The grumpy thread

[3VOM]

No f****** internet for the foreseeable future

[MikeR]

E thingy's that can do about 20 to 30 mph , be it a bike or scooter ..

went out today for a snack  , as we are getting a pavement table , a E scooter does some 20mph or so past us on the pavement ... very quiet and very close !!

then as we head home , blue lights in the distance , a E bike has had a bad argument  with a car on a roundabout , driver is ok , but the rider was being taken away ..

now when mopeds came out years ago , with a means of propulsion and pedals , their was an up cry about the teenage death rate on a bike that could do some 40mph or more  !! 

looking at the todays h&S issues with E things , I wonder how long till they are all regulated with laws and safety equipment ...

[New POD]

The law is clear. E Scooters are illegal to use on a public highway, road or pavement. Except in certain cities where they are experimenting.  And it's not going well I understand. 

E bikes are limited to 15 mph, and that has to be achieved with pedal assist.  Twist grips are illegal.  Power has to cut off at 15 mph.  They can't be used on pavements. So if you see one not on a road and not on a cycle path, the user is a twat.  If you see one on a pavement doing 20 mph the user is a bigger twat. 

Now you say you saw the aftermath of an accident, on a road. Do you have anything to suggest that the vehicle was modified, or it was going more than 15 mph?  Did they have a cycle helmet? It might be that the car made an error. Not unlikely ??? 

I've just cycled into the village, and the demographic and ages of people driving suggests that they should have joined me at Spec Savers. 

[PhilA]

On 7/17/2021 at 11:52 AM, Nyphur said:

Some fucking chopper leant out the window of a Corsa last night and threw a bottle of water at me while I was cycling home from a friends house. Narrowly missed me but with the shock of it flashing across infront of me I clipped the curb and came off the bike.

Other than some cuts and scrapes last night I felt relatively ok, but it took me nearly 15 minutes to get out of bed this morning, ribs had me howling in pain. Went to A&E on the advice of 111 and had an x-ray which has shown some broken ribs. They gave me a prescription and sent me on my way, Dad drove me the 45 minutes home and called into the chemist to get the prescription filled, but it says on the bottom it can only be filled by the hospital pharmacy.... Fucksticks. Drive 45 minutes back to find that the hospital pharmacy is closed on weekends! Did eventually get it sorted but could have done without that.

I am meant to be having my gallbladder removed Tuesday but I should imagine they'll cancel that now. 

Very glad I was wearing a helmet mind (I always do) as there is a massive crack through it upon inspection this evening - better than a crack in my skull.

Still a couple of cocodamol and a medicinal brandy are doing the job at the moment.

Christ, where the hell do you live again? Johannesburg?

[3VOM]

6 hours ago, 3VOM said:

No f****** internet for the foreseeable future

On phone data for next day or two

[Fumbler]

1 hour ago, PhilA said:

Christ, where the hell do you live again? Johannesburg?

If he were there he's either have some looted packaging or, if super unlucky, an emptied gun magazine zipping by him.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

3 hours ago, MikeR said:

E thingy's that can do about 20 to 30 mph , be it a bike or scooter ..

went out today for a snack  , as we are getting a pavement table , a E scooter does some 20mph or so past us on the pavement ... very quiet and very close !!

then as we head home , blue lights in the distance , a E bike has had a bad argument  with a car on a roundabout , driver is ok , but the rider was being taken away ..

now when mopeds came out years ago , with a means of propulsion and pedals , their was an up cry about the teenage death rate on a bike that could do some 40mph or more  !! 

looking at the todays h&S issues with E things , I wonder how long till they are all regulated with laws and safety equipment ...

They are regulated.  It’s just that it’s not properly enforced.

[High Jetter]

26 degrees here, brilliant sunshine, thunder has been rumbling for 30 minutes and it's just started chucking it down. Don't you love* a British summer!

[Talbot]

No, I don't.  I'm fecking boiling and might die.

Hot humid weather can bog off.

[High Jetter]

The (continuing) rain has cooled the outside temp to 22 degrees, but this has not yet been communicated to the air molecules inside the residence despite numerous openings being, well, open. I had to get something from the loft 30 minutes ago - fuck knows why the dinner is in the oven, it'd be cheaper to cook it up there!

[sierraman]

Browsing through a 2019 craptical plastics issue... are these people for real?

Twice it goes in one copy about why you should be wary of buying cheap cars not fitted with premium rubber. I don’t know where they’re finding these people selling a cheap car with a full set of Crossclimates. 

Anyhow the bullshit continues in the Mondeo guide, mechanical maladies page, extremely common handbrake light sticking on, the technical ‘experts’ went off down the route of changing the fucking master cylinder. A squirt of contact cleaner in the dipswitch under the lever would’ve sorted it. Anyway, got into the guide, ‘air con standard from launch’ - bullshit, it was only standard on the very last models, the LX and GLX it was all an option on Mk1.  ‘Cable operated clutch’ - only on the very very first models, changed to hydraulic round about ‘94. 

The bullshit that I’m reading here makes me want to sling it on the BBQ.

[sheffcortinacentre]

Their the "how many left" of the mag world.

 I knew one of their contributors (& other mags) a few years back & he doesn't know his arse from his elbow , he didn't then either.

The cobblers he writes amazes me, so many simple/basic factual errors I spot on vehicles I have very little/limited knowledge on never mind the ones I do beggers belief!

[sierraman]

31 minutes ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

Their the "how many left" of the mag world.

 I knew one of their contributors (& other mags) a few years back & he doesn't know his arse from his elbow , he didn't then either.

The cobblers he writes amazes me, so many simple/basic factual errors I spot on vehicles I have very little/limited knowledge on never mind the ones I do beggers belief!

One thing makes me laugh, I think this illustrates how far it’s strayed from blokes in sheds welding up old Austin Cambridge’s is when you look at a months outgoings on their fleet, one had blown £2500 in import taxes, another £4500 in bodywork. These figures more than anything else show that Classic Cars have very definitely become a middle class pursuit, chucking a couple of grand a month at it. If we were to look 20 odd years ago it would have been a differential, a pair of Princess Calipers or whatever from the breakers for a score, if the price was even mentioned, it seems it’s part of the sum up for the month. 

[High Jetter]

Sure, an alternative is no mag. Subs are optional.

[sierraman]

The other alternative is to look on here. No cheque book restoration jobs, just normal regular people welding bits of plate on for the test or finding bits in a breaker so the car will be running for work on Monday morning. 

[yohan]

Shouldnt really talk about my customers but… this one deserves a mention.

I have visited him twice to service and repair his mower which he had bought second hand and it is of a cheap B&Q own brand variety. Not so bad if its just used every other weekend, but no, he uses it everyday to earn a living. He then asks me to repair his 4 month old strimmer of same brand and origin. I then point out that the parts he needs are only available through a warranty claim which I as an independant mechanic am not allowed to do (rant within rant).

So anyway, next appointment is arranged to repair something else on his mower, parts are ordered and visit arranged in one weeks time. Then in the meantime I start getting phonecalls from him 2 to 3 times a day every day including late evenings and weekends. His strimmer is broken again but still usable and he has found a second hand obscure chinese branded one locally to buy, should he buy it he asks? No I tell him because the brand has disappeared and parts are an arse to find, so lets just fix the other one when I come for the mower. .. OK… Next day… the strimmer is cutting out… wait until tuesday when our appointment is I tell him… 2 hours later… it doesnt start anymore, seems to be siezed… right make a warranty claim… 1 hour later… B&Q wont accept it anymore so he just went and bought the one I told him not to… next day…can I come and fix the new one… yes on tuesday… ok… monday evening 7pm… A customer just booked him to cut grass tomorrow morning can I reschedule the appointment… Sorry fully booked until my holidays and I dont come back until mid august… „ok I‘ll wait until then“…

[wuvvum]

Been looking at jobs online - thinking of trying to find a job based in London but that allows me to work remotely for most of the time.  Except that some of the salaries are absolutely shocking.  One I was looking at - admittedly an entry level position and not the sort of thing I would be looking for - offered a salary of £20K a year.  How the actual fuck is anyone supposed to survive on £20K in, or anywhere near, London?!

[New POD]

4 hours ago, wuvvum said:

 How the actual fuck is anyone supposed to survive on £20K in, or anywhere near, London?!

By living in a house share in Hemel.Hempstead and cycling to work? And eating Tesco value beans on toast for your main meals. And having a partner with a 20k job.  Hence the number of HMOs and the popularity of spare room dot co dot UK (which is very London centric) 

That is you can't live independently, alone, in nice secure accomodation in London. 

[New POD]

7 hours ago, yohan said:

Shouldnt really talk about my customers but… this one deserves a mention.

I have visited him twice to service and repair his mower which he had bought second hand and it is of a cheap B&Q own brand variety. Not so bad if its just used every other weekend, but no, he uses it everyday to earn a living. He then asks me to repair his 4 month old strimmer of same brand and origin. I then point out that the parts he needs are only available through a warranty claim which I as an independant mechanic am not allowed to do (rant within rant).

So anyway, next appointment is arranged to repair something else on his mower, parts are ordered and visit arranged in one weeks time. Then in the meantime I start getting phonecalls from him 2 to 3 times a day every day including late evenings and weekends. His strimmer is broken again but still usable and he has found a second hand obscure chinese branded one locally to buy, should he buy it he asks? No I tell him because the brand has disappeared and parts are an arse to find, so lets just fix the other one when I come for the mower. .. OK… Next day… the strimmer is cutting out… wait until tuesday when our appointment is I tell him… 2 hours later… it doesnt start anymore, seems to be siezed… right make a warranty claim… 1 hour later… B&Q wont accept it anymore so he just went and bought the one I told him not to… next day…can I come and fix the new one… yes on tuesday… ok… monday evening 7pm… A customer just booked him to cut grass tomorrow morning can I reschedule the appointment… Sorry fully booked until my holidays and I dont come back until mid august… „ok I‘ll wait until then“…

That's no way to run s seasonal business. If I mowed lawns for a living, I would have 3 back up plans,  and I'd have a stock of spares. 

I'd be on first name terms of an equipment hire shop owner.

Oh and I'd have a repairer (you), with a contract, where he came within 24 hours and fixed it. For which I'd obviously pay more. 

Perhaps you could help him with his business model. Why not offer to rent him the equipment he needs, and take the stupidity out of his decision making? 

Leaves him.to worry about his customers and how to get more work. 

[sierraman]

32 minutes ago, New POD said:

By living in a house share in Hemel.Hempstead and cycling to work? And eating Tesco value beans on toast for your main meals. And having a partner with a 20k job.  Hence the number of HMOs and the popularity of spare room dot co dot UK (which is very London centric) 

That is you can't live independently, alone, in nice secure accomodation in London. 

That’s not living. 🤣

[New POD]

1 minute ago, sierraman said:

That’s not living. 🤣

No.  But if you live in London.are single, and on £20k that's the reality. £1436 a month take home. 

Now you can get a studio flat for £700 - £800 plus bills,  in what area ?  But there's never going to be money in the pot. 

Or you go "lodger" or house share in a nicer area. 

It's shit. And reason why other cities are nicer. 

[yohan]

1 hour ago, New POD said:

That's no way to run s seasonal business. If I mowed lawns for a living, I would have 3 back up plans,  and I'd have a stock of spares. 

I'd be on first name terms of an equipment hire shop owner.

Oh and I'd have a repairer (you), with a contract, where he came within 24 hours and fixed it. For which I'd obviously pay more. 

Perhaps you could help him with his business model. Why not offer to rent him the equipment he needs, and take the stupidity out of his decision making? 

Leaves him.to worry about his customers and how to get more work. 

You are right in that he needs help, but I think in more ways then just running a business, since he cant even work a ruler when I ask him to measure the diameter of a hole, so that I dont have to drive half an hour there and half an hour back to determine which version of a part fits his strimmer.

Since Im only a mobile mechanic and not a dealer, I had pointed out where and what to buy.  But he has neither got the money (living in a sink estate) nor even heard of such lofty brands as john deere or husqvarna… 

[chadders]

6 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Been looking at jobs online - thinking of trying to find a job based in London but that allows me to work remotely for most of the time.  Except that some of the salaries are absolutely shocking.  One I was looking at - admittedly an entry level position and not the sort of thing I would be looking for - offered a salary of £20K a year.  How the actual fuck is anyone supposed to survive on £20K in, or anywhere near, London?!

People still living at home, which is not too far from work. Some of our junior admin staff were in this category.

[New POD]

5 minutes ago, yohan said:

You are right in that he needs help, but I think in more ways then just running a business, since he cant even work a ruler when I ask him to measure the diameter of a hole, so that I dont have to drive half an hour there and half an hour back to determine which version of a part fits his strimmer.

Since Im only a mobile mechanic and not a dealer, I had pointed out where and what to buy.  But he has neither got the money (living in a sink estate) nor even heard of such lofty brands as john deere or husqvarna… 

When people say they'd like to be self employed, but they don't have any ideas, I always say, what was the last thing you paid for.  Could you do it better? In this case, are we are all thinking we could do it better?  I could get finance, get the right tools, in the right van, go to the right areas and get customers who'd pay a proper amount, and employ people a lesser amount, whilst making sure that I was making a profit and making sure my back up plans were in place. 

Probably. Why don't I? Lazy. 

[MikeR]

I have parked my Focus up on the drive ...

decided that the C1 can do more than its nominal 3K miles a year .......

being a Diddy car , its first  run out was to Knotty Ash ....

[Tadhg Tiogar]

7 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Been looking at jobs online - thinking of trying to find a job based in London but that allows me to work remotely for most of the time.  Except that some of the salaries are absolutely shocking.  One I was looking at - admittedly an entry level position and not the sort of thing I would be looking for - offered a salary of £20K a year.  How the actual fuck is anyone supposed to survive on £20K in, or anywhere near, London?!

Slavery was never really abolished as such.

[twosmoke300]

2 hours ago, New POD said:

That's no way to run s seasonal business. If I mowed lawns for a living, I would have 3 back up plans,  and I'd have a stock of spares. 

I'd be on first name terms of an equipment hire shop owner.

Oh and I'd have a repairer (you), with a contract, where he came within 24 hours and fixed it. For which I'd obviously pay more. 

Perhaps you could help him with his business model. Why not offer to rent him the equipment he needs, and take the stupidity out of his decision making? 

Leaves him.to worry about his customers and how to get more work. 

Meanwhile back in the real world 

[Dead_E23]

I have one of those shit B&Q mowers which I bought cheaply as a non-runner mainly because it was in the next road. It only needed a woodruff key, but whilst I was pondering whether it might need a carb (it didn't) I found this place here sells bits for them: https://coreservice.co.uk/shop/bq-own-brand/petrol-products-bq-own-brand/lawnmowers-petrol-products-bq-own-brand/bq-own-brand-40cm-petrol-lawnmower-with-se475-engine/

[New POD]

34 minutes ago, twosmoke300 said:

Meanwhile back in the real world 

See my slightly later post. 

[New POD]

37 minutes ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Slavery was never really abolished as such.

Ah, but there's nothing that forces someone to take a job in London. 

The upside* of Brexit/Covid shit storm is that employers are suddenly struggling to get (un)qualified staff at minimum or just low wages.   

Either they pay more, or they find a way of doing business without staff. 

If they have to pay more, does that mean the price goes up? Does that mean that customers go elsewhere, or decide not to buy (which on a large scale causes recession?) 

Or does it mean the business owner takes less profit, or has to negotiate with his landlord, or makes better use of his assets? Like keeping a restaurant open longer and offering different options at different times of the day. The butchers shop that turns into a restaurant at night. The night club that runs as a small business conference centre in the day. 

Anyway. I digress. I have no idea what point I was trying to make.