to cancel, ok then. No attempt to retain the business at all.

FFS.

 

Not that I give a stuff about Allianz, it's just all the bollocks of "prove you have no claims within 71 minutes or else" Mullarkey I have to put up with now...

 

 

Insurance quote generator

 

"MASS CA$H" it says too, how apt.

[cms206]

You'd need a class 2 LGV if it was converted as its mass is over 7.5 tonnes.

I could leave 10 seats in, convert the rest into a motorhome around them and drive it on my PCV. Theoretically.

 

And no, those pics don't help one bit. Fuck, that's been looked after. Nice original, non messed about with front too. I wonder how crunchy it is?

I never opened the boot or the locker doors but the only grot on the outside was on the bottom edge of the rear emergency door; stretch panels and continental door were all good. Floor wasn't spongey either and it didn't smell damp - no mould on the seats, no rips either that I could see. Had I more time I'd have taken it for a run, he practically threw the keys at me.

 

Iain at the dealer is keen to sell it but space is at a premium so he reckoned it'd be off to the bin soon. Waste.

[fairkens]

I don't know about motor specifically but Allianz had a great year last year, turnover and profit both up. Motor has been difficult this year generally but even so... They won't be exiting the motor market anytime soon, they're still running that school run TV ad for a start

[skattrd]

New pattern parts are rubbish, PHAKT.

 

It would appear that the thermostat I fitted in the red aerodeck in July last year (yes, 6 months ago) has died, so it needs replacing again.

Fed up with failing Chinese crap I phone the local Honda dealer, after good experience and cheap prices at the Merc dealer I thought I'd go genuine. Well, the one that failed was £5 ... genuine Honda? £31 ... do I want the rubber seal as well? that'll be an extra £5.  £36 for a sodding thermostat and rubber ring. It'd better be good and last a long time.

 

I am sick of changing thermostats, this'll be the 5th one I've changed in the last 12 months

[Aston Martin]

Priced my car at £3250, it's not worth that, but i'm gonna get lowballed. Personally I think it's worth £3k.

 

"I'll give you £2500"

 

as a deposit?

 

"£2600, it needs alot of work*"

 

Enjoy your 2 hour ride home... without my car.

 

 

 

 

*Backbox outer skin corroded (Not blowing) and needs 2 rear bumpstops. 

 

[Inspector Morose]

I never opened the boot or the locker doors but the only grot on the outside was on the bottom edge of the rear emergency door; stretch panels and continental door were all good. Floor wasn't spongey either and it didn't smell damp - no mould on the seats, no rips either that I could see. Had I more time I'd have taken it for a run, he practically threw the keys at me.

Iain at the dealer is keen to sell it but space is at a premium so he reckoned it'd be off to the bin soon. Waste.

Sounds like a mythical one driver coach. Oooft.

[Lacquer Peel]

New pattern parts are rubish PHAKT.

 

It would appear that the thermostat I fitted in the red aerodeck in July last year (yes, 6 months ago) has died, so it needs replacing again.

Fed up with failing Chinese crap I phone the local Honda dealer, after good experience and cheap prices at the Merc dealer I thought I'd go genuine. Well, the one that failed was £5 ... genuine Honda? £31 ... do I want the rubber seal as well? that'll be an extra £5.  £36 for a sodding thermostat and rubber ring. It'd better be good and last a long time.

 

I am sick of changing thermostats, this'll be the 5th one I've changed in the last 12 months

 

Have you tried Japarts? Their parts are usually OE quality (edit: they offer a thermostat for a fiver, suspiciously cheap).

 

I fitted a pattern thermostat to my Primera 2.0D and it was just as useless as the bust original, made the same mistake with a SAAB 9000 which was a pain because the thermostat housing is a faff to get to and running cool set fault codes off. Never again.

 

How hard is it to make a thermostat that works?

[skattrd]

Cheers LP, I'll keep them in mind ... I did just spot a waterpump for the Honda on that site for £7 ... I reckon at that price I'll see what else I can add to an order, but I'll be sticking with the genuine 'stat for now.

[MrDuke]

I don't give a sh1t about vandalised cars. Get me, yo.

[DeeJay]

How much would that coach be worth as scrap?

[Cavcraft]

Just had a nosy at this at one of the local dealers...

 

 

 

... 1989 Volvo B10M Mk3, 6-speed manual, 51 very clean and unripped seats, centre sunken toilet, 5ish months MOT. Starts, drives, was a trade in for a newer Van Hool Volvo.

 

It's going for scrap in the next couple of weeks 'cos they can't be arsed trying to sell it. It'll probably drive to it's death.

 

The cost? A grand. One thousand pounds.

 

Needless to say I have neither a grand nor anywhere to put it, but what a fucking waste.

 

 

What? A thousand quid? That's utter madness. I have never driven a coach or bus in my life but I would absolutely honestly be all over that if I had a grand and the means of getting it back.

[MarvinsMom]

yep, a whole one thousand pounds.....

 

madness!!!!!

[skattrd]

If I win the lottery I'm going to buy a country house or farm and have one field and/or barn for AS members to stash things like that coach away from murderous SWMBOs.

[Eddie Honda]

I'll need to actually play the lotto first.

 

Unfortunately, I've only a third of the price in used notes knocking around and nowhere to keep it. Otherwise I'd be on the blower.

[cms206]

How much would that coach be worth as scrap?

I'd need to phone our local coach dismantler to check but it's 11800kg-ish gross. There's maybe 800 quid in the engine and 'box to them... from memory they offered about a grand for our old F-reg Volvo Plaxton but advised us to "try to sell it if it's still got test".

What? A thousand quid? That's utter madness. I have never driven a coach or bus in my life but I would absolutely honestly be all over that if I had a grand and the means of getting it back.

Likewise. To be fair I've got three sitting in my yard, a properly high spec '95M and a pair of '96Ns of the later Mk4 variety and we're struggling to get £4k each for them with up to 10 months test. Likelyhood is we'll probably get £10k for the three.