The grumpy thread

[Pieman]

Davrian were originally from London but moved to Lampeter in 1976, went into receivership in 1983 and revived three years later as Darrian.  Most famous for club rallying.

[Pieman]

Don't tempt me!!  

[myglaren]

On 16/11/2020 at 21:00, artdjones said:

All your experiences make me glad I don't live in a city in the UK. Although to be fair, when I did, my neighbours were fine with fixing cars in the street. Back in the 1980s that included sill welding, clutch changes, Mini subframe swaps and the like outside our terraced house.

What has happened to Britain since 1990?

I do fewer and fewer repairs to mine these days but have lived here over thirty years and when I have tinkered in the street (actually a car park at the rear of the house) no-one has ever raised the slightest objection.

Never seen anyone else doing on-the-street repairs though.

[New POD]

14 hours ago, vulgalour said:

Now then, there's only one Welsh car isn't there, boyyo?

Gilbern?

 

 http://gilbern.co.uk/a-brief-history-of-gilbern-cars-ltd/

 

[Bren]

The garage has declared the vectra dead. They have had it over a week - the only thing they have done is fit a new belt and declared it knackered. Obviously it won't run if the rockers are broken. They said it needs cams - not sure how they know this without removing the rocker cover.

They should have just said " We can't be arsed."

[sierraman]

3 minutes ago, Bren said:

The garage has declared the vectra dead. They have had it over a week - the only thing they have done is fit a new belt and declared it knackered. Obviously it won't run if the rockers are broken. They said it needs cams - not sure how they know this without removing the rocker cover.

They should have just said " We can't be arsed."

You could have told them that yourself. What’s next a set of rockers or a new car?

[Bren]

The problem is getting somebody else to take a look. It's been to one garage - nobody else will get involved - it's a 13 year old vectra. And it will need recovering. I am angry at the garage - obviously they cannot be arsed and should have said this in the beginning.

[warch]

My experience of rockers is that they tend to wear rather than break, especially in the event of belt breakage. The weak link is usually the valves, assuming the pistons haven't being damaged, a new set of valves or for more speediness a replacement cylinder head is the best option. 

[sierraman]

There’s a Vectra for sale on the ‘fir shale’ thread. It’s £250 and sounds honest enough. If it gets you through winter might turn out to be ok?

[meggersdog]

A few weeks ago the fat twat in the next unit accused me of stealing some mirrored prism thing he was chucking out, his words "did you take my mirror ?" I have three small and hand size mirror for looking in wheels to look at brakes and in spring cups to look for broken springs so I have enough mirrors thankyou. I heard him go next door to me and the same "did you take my mirror ?" When he had gone I glanced in his rubbish bag , there was one mirrored prism thing on a pane of glass (he said there were two and one is missing) and another further down the bag. Next day I asked if he had found his mirror. No apology just "yeah, someone must have moved it" I tell you this so you get the gist of why I think this incredibly overweight person is a fat twat.

He is moving out of his unit and constantly going to the garage next door to get rid of his scrap. My Peugeot is parked between our units and 18 inches away from an upturned tyre flower-pot. Fat twat has been walking across my entrance , past my car to next door most of the day. As the MoT is due next week I'd arranged for another tester to MoT it today at 4 O'clock. It's not really the done thing MoTing your own car so I don't. No law against it I just don't do it. Matey comes to test the car and it's no longer a ZXR part of the numberplate is missing and I mean missing. Whoever broke my plate picked up the broken piece and took it away. The Peugeot hasn't been out of the yard all week. On Tuesday night whilst in the workshop myself and the other tester had a quick look over the car for todays test. When I drove out of the workshop and parked it this morning the front numberplate was complete. Test cancelled and fat twat had gone home by the time I noticed.

Apart from the cancelled test and we all know it can be hard getting an MoT at the moment. What pissed me off is whoever did it took the evidence. Just man up and admit breaking something. They wouldn't know the car was booked in for an MoT or that we looked at it earlier when they walked pasted looking rather sheepish. Taking the corner away is what is pissing me off. If they just left it I could have stuck it back on for the test as it now reads ZXP I can't. 

[sierraman]

Order a ton of sand for him. 

[iainrcz]

Phonecall at 8am this morning
"Emmajane (my Mrs), John (her uncle) is in Hull hospital, he's been knocked off his bike by an hgv on the way to work"

For fuck's sake.
Anyone want to send us any more bullshit to deal with?

[Cavcraft]

Vdeos on Facebook, there's a button to press to view them:

What an absolute load of bollocks, from hilarious* staged tricks and stunts, to about 94 minutes of boring shit to watch a nano-second of something worth seeing.

[Bren]

I have been to the garage which have the vectra. From speaking with mechanic it became apparent that they have weeks of work hence reluctance to get further involved. I explained if I thought it was absolutely knackered then I would'nt have brought it in. Mechanic then said he would be happy to strip it down.

We need an estate - and a diesel one. I would be happier fixing this and chucking £1k at it and fixing it than spending £1500 on some other shite. Apart from the engine the car is mint - I have seen worse three year old examples.

I think people don't fix things because they have no cash. It's easier to sign up for a PCP.

[Bren]

7 minutes ago, Bren said:

I have been to the garage which have the vectra. From speaking with mechanic it became apparent that they have weeks of work hence reluctance to get further involved. I explained if I thought it was absolutely knackered then I would'nt have brought it in. Mechanic then said he would be happy to strip it down.

We need an estate - and a diesel one. I would be happier fixing this and chucking £1k at it and fixing it than spending £1500 on some other shite. Apart from the engine the car is mint - I have seen worse three year old examples.

I think people don't fix things because they have no cash. It's easier to sign up for a PCP.

Having said all this garages can also be an issue - a lot of them don't wan't to be come involved in anything that cannot be turned around quickly - ignorant people get fobbed off so buy another car.

[gm]

A grump from yesterday - I was happily working away in the garage with a bit of 'Maiden blasting out and some soppy sod at apple has decided that my hearing is at risk ! I turned it up again and ten minutes later it turned itself down again  fuck that, I'll just turn up the amp instead  

(I don't use headphones, it was plugged into my amp via the headphone socket)

[Bren]

Grump 2. Saw a rear louvre on facebook for the SD1 - I really wanted one of these. Agreed £100 and offered to pay immediately as long as seller could keep it until after the lockdown.

Seller then said he had been offered £250 and guy could collect tonight. I told him to take it.

Some you win, some you lose.

 

[Lankytim]

Couriers are being swamped with parcels at the moment, people are having to buy stuff online that they can't buy in the shops, companies are filling warehouses with stock in anticipation of difficulties after Brexit, staff members at courier companies are having to self-isolate after getting a positive C19 test or displaying symptoms. It's a perfect storm of shit. 

I sell a bit on eBay and use various couriers, stuff is getting delayed for so long that I'm getting cases opened up against me and I'm having to refund for stuff I can't claim back from the courier as invariably they deliver it after a month or so delay, I'm also spending longer chasing late deliveries that I do actually selling the stuff in the first place.  A parcel I sent to The Netherlands was picked up from the parcel drop-off shop over a week ago and has simply vanished, no further tracking info.  

None of it can be helped, I suppose. Just refund and move on. I'm thinking of jacking the whole lot in until things are closer to normal than they currently are.  

[Dick Cheeseburger]

1 hour ago, gm said:

A grump from yesterday - I was happily working away in the garage with a bit of 'Maiden blasting out and some soppy sod at apple has decided that my hearing is at risk ! I turned it up again and ten minutes later it turned itself down again  fuck that, I'll just turn up the amp instead  

(I don't use headphones, it was plugged into my amp via the headphone socket)

And *that's* why I use Android. 

[LightBulbFun]

5 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

And *that's* why I use Android. 

I do wonder if its an iOS thing or an EU thing...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21294537

 

good excuse to piss off any neighbours you dont like by blasting loud music in their general direction with genuine excuse of its for research purposes!

[reb]

Finally got a response out of Carparts4less, the basic gist of it being their courier won't ship the battery because it's hazardous goods? Quite why they're selling them then I don't know since they're delivery only? Incompetent monkeys. A friend is going to get me one through Dingbro, which will likely be cheaper and turn up quite a bit faster. Should have just done that in the first place.

[Lacquer Peel]

2 hours ago, Bren said:

I have been to the garage which have the vectra. From speaking with mechanic it became apparent that they have weeks of work hence reluctance to get further involved. I explained if I thought it was absolutely knackered then I would'nt have brought it in. Mechanic then said he would be happy to strip it down.

We need an estate - and a diesel one. I would be happier fixing this and chucking £1k at it and fixing it than spending £1500 on some other shite. Apart from the engine the car is mint - I have seen worse three year old examples.

I think people don't fix things because they have no cash. It's easier to sign up for a PCP.

 

[High Jetter]

More fucking fireworks! Why?

[sierraman]

5 hours ago, Bren said:

I have been to the garage which have the vectra. From speaking with mechanic it became apparent that they have weeks of work hence reluctance to get further involved. I explained if I thought it was absolutely knackered then I would'nt have brought it in. Mechanic then said he would be happy to strip it down.

We need an estate - and a diesel one. I would be happier fixing this and chucking £1k at it and fixing it than spending £1500 on some other shite. Apart from the engine the car is mint - I have seen worse three year old examples.

I think people don't fix things because they have no cash. It's easier to sign up for a PCP.

Is it manual? I’d check the state of the DMF before making any rash decisions. 

[Bren]

28 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Is it manual? I’d check the state of the DMF before making any rash decisions. 

No its auto.

[Tamworthbay]

FedEx are twats, apparently ‘to be delivered by 6pm Thursday’ actually means ‘ you will get it when we fucking say you do, feck off’

[High Jetter]

Ordered online from Boots. ETA next Tues. Text from Royal Mail 7:05 yesterday saying arriving tomorrow (ie today).  Plus 2 more texts, plus one after delivery. Why?

[captain_70s]

16 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

And *that's* why I use Android. 

My last two android phones have done this too. I just turn the volume back up...

My iPod Classic has a much more annoying variant why by it sets it's volume lock at about 5/6ths if you listen at full blast for too long. To undo this you have to navigate the menus and reset the volume lock, ideal when you're driving. I have the bloody thing specifically because the interface can be used without looking at it ffs...

[Dick Cheeseburger]

39 minutes ago, captain_70s said:

My last two android phones have done this too. I just turn the volume back up...

Good lord, really? I clearly haven't played music loudly enough to find out! Having said that, I've been trying to look after my hearing for the last decade after developing tinnitus from loud personal stereo listening in my late teens and playing in a band (with a brilliant, but excitable drummer) with zero ear protection for a few years. 

[PhilA]

6 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Good lord, really? I clearly haven't played music loudly enough to find out! Having said that, I've been trying to look after my hearing for the last decade after developing tinnitus from loud personal stereo listening in my late teens and playing in a band (with a brilliant, but excitable drummer) with zero ear protection for a few years. 

Gotta be an EU thing, my phone will sit with the headphones connected forever without altering the volume.

I have one of my old phones in the garage connected permanently to a charger and the headphones to the line-in on the hifi.

 

If anything: "We detected you were listening to Iron Maiden so we automatically increased the volume"

 

Phil