The grumpy thread

[Timewaster]

"I'm worried I might get made redundant".

I understand anyone being concerned about getting sent packing - but we are night and day from where we were 6 months ago

That sucks for you but depending where they are going the recruitment process in some companies can take 6 months.

[Lord Sterling]

Fuck, check out my shed:

 

2018-08-01 18.51.26.jpg

2018-08-01 18.51.28.jpg

 

I can't bear to see work scrap them. £100+ a piece to buy new, perfectly good batteries. So I keep taking them home and spending money on ways to make use of them.

 

I've got a solar powered security light that will continue working for three months after the sun stops.

Interesting... I work for a battery wholesaler. Still not got any batteries to store though (don't need any anyway) are they gel batteries or AGM? As gels can be stored on their sides.

 

Edit* Just noticed they are Odyssey PC925's. Careful how you store them, looks like some of them have started sulphating.

[yellowperil]

My regular loader is off sick at the moment, so I had an agency loader today, he is new to the job and was pleased he wasn't walking behind a bin lorry all day, fair enough, can't blame him for that in this heat.

 

We get to the first job and he loaded about half a broken up wardrobe on the back whilst I loaded the rest...

 

The next job he lifted a couple of tables with me

whilst I loaded the rest...

 

Doing our first tip he watched as I handballed two fridges off... Then sat there whilst I got out and set the back up and took the wheelbarrow off so we could tip the load. To be fair, he couldn't get out at that point because he had shorts on.

 

On to the next job...

He stood and watched as I wheeled two very heavy,very old fridges down a steep driveway.

 

At the next job he stood and pressed the tailift button while I loaded.

 

Next tip, was the same as the first.

 

We went back to the yard, to load some bins up and i did something totally out of character for me...

 

I went in the office and told them I would not work with him tomorrow, I would be better off on my own, because he is fugging useless.

 

The afternoon wasn't any better, he did put his phone down long enough to have a half hour nap.

 

So tomorrow he will be walking behind a bin lorry and i will get another agency loader, what a knob.

He has done himself out of two weeks of easy work in a heatwave, through his own laziness.

[Datsuncog]

FFS.

 

 

Looks like Mr. Tester wasn't happy with the wire brush and Hammerite treatment on the crusty pipes after all.

 

Next stop: new brake pipes.

 

Ballsacks.

[D Spares & Tyres]

Fuck, check out my shed: 

 

2018-08-01 18.51.26.jpg

2018-08-01 18.51.28.jpg

 

I can't bear to see work scrap them. £100+ a piece to buy new, perfectly good batteries. So I keep taking them home and spending money on ways to make use of them.

 

I've got a solar powered security light that will continue working for three months after the sun stops.

That looks like at least £500 worth of batteries in scrap value!

[Floatylight]

If he's between conservatories send him round here, mine needs a clean...

Musical Offspring is between conservatoires and back from shaking sticks and making loud noises at one-fifth of the global population. Chaseracer Towers - not generally the tidiest of abodes - currently looks like an explosion in a percussion factory.

Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

[Guest Hooli]

Delaminated bike tyres at speed on motorways at night. Now comes the fun of getting it fixed in Italy.

Lucky I know someone in Switzerland who works in a bike shop two hours from here. Waiting on him to arrive in a van currently.

 

Ffs this is only day 5 of a 14 day trip, I hope nowt else like this happens.

[Captain Furious]

The two companies opposite us on the business park must have their own hot food canteens and as i'm walking from the car park of a morning I can smell the bacon and sausage cooking, this morning it was particularly strong and i'm fucking starving!  Sat here foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog at the very thought of it.

 

All I have to look forward to is some crappy sandwiches at fucking 3pm! 

[Exiled_Tat_Gatherer]

Delaminated bike tyres at speed on motorways at night. Now comes the fun of getting it fixed in Italy.

Lucky I know someone in Switzerland who works in a bike shop two hours from here. Waiting on him to arrive in a van currently.

 

Ffs this is only day 5 of a 14 day trip, I hope nowt else like this happens.

 

 

Could be a lot worse dude - glad you're still here to complain about it! Take it easy over there and regale us with tales of derring do....... preferred option all round. 

On another note - how badly will that spank the budget - and TYRES plural! Seriously - both let go at the same time?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Fuck, check out my shed: 

 

2018-08-01 18.51.26.jpg

2018-08-01 18.51.28.jpg

 

I can't bear to see work scrap them. £100+ a piece to buy new, perfectly good batteries. So I keep taking them home and spending money on ways to make use of them.

 

That's a lot of batteries.

 

Of course, it depends on where you are but would you want two more to add to your "powerwall"? I've got two spare Type 067s of between 60 and 70Ah, currently holding charge at about 12.6v and surplus to requirements....

[warninglight]

FFS.

20180807_195929.jpg

Looks like Mr. Tester wasn't happy with the wire brush and Hammerite treatment on the crusty pipes after all.

Next stop: new brake pipes.

Ballsacks.

New flexi hoses, Shirley? The pic you posted when doing the job, the metal end of the flexi didn't look too clever. It's not a well written failure point, but that's how I would take it.

 

These days I make a point of asking the tester exactly what he wants to see different when it comes back to save some work.

[Datsuncog]

New flexi hoses, Shirley? The pic you posted when doing the job, the metal end of the flexi didn't look too clever. It's not a well written failure point, but that's how I would take it.

 

These days I make a point of asking the tester exactly what he wants to see different when it comes back to save some work.

 

The flexis are, apparently, fine despite looking a bit seabed... this time he took me under the car to point out the problem area - it's a small section between the pipe union nut and the plastic coating, on the short twisty section of pipe between the hub and the flexi.

 

 

There are three different sections of exposed pipe on the rear offside, and I'd cleaned them all up as best I could going by what the tester had said previously, but guess what - when looking at it again (ie from beneath on a 4-post, not from above on an axle stand), there was still a small bit of brown visible at one of the points where I clearly hadn't got the wire wool right round the back. Maybe less than 1mm, right up against the nut. So FAIL. Again.

 

ECP don't have the pre-formed pipes listed, and the only Ebay seller with the right ones in stock (this is a facelifted French-built version) won't deliver to Northern Ireland.

 

I do intend to get the braking system fully rebuilt on this car, including new pipes throughout and new flexis all round (I've already new handbrake cables in the boot, ready to fit) - but I can't get all of this done before the MOT runs out on Sunday (I'm in the middle of building founds for a new shed and remodelling the garden, and have run into more problems because no-one will deliver the shed to Northern Ireland. Fuck you, national chains who prominently advertise 'Free UK delivery' when what you actually mean is 'Free GB delivery' and flat-out refuse to deliver to NI, at any price).

 

In the meantime, MrsDC is blatting to work and back in the Subaru, and I know for a fact she'll have an entire tank of fuel gone by the end of the week.

 

So I dumped the Yaris down at a local backstreet garage this morning to see if they can fabricate and fit a new section of pipe just to get me the MOT pass before the weekend, and I'll look at the rest in the coming weeks.

 

I can't really blame the tester (same bloke both times) as, obviously, cars scooting aroung with duff brakes are in no-one's best interests. And I've no doubt they've seen a huge number of cars coming in with dreadfully corroded pipes as the gritter wagons seemed to be out nearly every night from early November through to mid-April.

 

**sigh**

 

Apologies, feeling proper grumpy about this; it's not just the money here for the test and two retests, it's all the fucking about getting into work late and leaving early in order to get the car over to the testing centre in Mallusk that's gnawing my bollocks. Also the feeling that I've done a bad job and let all concerned down.

[sierraman]

Spend £50 on some kunifer and a brake pipe flare kit. Job done, other than that most spares shops will run up brake pipes for you.

[twosmoke300]

You need to be changing those flexis for sure . Pretty ropey and will prob suffer from being taken apart , even if they undo , which seems unlikely.

[warninglight]

I know how you feel DC! Brake pipes are often a pain in the arse as well. I had a nightmare replacing 2 rusty ones on t'other halfs MGF for MOT last year. 2 days of faffing under the back subframe trying to avoid destroying the union, the front to rear pipe, or the whole car in the process. Got it done and she wrote the car off not 3 weeks later. At least it wasn't the fault of the brakes!

 

Also feel your pain with couriers. I thought when I moved from NI I had seen the last of that, but I have come across one courier who, as well as listing NI and most of Scotland as "not UK" also seem to list any Cumbrian postcode higher than La15 as offshore. So I've had a couple of towbars delivered to friends with LA12 postcodes 5 miles away, as they insisted they couldn't go to LA20 without me paying an extra £40. Looking at you, PF Jones in Manchester. Also not that far away.

[dozeydustman]

My regular loader is off sick at the moment, so I had an agency loader today, he is new to the job and was pleased he wasn't walking behind a bin lorry all day, fair enough, can't blame him for that in this heat.

 

We get to the first job and he loaded about half a broken up wardrobe on the back whilst I loaded the rest...

 

The next job he lifted a couple of tables with me

whilst I loaded the rest...

 

Doing our first tip he watched as I handballed two fridges off... Then sat there whilst I got out and set the back up and took the wheelbarrow off so we could tip the load. To be fair, he couldn't get out at that point because he had shorts on.

 

On to the next job...

He stood and watched as I wheeled two very heavy,very old fridges down a steep driveway.

 

At the next job he stood and pressed the tailift button while I loaded.

 

Next tip, was the same as the first.

 

We went back to the yard, to load some bins up and i did something totally out of character for me...

 

I went in the office and told them I would not work with him tomorrow, I would be better off on my own, because he is fugging useless.

 

The afternoon wasn't any better, he did put his phone down long enough to have a half hour nap.

 

So tomorrow he will be walking behind a bin lorry and i will get another agency loader, what a knob.

He has done himself out of two weeks of easy work in a heatwave, through his own laziness.

 

 

I can sympathise. Had plenty of agency (and the firm's own) numpties with me in the past. About 8 years ago back in Gravesend, I had one guy with me who was so slow loading you'd be better off waiting for the bags to jump in the hopper themselves - my solution was to send him pulling out - gather that's road's binbags into heaps while myself and the other loader chucked on. Gave him 3 roads to do while I went off to the tip. Came back and none of my work was heaped up, but the crew doing the next road down had a nice easy time........

 

Apart from a white Zimbabwean who wouldn't work with my Rastafarian loader (because black) he's the only person I've ever refused to take on the round with me through poor work.

[Cavcraft]

‘I buy rideon mowers cash inbox me for price’

 

The TL:DR version of which ended up with an offer of £30 including me doing a nigh on 60 mile round trip to deliver it.

[Kiltox]

‘I buy rideon mowers cash inbox me for price’

 

The TL:DR version of which ended up with an offer of £30 including me doing a nigh on 60 mile round trip to deliver it.

Usual bollocks isn’t it with the type of person that does this - although is it any different to buying cars from widows for £2.38?

[Lord Sterling]

So now a few days before I am due to fly back to England, family decide to tell me that I can buy a 3-wheeled electric scooter (so I can take wife out as renting a car is way too expensive) for as little as £250. Way to let me know eh? Sod it. They can wait until I return in 6 months.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

So now a few days before I am due to fly back to England, family decide to tell me that I can buy a 3-wheeled electric scooter (so I can take wife out as renting a car is way too expensive) for as little as £250. ...

 

[Cheggers]

Seems an old friend of mine has had her boat nicked, not a dinghy mind ,a fuckin 32 ft yacht that was out of the water at Red Wharf Bay Seriously how the fuck do you nick that ???

 

Anyhow it's called: RIONA and is a : WESTERLY 32 FOOT FULMAR should anyone mix in boaty circles

Wow, very unusual for a yacht to go walkabout while ashore. I'll keep an eye out for it down by The Solent.

[Bren]

Charlie got croup again. 18 hours in hospital.

[MikeR]

some people around this tumble weed infested neck of a shite hole , just could not drive if their arse was on fire and they had to find water !!

 

drove with a mission today thanks to a family emergency  ,

 

it was a phone call ,dinner dropped in the bin ,  then everything slung into the car and off back home ....

 

fastest time ever over 70 miles ...

 

country lane madness , over taking the tutting Honda drivers ....  motorway , push push

 

until Switch island and our new road to hell ,

 

I have seen faster cars travelling to the bingo hall !!!

 

I am going to put a big sticker in the back of my car on the 11th ,

 

for my trip , all of the  M62 over to the east ......

 

" its my fuckin turn to dawdle "  !

[cobblers]

Interesting... I work for a battery wholesaler. Still not got any batteries to store though (don't need any anyway) are they gel batteries or AGM? As gels can be stored on their sides.

 

Edit* Just noticed they are Odyssey PC925's. Careful how you store them, looks like some of them have started sulphating.

 

PC925s and PC1100s, or rebadged equivalents. They're not ideal on their side - normal way up would be better for letting the guff shed off the plates, but they're installed sideways in the boost packs I take them out of and it's more convenient this way. The manual reckons they're fine so long as they're not upside down. The stuff you see on top of them is mostly sawdust from when they were stacked outside.

[loserone]

Sawdust? That's sounds very safe.

[chaseracer]

Charlie got croup again. 18 hours in hospital.

 

Hope the little one's mending.

[bramz7]

The 164 is the bane of my motoring life, again.

 

Garage said new Caliper, which I won't be sorting, and then said that a wheel nut on the offending side stripped when they took it apart. I told the new owner (well supposed new owner) and offered them £200 off as apology. They have accepted but I still have no friggin clue when they are coming for it, and it's been three weeks since deposit. I can't tell them to FRO just yet as they have been replying, but no day on the horizon yet. 

 

It's still insured and taxed, but I just want it gone. The money is secondary now, and I have full empathy for those who scrap stuff.

[Ghosty]

I thought I'd actually saved money on my insurance renewal (£1k to £825): nope, it turns out I accidentally stated I'd had my 400 since 2017 instead of '18, and I'm paying as much as I was last year (bang on £1k). The most relevant factor to insurers now is apparently how long you've owned a specific car

If I wasn't paying for no claims protection and just wanted a vanilla quote I'd have saved £60... on a fucking bag of sand.

I have a years NCD, I seriously expected more of a saving than £60. 'typically 23%' my arse.

 

 

Fuck me, insurance really is ageist.

 

Probably doesn't help that I need my parents on my insurance on the off chance: there's no reason for my mum to be on it really (it rarely comes in useful, only on odd occasions - and even so my mum would have third party on my car), but my dad is adding almost £200 to my quote as he needs to use the car on occasion to either drive my mum to hospital appointments or do the weekly shop/run errands - he won't get his own car as he's 70 and has no use for it; he never goes out otherwise. One of my mum's caveats to me having the car is that my dad has access to it...

 

I should add that my dad is a named driver on my mum's Bini Cooper S, but she doesn't actually let him drive it due to her OCD and being overly personal about her belongings. She won't get counselling either, she went, declared herself cured of OCD, and subsequently relapsed after a few months.

She's 55 and has had this issue since she was a teen.

 

I'm looking at moving away from home, but the person I was planning to move in with started shagging one of my other friends and doesn't talk to me any more as I'm no longer useful to her since she's got a regular fuck, and the other guy that expressed interest can't find anything more than studio flats to let, when he needs space for at least him and his bird, and I fear I've been sidelined there too...

 

 

Life doesn't half take the piss sometimes.

[ruffgeezer]

9 months since the incident that claimed the V70 and the insurance has finally stumped up an offer of £920 which is not enough to replace it with a likewise car from anywhere locally.

 

They are refusing to renegotiate on that figure.

 

Am I screwed for getting another then?

[Kiltox]

I thought I'd actually saved money on my insurance renewal: nope, it turns out I accidentally stated I'd had my 400 since 2017 instead of '18, and I'm paying as much as I was last year. The most relevant factor to insurers now is apparently how long you've owned a specific car

If I wasn't paying for no claims protection I'd have saved £60... on a fucking bag of sand.

I have a years NCD, I seriously expected more.

 

 

Fuck me, insurance really is ageist.

Ageist? It’s based on statistics from previous claims that show young drivers are involved in significantly more claims.