The grumpy thread

[Wack]

440 miles in a day , I was foooooked

 

why do the bar stewards shut the smart motorway at night , M6 in Brummie land down to 1 lane last night  , why FFS !!!  , they could of left 2 lanes open with all that space

I used to do courier work, much of it coming home late at night, you'd think it'd be great but no , closed roads with diversions miles out of the way , one thing I learned pretty quick though was to ignore the posted diversions , they're set up for artics so avoid more direct routes that have low bridges

 

Still a PITA when miles of motorway is closed though

[Craig the Princess]

Anyone else noticed the ‘you can’t scrap that’ brigade on the whole of the internet these days? I don’t like to see any old motor scrapped but it annoys me when someone does the best they can to sell a car and then gets crap thrown at them when they suggest it will be bridged (and I am not talking about the obvious knobhead buy the car or it dies ads). It seems as though these people feel they have a right to dictate what others do but are strangely not keen on putting their own hands in their pockets to save the car.

While there are people like that there also seem to be those that expect someone to pay £1,000 for a fucked car or I'll scrap it.

 

Go ahead mate, you'll get about £80 over the bridge.

[Talbot]

While there are people like that there also seem to be those that expect someone to pay £1,000 for a fucked car or I'll scrap it.

Go ahead mate, you'll get about £80 over the bridge.

There do seem to be a lot of these. "I want £350 for this car, or it gets scrapped".

 

Well, OK, if no-one gives you the £350 for it, There's £100 waiting here for it, and I'll collect it rather than you scrapping it.

 

to which the response comes back

"FUCK OFF YOU CHANCER, IT'S WORTH £350 OR I'LL SCRAP IT."

 

.....go ahead then, dickheeed.

[eddyramrod]

Bought a Rover 820si

You can't have done, I'm going to work in it in half an hour!   Oh wait... mine has MoT.  Couple more weeks it'll have a brand new one too.

 

This car really belongs in the Grin thread.  It's so much better in so many respects than it really should be.  At just "being a car" it wins time after time.  So if yours turns out as good, it'll be worth the wait.

[twosmoke300]

I've been asking him for a response via voicemail, whatsapp and facebook messenger since midday on friday. I've even asked him via facebook messenger and whatsapp when it shows that he's active and he still ignores it!

Have you thought that he may not work weekends ? Or knocks off early on Fridays . I turn my works phone off at 5 on fri afternoon and turn it back on at 8 on Monday morning . Quite often slip off early on Friday too .

Customers that hassle me on social media / whatsapp etc get ignored I'm afraid .

If I didn't do this I would ( and have had) people ring up on Sundays for a quote to fit bulbs etc.

Being self employed you have to seperate work and play I'm afraid - to the cost of my marriage

[artdjones]

Have you thought that he may not work weekends ? Or knocks off early on Fridays . I turn my works phone off at 5 on fri afternoon and turn it back on at 8 on Monday morning . Quite often slip off early on Friday too .

Customers that hassle me on social media / whatsapp etc get ignored I'm afraid .

If I didn't do this I would ( and have had) people ring up on Sundays for a quote to fit bulbs etc.

Being self employed you have to seperate work and play I'm afraid - to the cost of my marriage

Yes I agree.But apparently there was a time agreed to deliver a car and this man just didn't turn up.If I can't come to do my work at a time previously agreed then the customer gets a phone call.

[plasticvandan]

Modern red oxide paint is shit! Doesn't even dry matt anymore,maybe ive got a duff tin from screwfix but it ain't how I remember it,swear you used to be able to hear rusty steel suck the paint in.

[Parky]

You can't have done, I'm going to work in it in half an hour!   Oh wait... mine has MoT.  Couple more weeks it'll have a brand new one too.

 

Camdump1 448.jpg

 

This car really belongs in the Grin thread.  It's so much better in so many respects than it really should be.  At just "being a car" it wins time after time.  So if yours turns out as good, it'll be worth the wait.

A+++++++ Top Woollarder would recommend

[twosmoke300]

Modern red oxide paint is shit! Doesn't even dry matt anymore,maybe ive got a duff tin from screwfix but it ain't how I remember it,swear you used to be able to hear rusty steel suck the paint in.

Teamac in the green/white tins is good stuff

[Steve79]

Yes I agree.But apparently there was a time agreed to deliver a car and this man just didn't turn up.If I can't come to do my work at a time previously agreed then the customer gets a phone call.

Exactly. Motorway had been shut for part of the day but all alternate routes open.

Guess he couldn't be bothered and this is what i have a problem with as this was agreed a week in advance and he whatsapped me the night before collection as well.

 

How long does it take to text someone to say "i don't want the job anymore!". Not two bloody days and counting!

[Cavcraft]

While there are people like that there also seem to be those that expect someone to pay £1,000 for a fucked car or I'll scrap it.

 

Go ahead mate, you'll get about £80 over the bridge.

 

I love the ones on Facebook who get arsey and say their £150 'classic' car will get bridged if they don't get £600 for it. I like to ask them for a picture of it going into the crusher, nobody has so far.

[bramz7]

Garage called me about the 205 this morning. It's going to cost just shy of £800 to put right.

 

Nope. Sorry folks, it's getting sold sans MOT now.

[BorniteIdentity]

Garage called me about the 205 this morning. It's going to cost just shy of £800 to put right.

 

Nope. Sorry folks, it's getting sold sans MOT now.

 

Wow.

 

I mean - err - wow.

 

Fortunately, they're popular little things - and someone with the knorrhow will be able to do it much cheaper, so it's not over.  Plus - scrap is up atm anyway, so you shouldn't have your pants around your ankles.

 

Sorry though dude.  Bad luck.

[bramz7]

It's a huge shame but hey ho. Seemingly 205s and me do not mix.

 

In other news I've found a nice ZX I want but not really good timing for it. Anyone want a 205 turbo diesel without MOT (M497MUJ) for £250?

[Cavcraft]

Garage called me about the 205 this morning. It's going to cost just shy of £800 to put right.

 

Nope. Sorry folks, it's getting sold sans MOT now.

 

You need a new garage, chief:

 

 

Reason(s) for failure

• Offside rear brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.5a)
• Offside rear parking brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.6a)
• Offside front brake binding (3.7.B.1)
• Offside Front Track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.2.B.1f)
• Nearside Front Suspension arm has excessive play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)
• Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases centre pipe (7.1.2)
• Horn not working (1.6.2a)
• Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7)
• Rear Brakes imbalanced across an axle Axle 2 (3.7.B.5b)

 

Did they train Kwikfit or something? £800 to do that is absolute bollocks, unless I've missed something.

[Kiltox]

Rear brakes, exhaust, TRE, ball joint, clean up the front brakes, second hand horn or fuse or clean the connectors, £800???

 

There’s about £100 of parts there max surely, what’s their hourly rate!!??

[Talbot]

Garage called me about the 205 this morning. It's going to cost just shy of £800 to put right.

 

Nope. Sorry folks, it's getting sold sans MOT now.

Didn't I price up all the bits for this at sub-£100 a while back? Even if it needed a full day's work in a garage (unlikely) then it would still only be £300-ish labour on top of that.

 

someone is taking the piss.

[bramz7]

It's a decent local garage that's usually been pretty fair with pricing, but maybe I need to look elsewhere now.

 

Unless anyone else in Reading knows a good old car friendly place?

 

I think the ball joints might have been hiding a bigger issue...but still, I was a bit shocked after the call.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

My Astra problem is kinda sorted .  Just bought a 50k Astra Arctic  ,similar colour ,a  minty , whole car ! Seems a shame to nick a wing and door off it  and scrap it. But it was cheap ...and only 15 miles away .. If anyone wants bits , they'll be dirt cheap . 1.6i ecotec engine , manual , running on 3 lost compression on one cylinder . New exhaust and alloys tyres etc . Mint interior and boot ..lady owner 19 years fsh     R356 ukk 

 

That's saved a bit of logistics at this end!

[Talbot]

Bramz7.. It's a long way from you, but their labour rates are (or at least certainly used to be) lower than most garages, and it's one of the few companies in the motor industry that I actually trust:

 

http://www.dayspeed.com/

 

He started out in about 1998/1999 working on 309s and 205s in a shed, which developed into the company it is now. I think he still has a bit of a soft-spot for 80's and 90's Pugs, so you'd probably get a very sensible price, even allowing for the 2hr/90mile drive each way.

 

... this is also the garage that I used to use for MOT's all the time, and on one occasion was allowed to re-fit a loose steering rack gaiter there and then rather than arse about with a re-test.

[Slartibartfast]

Had the Tourneo booked in at the local main stealer to get a stop/start failure issue diagnosed. Got to the on ramp for the A27 and *bingely beep* the ABS light and brake warning light come on, and it goes into limp mode. Oh shit, thinks I. Maybe I should pull over and try restarting it, maybe it will clear. But there's no decent place to pull over and it's only eight miles to the dealer, and the brakes appear to be working. And I suppose most relevant to my thinking I don't have recovery and I've got about £2.65 in the bank. So I slap the hazards on and manage to creep it up to 50.

 

Four miles later *bingely beep* and the speedo and rev counter drop to zero. That can't be good.

 

Two further miles *bingely beep* and literally everything electronic shuts off. Thankfully that doesn't include power steering or brakes, but every screen has now gone out, the only things left are the warning lights. Not even the hazards work.

 

Approaching the roundabout and there is no power in any gear. In first I manage to get it to barely limp forward. Half way round the roundabout it starts bunny hopping. Shit shit please don't stop here please don't stop here.

I manage to get round the roundabout and pull it in in a clear place with good visibility (cos no hazard lights). Call Hendy that are just up the road and they will happily send a couple of lads out to tow me the rest of the way. Once they get their main door open, because it's currently stuck shut.

 

Fortunately it was less than ten minutes before a couple of chaps in a Transit with a tow rope show up. Then follows a lot of hunting for the tow eye (which I've never seen). When they decide they can't find either mine or theirs they decide maybe they can limp it there under its own power. Then chap A decides to turn the ignition off before I can say "um, I wouldn't-". Unsurprisingly it won't restart. Dead as a dead thing. Then they remember that the towing eye is mounted under the bonnet. Everything gets hooked up and it's taken down to the dealer.

 

I wonder what exciting bills I've got in my future.

I'm really hoping it's a ground fault. I'm sure it's something simple like that. Yes.

[bramz7]

Taking a week to come back to you, and telling you it needs £800 of work = We don't want / don't have time to do the job.

Yep that was my feeling too.

 

Also Talbot thanks for that link. They're based not too far from a train line I'll get free travel on, so whilst I may not bother with the 205 I'll certainly use them in the future.

[BorniteIdentity]

It's a decent local garage that's usually been pretty fair with pricing, but maybe I need to look elsewhere now.

 

Unless anyone else in Reading knows a good old car friendly place?

 

I think the ball joints might have been hiding a bigger issue...but still, I was a bit shocked after the call.

I would guess they’re busy and don’t much fancy doing the work. Worth having a ring around for sure. Also, suggest to a garage you already have the parts and would they fit them without offering warranty. If you’re selling the car anyway it won’t matter.

[Kiltox]

Stop / start issue, then loss of all electrics then propulsion .... dead battery and/or alternator I reckon.

This.

[Slartibartfast]

Aaand they've diagnosed the alternator to be at fault. A little shy of £700. My options for getting it fixed elsewhere are extremely limited due to it being complete disabled and me already being on the hook for diagnostic fees.

[Tamworthbay]

Fookin chest infection and arthritis flare has hit me for 6. Worst of it is that I have next week off and planned for the great loft boarding/ shed and garage sort out to give space to get on with the Capri and that ain’t going to happen for months now. On 9 different tablets at the moment.

[Talbot]

.... alternator..... £700.........

Do what now? How much is an alternator for a bloody transit? That is absurd. Unless it requires the engine to be removed to fit it or something, that is just bollocks.

 

I'd get an alternator and then ask them what the book time is for changing one. Surely cannot be more than an hour!?

 

Also... "diagnostics" for a dead alternator. That's 3 minutes with a multimeter. And that includes the slurp of tea and sucking air through teeth.

 

Which engine does this have?

 

Edit: On the dangerous assumption that this is a 2.2TDCi model, there are numerous S/H but tested and with 30/60/90day warrnaty alternators on ebay for between £40 and £50. Three bolts and two electrical connections. (plus a belt tensioner undo&do-up..)

 

If they are really being twattish about it, ask them to charge the battery up fully, and then you should be able to drive it at least a few miles to get it home/to another garage/somewhere who isn't a rip-off merchant.

 

Double Edit: Even brand new the alternator is between about £130 and £200 depending on where you go.

 

It does not cost £500 to fit an alternator.

[Slartibartfast]

The parts price for the alternator was in the 500 region, the rest was for an hour's labour to fit it and the diagnostic fee (an hour plus a bit on top). If I were to take it elsewhere I'd still be on the hook for the £140 diagnostic fee.

[Stanky]

pre-grump, but slightly concerning state of affairs.

 

I got a phone call at about 9.30 this morning at work from my wife, having just chased off some gentlemen of Irish origin, judging by accents, who had taken it upon themselves to walk onto my drive and start poking about the Geep which is under a tarp. When she confronted them they said that they were happy to take it away for scrap for free - they'd seen the old rad (which is bollocks is it was behind the geep and blocked between the front wall of the house and the tarp-covered geep) and thought it might be broken/scrap.

 

She told them to fuck off which they duly did, in a tatty white transit with at least one dog in it. My concern is that I suspect they knew full well what they were looking at - a tidy profit in broken back axle, engine and gearbox.

 

The Geep is always boxed in by at least one car, but that won't stop it being HIAB'd away in the dead of night. I sleep at the front of the house so would probably hear it going on, but I am very concerned that this won't be the last we see of these gentlemen.

 

I caveat this that I don't tar all scrap metal collectors with this brush - we have a regular chap who comes round and collects scrap metal and he's actually a decent chap who does one pass ringing a bell, then comes round again 5 minutes or so later to collect what people have left out after hearing the bell. He has never trespassed on private property or started mucking about with things that don't belong to him and everyone has nice things to say to him. These guys are new to the area and appear to have some rather shady practices.

 

What can I do to secure the Geep from being HIAB'd? Or am I being paranoid? I'm going to have to have a big clear up in the garage to fit it in there, though it is possible.

[cpjitservices]

given a pile of shite to try and set up a wifi system at work , old building , thick walls , lack of kit , I had a system that just about held up ... then it was declared shite and the "experts " had a go in my absence  , now its all gone off and belly up , and I am at home laughing my T&%£ off .............

Ubiquiti