The grumpy thread

[Bren]

Had a desperate plea today from a friend of a friend asking me to look at her car as she can't afford to take it to the garage (single mum, 4 kids, no money etc) so I said yes. It's an 01 plate freelander that wouldn't start off the key but would from a jump and she tells me that it's had a new battery and alternator in the last 6 months. After a very quick look I can see that the lead on the back of the alternator has had the retaining clip snapped off so it's working loose and not charging. I wedge it in there and fire it up to see if that's the issue before I order a new clip and hey presto it's charging properly.

 

I then go the back door to get my jump leads out of it, press the handle and wait for the window to drop pull the handle and the whole fucking thing snaps off in my hand. Cue ages of fucking around with the broken handle to get the door to shut and the window to go up and now I have to try and find a new handle for the blasted thing. Cheapest on ebay is £50.

 

I fucking hate freelanders what a stupid design, the whole handle is held on by 2 tiny plastic clips and I'm annoyed at myself for being weak and giving into sob stories that generally turn out to be a giant ballache.

 

Rant over.

Point her in the direction of Billy's zafira - if it has sold no doubt he could find another....

[xtriple]

I know a mecanic (a bloody good one at that) who lies like a trooper when anyone asks what he does for a living. Answers usually revolve around something that no one can find a use for, like a tax inspector!

[Tamworthbay]

Sold the PT cruiser to a pal about a month ago and he's having nothing but trouble with it. I think the ignition switch is borked, it's a common problem apparently, the connection between the key and the switch falls to bits leading to no cranking or no ignition lights. It was great when I had it but I bet he thinks I've offloaded a lemon onto him. He had "fixed" it last week by adding a separate starter switch but now it's packed up again. Arrgh!

There's nothing worse, and cars seem to almost know when to play up for the biggest pita effect.

[rainagain]

Had a desperate plea today from a friend of a friend asking me to look at her car as she can't afford to take it to the garage 

 

I did the same for one of my OH's friend a while back as they were 'so short of cash', I was slightly pissed off next time I was round their house for a kids birthday party when her husband pulled out a brand new iPhone 6 (this is when the 6 was just out as well) to play the kids music on. Can't afford a garage but can afford a new iPhone.

[Richard]

It's 9:30. I'd like to go out and do some work but there are three people I need to see first. All are supposed to start at 9, none are in yet. They are rarely in much before 20 past. I have never worked anywhere else that would tolerate that much tardiness.

 

One of the three is the guy who averages nearly one day a week sick.

[Anthony]

I did the same for one of my OH's friend a while back as they were 'so short of cash', I was slightly pissed off next time I was round their house for a kids birthday party when her husband pulled out a brand new iPhone 6 (this is when the 6 was just out as well) to play the kids music on. Can't afford a garage but can afford a new iPhone.

I'll go out of my way to help friends out who through no fault of their own are down on their luck and struggling, but if any of them pulled that sort of stunt claiming poverty whilst being able to find money for "luxuries" then I would suddenly become unavailable or not have any spare cash when they next asked for help.

 

Reminds me of my missus last year when she bought a nearly-new car on a whim and, having budgeted poorly, told me that I would have to cover all the bills that month and give (not lend) her money for the frivolous jollies she'd planned for the following few weeks. Suffice to say, that argument didn't go the way that she thought it would when I told her to FRO.

 

I'd have some sympathy if her old car had expired and she'd needed a replacement ASAP, but there was nothing wrong with it, low mileage, FSH and had just passed its MOT a couple of weeks prior. Her reasoning was solely that it was old and embarrassing to be seen driving - it was a 07 plate, so positively modern by my standards, and the embarrassment seemed to come down to the fact that the brakes squealed slightly on initial application. I kid you not...

[Anthony]

It's 9:30. I'd like to go out and do some work but there are three people I need to see first. All are supposed to start at 9, none are in yet. They are rarely in much before 20 past. I have never worked anywhere else that would tolerate that much tardiness.

 

One of the three is the guy who averages nearly one day a week sick.

Public sector per chance? That sounds about par for the course if so.

[Richard]

No, private sector. IME the public sector can play at being inefficient and incompetent but if you want proper inefficiency and incompetence you really have to go private.

[michael1703]

Self employed here but I can't be arsed to leave the house this morning,I've got an easy day too, drive to work on beautiful country roads in a p4,fix old cars,talk bollocks,walk dog a few miles,fix cars,eat,drive p4 home on sunny beautiful country roads

 

Motivational levels = Nil

[chaseracer]

So fed up of being a courteous driver and just being blanked, often by those in big expensive cars after I have moved aside to allow them through or to allow more room.

 

Aye - an increasingly common frustration.  

 

See also: arrogant twats on narrow roads who scream past a perfectly good place they could pull in, then sit there expecting you to reverse half a mile back up a hill.  Didn't work for the knob in the red 3-series in Powys yesterday...

[Guest Hooli]

Aye - an increasingly common frustration.  

 

See also: arrogant twats on narrow roads who scream past a perfectly good place they could pull in, then sit there expecting you to reverse half a mile back up a hill.  Didn't work for the knob in the red 3-series in Powys yesterday...

 

I used to love them when I drove buses/coaches.

 

Feet on the dash & pick up a book/newspaper, never took them long to get the hint..

[xtriple]

Had a phishing e-mail this morning which I forwarded to the relevant peeps... now I can't get e-mails at all. Bumhats.

[AlabamaShrimp]

Just spent a fortune on the ST after its crash and hooray its not got a binding front brake.

 

Turner out the piston is jammed and a new genuine caliper is about £500 but they can do a crap one all in for £250...

 

"keep the old on for me" I ask. "Oh we send them back for reconditioning there might be a retention fee" since when did calipers go back?

 

Anyway I said ring me with a price as a rebuild kit is cheap but even a scrap one is about £60

[oldcars]

Had a desperate plea today from a friend of a friend asking me to look at her car as she can't afford to take it to the garage (single mum, 4 kids, no money etc) so I said yes. It's an 01 plate freelander that wouldn't start off the key but would from a jump and she tells me that it's had a new battery and alternator in the last 6 months. After a very quick look I can see that the lead on the back of the alternator has had the retaining clip snapped off so it's working loose and not charging. I wedge it in there and fire it up to see if that's the issue before I order a new clip and hey presto it's charging properly.

 

I then go the back door to get my jump leads out of it, press the handle and wait for the window to drop pull the handle and the whole fucking thing snaps off in my hand. Cue ages of fucking around with the broken handle to get the door to shut and the window to go up and now I have to try and find a new handle for the blasted thing. Cheapest on ebay is £50.

 

I fucking hate freelanders what a stupid design, the whole handle is held on by 2 tiny plastic clips and I'm annoyed at myself for being weak and giving into sob stories that generally turn out to be a giant ballache.

 

Rant over.

Dad had one, did the same thing. The design is piss poor, as it holds lights for the plate as well.

[Bren]

Bastard cheap op com I bought - cannot get it working because computer says it cannot find the drivers for the usb device.

 

I wonder what will happen when we have power cuts in future and people will not know what a pen and paper is?

[Captain Furious]

Hotmail has been down most of the day, which meant my phone has been complaining every time I pick it and popping up messages to re-enter the password. But I think in the process of re-entering the password I've got it wrong too many times so now I don't know if it's locked, or I have the wrong password, or it's still down...gah

 

I don't even use it really, but I keep it on there because you never know when useful penis enlargement information might arrive, or a wealthy nigerian prince needs my help transferring his inheritance.

[fordperv]

A very sad day today, father fp who has been poorly for a while sadly lost his fight at 2 this afternoon, this man was the spark of my love of cars, messing about with them and my love of fords, he nurtured that love as i was growing up teaching me mechanics and inner workings of motors, this was the foundation of our father son relationship, he listened to my crazy ideas, through the years of ill health where he couldnt work on anything he absolutely loved seeing the cars i built he loved hearing about the problems i came across and my general escapades with motors he would then re live the happier days through memories, to say im crushed is an understatement, my biggest regret is he never saw my mk1 sierra finished or got to go out in it, this also was the last car we worked on together, he bought it for me on fathers day 2001 as a surprise, his last words to me this afternoon when he was still strong enough to speak were "i love you" he also mouthed them to me and mrs fp when he came around for a short period of time with his head resting on my hand while i was stroking his hair, he slipped away very peacefully in comfort, rest in peace dad you will never be forgotten

[richardmorris]

I'm really very sorry for your loss. Take comfort ,if you can, in the happy memories.

[robinmasters]

Twitter just told me to try the configurator for the new Range Rover Velar. So I did (yes, I realise who wad to blame for this). But that's not the grump.

 

Obviously I went for the top of the range one (as there wasn't a trim level which included unpainted bumpers and steel wheels). £85,000. Eighty-five thousand pounds. EIGHTY-FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS. But that's not the grump.

 

This £85,000 car is only available in grey or two shades of silver.

[Lankytim]

Sorry for your loss, FP. Thought of you today as I drove past and saw your Sierras.

[xtriple]

So sorry for your loss FP. Never knew mine but still miss him!

[trigger]

I'm very sorry to read of your loss FP.

[Captain Furious]

So sorry to hear about your Dad, I lost mine in 2010 and sadly have an idea what you're going through. There are no words really

[Noel Tidybeard]

Twitter just told me to try the configurator for the new Range Rover Velar. So I did (yes, I realise who wad to blame for this). But that's not the grump.

 

Obviously I went for the top of the range one (as there wasn't a trim level which included unpainted bumpers and steel wheels). £85,000. Eighty-five thousand pounds. EIGHTY-FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS. But that's not the grump.

 

This £85,000 car is only available in grey or two shades of silver.

 

 

WHAT no white???

[puddlethumper]

I have to drive down a country road to get to where I'm working at the moment. Unfortunately I'm going in the opposite direction to the commuting turds in their big blobby 16 plate 4x4 things. 

The road is wide enough for 2 vehicles to pass each other with reasonable ease, unless a truck, tractor or similar is coming the other way. (rare). 

They ALL stay 4 feet from the verge on their side, probably so they don't get mud on their nice new blob, and expect me to practically chuck my "non blobby shite" into the fcuking trees. If I held my line I would get scraped down the side nearly every effing day.

2 miles country road then dual carriage way into Brum. What the f**k do they have them for? Answer, "well, I live in the country".     Well, LEARN HOW TO DRIVE IN THE COUNTRY YOU F*CK HEAD.     Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!

[eddyramrod]

FP, you have my sympathy there. I lost my dad in 2005 and again, my Shite history is largely his doing.

 

In other Grumps: my Shite mojo is so low a caterpillar couldn't limbo under it.

[Bren]

Fp my thoughts are with you.

The richness of life comes not from money, but the love of the people close to you.

[Guest Hooli]

Just spent a fortune on the ST after its crash and hooray its not got a binding front brake.

 

Turner out the piston is jammed and a new genuine caliper is about £500 but they can do a crap one all in for £250...

 

"keep the old on for me" I ask. "Oh we send them back for reconditioning there might be a retention fee" since when did calipers go back?

 

Anyway I said ring me with a price as a rebuild kit is cheap but even a scrap one is about £60

 

Callipers have been going back for years, where do you think they get the ones to recondition & sell otherwise?

[Stanky]

Bastard cheap op com I bought - cannot get it working because computer says it cannot find the drivers for the usb device.

 

I wonder what will happen when we have power cuts in future and people will not know what a pen and paper is?

 

What operating system are you running it on Bren? I borrowed Lisbon_Road's one for my Saab and ran it on a windows 8 laptop running XP on a virtual machine and it worked fine. PM me and I can help getting it running for you.

[scaryoldcortina]

Serious sympathy from me FP, I lost my dad last july in similar circumstances and it's still so raw I think this is the first time I've told the internet about it.

 

FFS. Off for a quick cry. Soz.